Idiom Wines

High on the slopes of the Helderberg mountains, where Sir Lowry's Pass winds its way over the Hottentots-Holland range, the Bottega family's Da Capo Vineyards occupies one of the most dramatic sites in the Cape Winelands. From the glass-walled tasting centre, the panorama sweeps across the entire Helderberg basin to False Bay and the distant peaks of the Cape Peninsula. It is a setting that rewards the drive up the mountain road — and the wines that come from these granite soils reward equally.

Alberto Bottega was born in Milan in 1942 and spent his childhood in the Friuli region of northeast Italy before emigrating with his parents and sister to Cape Town in 1950. He met his wife Valerie in 1960, and together they raised three children — Roberto, Laura, and Silvana. Idiom was their shared vision: a legacy to pass on to the next generation, rooted in the family's Italian heritage and their deep affection for the Cape.

The vineyards were planted for the first time in 1999 on what had been bare farmland in the southernmost corner of the Stellenbosch wine region. The name Da Capo — Italian for 'from the beginning' or, with a nod to geography, 'from the Cape' — captures the spirit of the venture. From the outset, Alberto's ambition was to do something no other South African estate had attempted: plant the great varieties of Bordeaux, the Rhone, Tuscany, and Piedmont side by side and express them all through Cape terroir.

Today Da Capo is home to nineteen different grape varieties, including Mediterranean and Italian cultivars that remain rare in South Africa — Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Barbera, and Primitivo among them. The result is a portfolio that offers a direct and fascinating comparison between the classic wine regions of Europe and their Southern Hemisphere expression. Winemaker Reino Thiart oversees the cellar, crafting wines that range from single-varietal bottlings to masterful regional blends: the Bordicon (Bordeaux-inspired), Rodanico (Rhone-style), Iberico (Spanish varieties), and a Cape Blend.

At the apex of the range sits the 900 Series — limited-edition bottlings of approximately 900 bottles each. These rare wines include a Nebbiolo, a Cabernet Sauvignon, and an SMV blend, representing the most concentrated expressions of Da Capo's terroir.

The Idiom Restaurant and Wine Tasting Centre opened in June 2016, transforming the mountaintop estate into a full destination. The restaurant seats sixty guests and serves a fusion of South African and Italian cuisine with a modern twist, available as multi-course degustation menus or wine-paired canapes. The building itself is a striking marriage of old-world Roman architecture and contemporary glass, with outdoor terraces offering those sweeping mountain and sea views.

Six signature tasting experiences are on offer, from a Single Varietal Tasting exploring the Italian varieties to an Idiom Blends Tasting showcasing the regional cuvees, alongside wine-and-canape pairings and a macaron pairing. Idiom is a celebration of unusual varieties and masterful blends — an estate where Italian soul meets Cape terroir at the top of the mountain.