Muratie Wine Estate makes excellent wine, has a rich cultural history and is located within the Stellenbosch Wineland area. Muratie - One of the oldest fine farms in the Stellenbosch area, in South Africa

Governor Simon van der Stel granted Muratie to a young German soldier way back in 1685. His name was Laurens Campher and he had a great love of the soil. However, he had an even greater love - a slave girl named Ansela van de Caab. For 14 years, he’d walk 64 km (a 3-day trip) to see his beloved Ansela. When she was eventually emancipated, Ansela returned as Laurens’ wife to Muratie. To this day the oak she planted to bless their marriage still stands... in the same soil Laurens loved so much. With intense flavours ranging from honeysuckle to pineapple, and a sturdy backbone, the Laurens Campher blend pays tribute to this man of mettle, passion and determination. Read more...

As a direct descendant of Martin Melck (who bought this gracious wine farm for his daughter in 1763), Ronnie fulfilled a lifelong dream by buying Muratie in 1987 - finally welcoming it back into the Melck fold and rekindling a century’s old love affair with the farm. With his legendary palate, warm personality and instinctive flair for winemaking, Ronnie is the only owner whose remains rest on Muratie, on the highest part of the farm - under the trees. The Ronnie Melck Shiraz with its intense violet edge, sweet spiciness and floral & berry notes, pays tribute to the legendary winemaker - humble, honest and full of integrity. Matured in new and second fill barrels, this wine is lovely on release but will reach its full potential five to eight years later. Read more...

George Paul Canitz (who owned Muratie from 1927 to 1958) had two great passions in life: painting and Pinot Noir. In the mornings he’d mix colours on his palettes, in the afternoons sample grapes. Painting into his 70s he earned fame both locally and internationally - he could hardly keep up as art lovers streamed to Muratie to buy his paintings which even adorned the walls of his private pub (or “kneipzimmer”). But as the first ever Pinot Noir grower in the country, what would eventually earn him the greatest renown ... was his palate for Pinot. With a delicate, long finish, hint of strawberries, fresh cherries and French Oak, the George Paul Canitz Pinot Noir salutes the artist ... and his palate for Pinot. Read more...

George Paul Canitz and his daughter Annemarie were out horseback riding. Closer to the truth - they were lost. But that’s how they discovered Muratie... and fell instantly in love with it. Annemarie shared her father’s love of fine wines (and horses) and when she inherited Muratie, this tireless, independent woman became one of the first female wine-farm owners in the country. She never changed a thing on her father’s farm - and rode horses well into her 80s only stopping, she said, “because the horse is too old”. A dense purple colour with cherry, cranberry and a hint of chocolate on the nose, the Alberta Annemarie Merlot pays tribute to this remarkable woman who, like fine wine, got better with age. Read more...

Two German Shepherds - named Frank and Stella - guard the Muratie farm. Turkeys, geese and ducks are on permanent pest patrol. Hundreds of bird species flitter around the grounds. But closest to Rijk and Kim Melck’s heart must have been the butterfly kisses from beautiful baby Isabella at bedtime. And it was after her that they named their Chardonnay. Made from hand-harvested, whole-bunch pressed grapes, the Isabella
Chardonnay has a ripe, full-bodied nose with a hint of melon, pear and apple. The integration of the subtle oaking and the minerality of the wine creates an elegant mouth feel and a lasting finish - the result of ageing in French Oak, quite appropriately, for 9 months. Read more...

Ben Prins (winemaker at Muratie until 1987) was as unique as the wines he produced. A hard-working, no-nonsense kind of a man - quiet, contemplative and exceptionally particular - he was both a perfectionist and a traditionalist. Any “unnecessary novelties” like shoes were “verboten” (he became endearingly known as the Barefoot Winemaker). And because of his dedication to perfection, it was said of Ben that he knew wine like the back of his hand ... or indeed, his foot! Made from traditional Portuguese varietals in a vineyard planted in the 1970s and matured in old 225 litre French Oak Barrels for a minimum of two years, this world-class liqueur wine pays homage to the legend: Barefoot Ben. Read more...