Mooiplaas Wine Estate and Private Nature Reserve

The history of Mooiplaas begins long before wine. The farm was first recorded in 1806, and the Cape Dutch manor house that still stands on the property — now a national monument — speaks to two centuries of agricultural life in the Bottelary Hills. But the modern story of Mooiplaas starts in 1963, when Nicolaas Roos purchased the property and began to see its potential as something more than a mixed farming operation.

Nicolaas was joined by his two sons: Tielman, who became the viticulturist, arrived in 1980, and Louis, the winemaker, followed in 1983. Together they transformed Mooiplaas into a working wine estate, planting vines on the steep, mineral-rich slopes of the Bottelary Hills that overlook Cape Town. The soils here are ancient — decomposed shale and sandstone that force roots deep into the earth and produce grapes of exceptional concentration. The brothers divided their labour with characteristic precision: Tielman tends the land, Louis transforms the fruit.

What sets Mooiplaas apart from its neighbours is the scale of its commitment to conservation. In 1995, Tielman and his wife Janine registered the Mooiplaas Private Nature Reserve, dedicating 70 hectares of the 243-hectare property to the preservation of endangered Renosterveld fynbos. Tielman serves as chairman of the Bottelary Hills Renosterveld Conservancy, of which the Mooiplaas reserve forms a central part. The result is a property where vineyards and fynbos exist in deliberate balance — the natural vegetation providing corridors for indigenous wildlife, controlling erosion, and maintaining the ecological health of the soils that feed the vines.

Louis Roos makes wine in the classical tradition. He works with wild yeast, natural fermentation, light filtration, and maturation in small French oak barrels. The approach is patient and unhurried, allowing each vintage to express the character of its site rather than the preferences of its maker. The wines are structured, elegant, and built to age.

The portfolio is organised into two tiers. The Mercia Collection, named in honour of Nicolaas Roos's wife, represents the flagship wines: Tabakland, Rosalind, Watershed, Houmoed, the Roos Family Laatlam, and the Duel MCC sparkling. These are wines produced only in exceptional vintages from the estate's finest parcels. The Classic Range offers traditional single-varietal wines — Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinotage, Merlot-Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon — that deliver honest, terroir-driven quality at accessible prices.

Visitors to Mooiplaas can taste wines overlooking the vineyards and nature reserve, explore the historic Cape Dutch buildings, and walk through the fynbos trails that wind across the property. Self-catering accommodation is available for those who want to stay longer. It is one of the few estates in Stellenbosch where you can taste world-class wine and then step directly into an endangered ecosystem — a reminder that the best vineyards are those that exist in partnership with the land around them.