The Axe Hill vineyard will be 30 years old in 2024! Planted in 1994 by Tony & Lyn Mossop, Mike Neebe took over the property in 2007. Mike has enjoyed 17 harvests on the farm, as well as a harvest stint working in Portugal in the Douro valley in 2010.

Calitzdorp is affectionately known as “the Port Capital of South Africa”. The unique micro-climate prevalent in the region is characterized by dry, arid conditions which add to the overall concentration of Portuguese varieties grown there. The name of the vineyard originates from the stone hand tools found on the farm and possibly used by prehistoric man over a quarter of a million years ago.

In exceptional years one vintage port is made from a blend of traditional Portuguese varieties; Touriga Nacional, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz and Souzão. The wine is matured in old French oak barrels after hand sorting and foot crushing in lagares for maximum extraction of flavours and colour. This method closely resembles traditional Portuguese port wine making techniques which have been in use for centuries.

From early experimentation with a small range of white wine grapes, the cellar now produces various dry white wines and or blends, including: Ambientem – barrel fermented Chenin Blanc, Tant Lenie – an unusual barrel fermented Viognier from a neighbouring farm. More recently a Klein Karoo White Blend, featuring Chenin Blanc, Viognier and Palomino from a very old Calitzdorp block! Barrel fermented Colombard is a new addition!

Chenin Blanc grapes are also used to produce a White Port – a drier style fortified wine. The wine is barrel-aged by the fractional blending of old to young wine so that each bottling is a fusion of ages, with the average age gradually increasing over the years. Axe Hill Cape White has its origins with the first vintage in 2003. It continues to grow in complexity each year in the barrels.

Apart from Cape Ruby Port, Cape Vintage Port and LBV, a periodic Shiraz Red – as well as some other unique dry reds, the cellar will soon release its eighth vintage of its flagship Machado (meaning axe in Portuguese) – (2021) a unique Dry Red blend made from Portuguese varietals; Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz & Tinta Barroca.

A new label, GATOS – meaning cats in Portuguese – named after the farm cats, has become a new experimental range.