Hartenberg Estate

STORK'S FLIGHT WINTER 2018

22 MAY 2018 • GENERAL 

Autumn is often deemed as the season which illustrates that change can be beautiful.  In a multitude of golds, purples, oranges and reds, it sometimes seems as if trees fall apart, but from a different angle the sun steps back, leaves go to sleep and a new season awakens.

And so, change can be both melancholic and magical. 

The first settlers to cultivate the virgin land of the estate now known as Hartenberg were friends Cunraad Boin and Christoffel Esterhuizzen who were granted permission to work 60 morgen (20 ha) of the land in 1692. Even then the wine-bearing potential of the soil was recognised and one of the first tasks that the two partners undertook was the clearing of the land to plant 2 000 vines. In 1704, Christoffel Esterhuizzen was granted the title deed to "Het Hartenberg" by Governer (Willem Adriaan van der Stel) and became the first official owner of the farm. By 1718, he had 10 000 vines on his property and produced four leggers of wine.

The well-known elephant hunter, Paulus Keyser, bought Hartenberg in 1721 and continued the practice of vineyard cultivation and winemaking on the farm until he sold it to Jacob van Bochen in 1725. Van Bochen, a former accountant of the Dutch East India Company butchery and holder of the liquor retail monopoly, also bought Weltevrede adjoining Hartenberg. The two farms have remained a combined property, forming the Hartenberg estate as it is now.

For about one hundred years after van Bochen, the farm passed through the hands of various owners.  Some with colourful names like Arrie Lekkerwyn (delicious wine), and Aaron van Ceylon (a freed slave) and in 1838 it became the property of the brothers Jacobus and Johannes Bosman. An important period in the farm's development was ushered in by the Hampf family when they bought Hartenberg in 1928. Mrs Hampf extended the vineyards and planted the many beautiful trees still to be seen around the farm and cellar, while her husband became the first officially recorded winemaker on the estate.

In 1948, Hartenberg was bought by the late Dr Maurice Finlayson (a well-known Cape Town pathologist) and his wife, Eleanor. Discovering the true potential of the estate, they soon began marketing their wines under the label "Montagne". Besides good wine, the Finlaysons also produced two sons, Peter and Walter, who were to become renowned South African winemakers. Uncompromising and sophisticated, Eleanor Finlayson's presence is still felt on Hartenberg today.

Gilbeys were the next owners of the estate, purchasing it from the Finlaysons in 1977. They eventually released the present Hartenberg range as their flagship brand in 1985. On 1 January 1987, Ken Mackenzie, purchased Hartenberg, having seen the potential that the perennial under-achiever offered. His daughters continue a program of investment in the farm, focusing on three key areas: the replanting to specific sites of premium varietals, the development of production facilities, and upliftment, through knowledge and skills for employees. The Mackenzie vision, though extremely ambitious, remains simple: to do whatever it takes to produce wines of outstanding quality.

Hartenberg is nestled in a valley on the free-draining, north-eastern slopes of the Bottelary Hills. Vineyards face north,west, and east, with varietals planted to take advantage of either morning or afternoon sun. There is a difference in altitude of some 250 meters between the northern and southern vineyards.

CLIMATE

Typically Mediterranean climate of warm, dry summers and cold ,wet winters.
Temperature (ave): 12 Deg Celcius (Min), 26 Deg Celcius (Max)
Degree Days (ave): 3 000
Annual Rainfall: 600 mm

Hartenberg lies in its own self-contained valley. A pure water source flows through the entire length of the property into a pristine wetland system, which comprises 65 of the farm's 170 hectares and will never be cultivated.

CONSERVATION PHILOSOPHY

The owners and staff have accepted responsibility for the conservation of the property through considered and sustainable use of all natural resources. Our stated intention is for a pristine environment where nature thrives.

Some of the birds who visit and nest with us:

- Burchell's Coucal (rare in the Western Cape)

- African Fish Eagle (summer visitor)

- Spotted Eagle Owl (three breeding pairs)

- Jackal Buzzard

- Cape Frankolin

- Barn Owl

- Fork-Tailed Drongo

- Some of the animals who call Hartenberg home:

- Civet

- Mongoose grey and water

- Porcupine

- Caracal

- Three species of Antelope

- Arum Lilly and Cape Micro frogs

BIODIVERSITY AND WINE INITIATIVES (BWI)

In 1997, an 8 km electric fence was erected around the farm's perimeter, and within two years, substantial increases in animal sightings and nesting birdlife were recorded.

WATER INITIATIVES

A water quality management report was conducted for the estate in 2003 in order to optimise water use, and to re-devise domestic and cellar effluent systems. The result has  been grey water being aerated and filtered, then re-used for vineyard irrigation. This is unique in the South African wine industry. The system was designed by Austrian aquatic engineer, Eric Smollgruber. The system is considered to be of a world class standard and is visited by foreign water engineers as an ideal solution, allowing Hartenberg to recycle 100% of its waste water with this technique. Vineyard irrigation is now only used when necessary, with soil probe and leaf pressure bomb readings triggering watering. In order to prevent soil erosion and silt being carried into the wetland, most water furrows have been cement-lined or hand-packed with stone.

ALIEN VEGETATION REMOVAL

Investing in the removal of alien trees such as Blue Gum and Pine has increased water availability and seen longer run-offs after rains into our springs, while the removal of alien vegetation from the wetland area has encouraged indigenous species to prosper.

OTHER INITIATIVES

The farm has gradually moved from annual to permanent cover crops between vines which provide additional natural habitat for fauna. A moratorium on the removal and disturbance of any indigenous flora or fauna has been declared, and all staff have been educated as to the reasons for this. Disused telephone poles have been erected at strategic points for use by raptors. No yearly fertilizers have been added for the past ten years. Instead, annual leaf and soil analyses determine maintenance nutrition for the vines and, should it be necessary, nitrogen is only added locally in the form of organics like chicken manure.

Nitrogen-fixing cover crops are also used. Our refuse management strategy in 2001 changed from traditional burning or burying, to contracting the removal of refuse by an outside party. The large rubbish dump was covered over and was completely rehabilitated. Hartenberg does not follow the traditional fixed and preventative fungal spray timetable. Instead, three strategically placed weather stations on the farm record conditions conducive to mildew infection. If an impending threat is noted, an SMS is sent to the viticulturist alerting him. With the guesswork taken out of spraying,  we have managed to reduce our spray costs by 50%, and far less chemical is now applied to the environment.

FUTURE INITIATIVES

- Erection of bird hides.

- Scientific surveys to record amphibian, bird and plant statuses and diversity.

- Re-establishment of fynbos in suitable vacant sites.

- Investigate use of fynbos as a possible permanent cover crop.

- Removal of Kikuyu grass areas in a specific portion of the wetland.