From humble beginnings in 2005, as a harvest intern at Daschbosch, Lukas van Loggerenberg has become one of South Africa`s rising stars. After two harvests at Daschberg he received a scholarship to study at Elsenberg Agricultural College, alma mater for luminaries such as Eben Sadie and Marc Kent. He graduated in 2009, and worked a few harvests in South Africa before taking up a position in the US. There he was introduced to the world of fine wine, and after a trip through the Burgundy, Champagne and (most influentially) the Loire Valley, he returned home determined to create his own expression of fine wine in his home country.
Their first vintage (Lukas is ably supported by his wife Roxanne) was 2016, and it almost went very badly wrong. Lukas suffered a nasty knee injury on New Year`s Eve and had to hobble around the vineyard in a moon boot, but they managed to get through in the end. They made 4500 bottles and four wines. Break a Leg (their Blanc de Noir, named as a cheerful nod to his injury), Kameraderie (an old-vine Chenin vineyard he was tipped off about by a friend), Geronimo (his `leap of faith` wine, a Cinsault) and Breton, his love-letter to the Loire. 2017 saw the addition of a second Chenin Blanc - Trust Your Gut - and their Syrah, Graft, which has subsequently been called the best in the country by Neal Martin; very high praise indeed, as South Africa produces some extremely fine Syrah!
They now make 10 wines (including their entry-level Beak a Leg range), all of exceptional quality and highly sought-after. The future is bright, and we look forward to following Lukas` continuing journey.
Lukas has also taken on the challenge of making a Grenache/Syrah/Mourvedre blend for Tierhoek, a remote farm in the Piekenierskloof which provided a component of his 2024 Trust Your Gut Chenin Blanc. Panthera Pardus Pardus (named for the Cape Leopard) is the result of this collaboration. (JH 20/02/2023)
