Brunia Wines

Brunia Wines takes its name from the rare Silver Brunia (Brunia laevis), a fynbos species that thrives in the pristine natural landscape surrounding the farm. The estate lies 17 kilometres east of Stanford in the Sondagskloof valley, a cool-climate pocket on the Cape South Coast where the Uilenkraal River drains westward toward the Atlantic. The farm stretches over 417 hectares, but only 17 are planted to vine, alongside six hectares of figs and five of seasonal vegetables — a ratio that speaks to the wild, untamed character of the property.

The land was originally developed as Cold Mountain Vineyards by Willie and Annetia du Preez, who purchased the property in late 2004 after relocating from stock farming in the Eastern Cape. Development began in 2005 with the clearing of alien vegetation, installation of irrigation, and planting of the first Sauvignon Blanc block. In September 2016, the Sander family acquired Cold Mountain Vineyards and set about transforming it into a mixed-farming organic and biodynamic operation.

Wade Sander is the driving force behind Brunia's winemaking. He enrolled at Elsenburg Agricultural College in 2010 and after graduating joined the Cape Winemakers Guild internship programme, working with respected producers including Le Riche and Bouchard Finlayson. He completed international harvests in Edna Valley, California, and undertook a formative apprenticeship in the Loire Valley with Thierry Germain of Domaine des Roches Neuves. In 2015 Wade joined Mullineux and Leeu Family Wines as an associate winemaker, a relationship that lasted six vintages and proved instrumental in shaping his philosophy of minimal intervention and terroir expression.

The vineyard cultivars are carefully matched to the Sondagskloof environment: Sauvignon Blanc dominates at 11 hectares, complemented by Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Semillon, and Syrah grown on granitic and quartz-based soils containing limestone. The wines are made with minimal intervention — the Syrah sees 40 percent whole-cluster inclusion, natural fermentation in open-top vessels, 21-day maceration, and 14 months in used 228-litre barrels before bottling without filtration or fining.

Brunia produces a tight range of single-origin wines: a Sondagskloof White (a Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon blend), a Sondagskloof Syrah, and a Sondagskloof Pinot Noir. The wines have attracted international attention, with UK importer Les Caves de Pyrene and Wine Cellar in Cape Town both championing the range. The White and Syrah were named Wine Cellar's discovery of the year in 2019. UK importer Les Caves de Pyrene has championed Brunia's unflinching commitment to site and substance, placing the wines alongside some of Europe's most respected natural producers.

The Sondagskloof valley itself is one of the newest and most exciting terroirs on the Cape South Coast, shaped by Atlantic maritime influence, cool temperatures, and ancient granitic geology. Brunia's position within it — remote, wild, and farmed with biodynamic conviction — makes these wines a genuine expression of place rather than winemaking fashion.