Blake Family Wines

Andries Blake was born on his family's wine farm, one of the oldest in the Wellington region. His fondest childhood memories are of visiting the vineyards with his father and tasting grapes straight off the vine -- experiences that set the course of his life. After matriculating at Hugenote High School in Wellington and completing two years of national service in the SAAF, he enrolled in viticulture and oenology at Elsenburg Agricultural College near Stellenbosch, determined to turn those childhood vineyard walks into a career.

After graduating in 1990, Andries joined Rooiberg Cellars in the Robertson Wine Valley, focusing on red wine production. In 1995 he moved to Swartland Winery, where he would spend nearly two decades as Cellar Master. During those years, his wines earned numerous accolades, and he developed an intimate knowledge of the Swartland terroir -- its old bush vines, weathered shale soils and warm Mediterranean climate. That deep understanding of the region became the foundation for everything that followed. Andries knows every grower, every slope, every soil type across the Swartland with the authority that only twenty years of working a single region can provide.

In 2011, Andries and his wife Marinda launched Blake Family Wines, sourcing grapes from selected vineyards in the heart of the Swartland where he had built his career. The brand grew steadily, and in December 2020 the family opened the House of Blake's -- a small tasting room and wood-fired pizza restaurant in the coastal town of Yzerfontein on the R315. The seaside location offers visitors a different kind of wine farm experience: Atlantic Ocean breezes, West Coast fynbos landscapes and artisanal pizza alongside serious Swartland wines.

The premium Blake range comprises Amethyst (a Cape Blend), Tourmaline (a white blend), a single-vineyard Chenin Blanc and a Malbec -- each wine named after a gemstone, reflecting the family's belief that great Swartland fruit is a natural treasure. The 16 Mile Beach second label, named after the nearby stretch of West Coast coastline, offers a Pinotage Rose, a white blend called Swemgat and a red blend called Blomtuin at accessible price points. Wine club membership is available, and tasting fees of R315 per person apply. The tasting room is open Tuesday through Sunday, closed Mondays. For visitors exploring the West Coast or making the short drive from Cape Town, Blake Family Wines offers a compelling combination of deep Swartland winemaking pedigree served in an unexpected and thoroughly enjoyable coastal setting.