Rooiberg Winery

On 14 April 1964, a group of Robertson Valley grape growers gathered to establish a cooperative winery beneath the red-tinged mountain that would give it its name. Rooiberg — literally 'red mountain' — was born where three rivers converge: the Vink, the Noree, and the Breede. The extraordinary terroir produced by this confluence of waterways and the looming Langeberg range was the foundation; what the growers built on it would become one of the Robertson Valley's most distinctive wineries.

Today Rooiberg is a private company with twenty shareholder members operating across fifteen farms. The cellar processes an average of 13,500 tons of grapes per year — sixty percent white cultivars, forty percent red — making it a significant producer by any measure. Yet the winery's identity has never been about volume alone. Rooiberg was the first wine producer in the area, and the first cooperative in South Africa, to achieve membership status with the Biodiversity and Wine Initiative, the national programme aimed at sustainable wine production.

The wine portfolio covers the full spectrum from crisp Sauvignon Blancs and elegant Chardonnays to the award-winning Shiraz and Pinotage Reserves that have put Rooiberg on the national map. The Pinotage Reserve earned Top Ten Pinotage listings in 1997, 2003, 2013, and 2016, while the Shiraz claimed a SA Top 12 listing in both 2013 and 2021. The Red Chair range — named for the winery's most photographed feature — offers everyday drinking wines including a lightly coffee-styled Pinotage that has become a crowd favourite.

That red chair deserves a paragraph of its own. In 1997, the cellar complex began displaying exuberant land art installations around the property. Then in 2012, the mammoth Red Chair appeared — the largest of its kind in Africa, now irresistible to visitors and thoroughly embedded in the winery's brand identity. It sits alongside the modern tasting centre and the Red Chair Bistro & Deli, creating an arrival experience that is part wine tourism, part open-air gallery.

The tasting room itself is sleek and modern, staffed by knowledgeable guides who walk visitors through the range against the picturesque backdrop of the Rooiberg Mountain and the Breede River. The Red Chair Bistro serves light meals, deli platters, and artisan treats — the ideal complement to a tasting afternoon. Opening hours are generous: Monday to Friday 09:00-17:00, Saturdays 09:00-15:00, and Sundays 10:00-14:00.

Rooiberg proves that a cooperative can punch well above its weight. With sustainability credentials, award-winning reserves, and one of the most memorable cellar-door experiences in the valley, it is a Robertson essential.