Rudiger Gretschel is the Production Director for Vinimark Wine Company and founder of Swartberg Wingerde. His storied 20-year-long career in the South African wine industry has included work as winemaker at Boekenhoutskloof, and Cellarmaster in Krone and Reyneke Wines. Rudiger has searched for half a lifetime for the perfect opportunity in the Piekernierskloof and he believes he has finally found it in Swartberg Wingerde.

The Piekernierskloof, a mountainous region in the Western Cape renowned for its citrus and rooibos tea farming, is in sharp focus amongst wine enthusiasts on the lookout for up-and-coming wine sensations and the area seems set to become the next South African rising star. The beauty of the Piekerneerskloof is a combination of rough wilderness, magnified by its altitude and the proximity to the wild West Coast of the Atlantic Ocean, which brings cool breezes making viticulture possible. Throughout his career, winemaker Rudiger Gretschel has searched this remote region, best known for its forgotten old-vine Palomino and Grenache Noir vineyards to find that perfect plot of vineyards.

He finally came across a farm owned by 82-year-old proprietor, Dr. Jurgens Hanekom at the foot of the towering Swartberg Mountain. This 1000ha (about 2471 acres) property is bewildering in its untouched natural beauty with only a few hectares of land under cultivation.

The vineyards of two neighboring properties now also contribute significantly to the sourcing of the grapes to produce the wines under the brand Swartberg Wingerde, a new project led by winemaker Rudiger Gretschel. All wine made from the grapes of these properties carry the exclusive status of Wine of Origin Piekernierskloof.