They came across this vineyard (0.1ha) through their good friend, a farmer from Abbotsdale/Paardeberg region. Thought to be Tempranillo when planted but turning out to be Tinta Amarela, which is a grape the winemaker personally loves from my experiences of working in Portugal.

Testalonga was started by husband and wife, Craig and Carla Hawkins, in 2008. After many years of traveling the world making wine (Matassa, Terroir Al Limit, Dirk Niepoort, and many others), they settled in the Swartland region of South Africa and made 2 barrels of a macerated Chenin (the first orange wine made in South Africa!)

The winemaking is with minimal manipulation – basically no additives or corrections in the cellar, no fining, natural fermentations, and minimal to no sulphur before bottling.