Newton Johnson Family Vineyards

In the mid-1990s, Dave Johnson -- a Cape Wine Master whose thesis was on Pinot Noir -- and his wife Felicity Newton moved their family to the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley when the area was home to only a small band of producers. They were among the first to recognise the valley's potential for Burgundian varieties, and the estate they established would become one of its most respected names.

Dave and Felicity bought virgin land in 2001 and began from scratch: no chemical residues in the soil, only the best virus-free vine stock, and a patient approach to building something lasting. The first bottling came in 1997 from bought-in fruit, but the real acceleration began in 2009 when they started working exclusively with their own estate-grown grapes from the newly mature vineyards. The results were immediate and unmistakable -- wines of purity, site expression, and restrained elegance that drew attention from critics worldwide.

Today the estate is run by the next generation. Sons Gordon and Bevan Johnson have taken over the winery and vineyards, with Gordon and his wife Nadia overseeing winemaking. The family philosophy has not changed: minimal intervention, respect for terroir, and an almost obsessive focus on Pinot Noir. Their vineyards sit on south-facing slopes of porphyritic granite near the cold Atlantic, catching sea breezes that slow ripening and preserve the floral, fresh character that defines Newton Johnson Pinot.

The wine range is structured in three tiers. The Walker Bay wines -- Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Full Stop Rock red blend, and Albarino -- offer accessible, terroir-honest drinking. The Southend Chardonnay bridges the gap between everyday and fine wine. At the summit, the Family Vineyards Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Granum Syrah-Mourvedre-Viognier represent some of the most refined expressions of the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley -- wines that rival Burgundy in their precision and compete with the best cool-climate producers on earth.

The estate's restaurant, The Restaurant at Newton Johnson, serves South African cuisine designed to complement the wines. With its informal, family-run atmosphere and honest pricing (tastings from R30), Newton Johnson offers one of the most authentic vineyard experiences in the Hemel-en-Aarde. The estate is closed on Mondays and Sundays, operating Tuesday to Saturday with slightly shorter hours on Fridays and Saturdays. There is no accommodation, but the estate's focus is squarely on what matters most: the wines and the land that makes them. The Albarino -- a rare Iberian variety that thrives in the Atlantic-influenced Upper Valley -- is a testament to the family's willingness to experiment within their terroir-driven framework. The Granum, a Syrah-Mourvedre-Viognier blend inspired by the Southern Rhone, demonstrates that this cool corner of the Cape can produce world-class expressions far beyond its Burgundian core.