Waterkloof Estate, a biodynamic marvel on the outskirts of Somerset West renowned for its sustainable wine farming ethics, reaffirmed its status at the Great Wine Capitals (GWC) Best of Wine Tourism Awards 2013 by clinching South Africa’s Best Architecture and Landscape title for the second consecutive year.
In addition to retaining this sought-after title, Waterkloof also excelled with second place in both the Sustainable Wine Tourism Practices and Wine Tourism Restaurants categories of this annual competition run by the GWC.
“To win for a second consecutive year is a great honour for the Waterkloof team. No bribery involved!” shares Waterkloof’s owner Paul Boutinot.
In 2009, this magnificently appointed ‘cellar in the sky’ – where even the steep incline provides functional advantages in their winemaking process – triumphed as the first South African architectural feat for Castle Rock Design. This Australian based company enjoys recognition for its innovation in the design and management of wineries, luxury resorts and hospitality related projects and its impressive CV includes numerous cellars in Australia and Europe. NMC Construction was the main contractor on Waterkloof’s building project.
The whole principle of its design was based around Waterkloof’s commitment to honesty, transparency and authenticity when it comes to producing its elegant wines and the building, soaring on the slopes of the Schapenberg, is a clear reflection of these principles.
From the first encounter with this aesthetic masterpiece it is clearly visible that unlocking nature’s true potential holds no secrets at Waterkloof. Cocooned in a contemporary glass and concrete sphere, the deep, open barrel cellar becomes apparent immediately as you enter the building and make your way to the slick wine tasting lounge that spills onto the ‘glass box’ fine dining restaurant gorgeously appointed in a 10 meter high glass promontory.
Massive walls of clear glass reveal an ultra-modern gravitational cellar with ranks of wooden, open top fermenters and create a majestic sense of space through the uninterrupted, outstretched views of Waterkloof’s amphitheatre of vineyards and full expanse of False Bay to Cape Point in the distance.
For more information on Waterkloof Estate contact 021 858 1292 or visit www.waterkloofwines.co.za. You can also follow the estate on Twitter: @WaterkloofWines and join its Facebook page: Waterkloof Wines.
The Best of Wine Tourism Awards were founded in 2004 to honour outstanding wineries as well as other wine tourism-related businesses in several categories in the member cities and wine regions of the Great Wine Capitals Global Network. The awards are recognised as an industry-wide benchmark for excellence. The Great Wine Capitals is a global network of the world’s leading wine-producing countries that shares international best practice to advance standards in wine tourism across the world.