Catherine Marshall Wines

Catherine Marshall graduated from Elsenburg in 1991 and set out on a path that would quietly reshape the South African wine landscape. Apprenticeships took her to Burgundy, Saint-Emilion, California, Oregon, and Australia — each stop sharpening an instinct for site-specific winemaking. In 1997, she established the Barefoot Wine Company, one of the Western Cape's first boutique micro-wineries. Friends and family gathered barefoot to press grapes during harvest, and from those humble origins the garagiste movement in South Africa found one of its founding voices.

Catherine Marshall Wines became the first eponymous range in South Africa released by a woman winemaker — a distinction that speaks to both her ambition and the era's barriers. The 'garagiste' label stuck: small production, no compromise on quality, and a determination to let fruit speak for itself rather than relying on heavy extraction or new oak.

In 2007, a pivotal decision focused the entire operation on Elgin. The cool-climate valley, nestled in the old sandstone Hottentots Holland Mountains, offered exactly what Marshall's style demanded: long growing seasons, natural acidity, and diverse soil types that allow different varietals to find their ideal expression. Pinot Noir on the sandstone soils became a calling card — complex, bright, and unmistakably Elgin. Alongside it, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Chenin Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Grenache each occupy specific vineyard sites chosen for their soil and aspect.

The range is structured around terroir. The Sandstone Soils Pinot Noir is matured for nine to twelve months in older oak, preserving varietal purity. The Amatra Chenin Blanc explores a more textured, amphora-influenced style. A Fine Art Collection of limited releases pushes further into experimental territory, including Chenin Blanc fermented in clay amphorae. The Myriad Fortified Red adds an unexpected dimension to the portfolio.

The tasting room operates from Polkadraai Road in Stellenbosch, open Friday to Sunday with weekday visits by appointment. It is a deliberately intimate space that reflects the winery's character — no grand estate entrance, no corporate tasting counter, just wine poured by people who made it. The export presence has grown steadily, with Catherine Marshall wines now reaching markets across Europe and beyond, but the production philosophy has not changed: small lots, site-specific fruit, and hands-on craft at every stage.

Marshall's legacy is not measured in volume — production remains deliberately small — but in proving that a woman winemaker in South Africa could build a label of genuine distinction, rooted in a single cool-climate region, and earn recognition entirely on her own terms.