Bon Courage Estate

The story of Bon Courage Estate begins with the Cape Dutch homestead that still anchors the property, built in 1818 and one of the oldest surviving farmhouses in the Robertson valley. The farm was originally called Goedemoed, an Afrikaans phrase meaning good cheer, and was owned by the local Dutch Reformed Church until Willie Bruwer (the Bruwer patriarch) bought it in 1927. Willie's son André Bruwer was born on the farm in June 1942 and joined his father in the wine business in the 1960s, settling permanently on Goedemoed in 1965. By the early 1980s André had taken on full management of the farm and registered it as an Estate under South Africa's emerging Wine of Origin classification. In October 1983 he renamed the farm Bon Courage, the French translation of Goedemoed, in honour of the Bruwer family's French Huguenot ancestors. The Bruwers trace their lineage to the Bruères, Huguenot wine farmers from the Loire Valley who had fled France in 1688 to escape religious persecution and brought their winemaking knowledge to the Cape, where the Afrikaans-speaking community subsequently softened the name to Bruwer. The renaming was both a brand decision and a deliberate statement of family heritage.

• Cape Dutch homestead dates to 1818; one of the oldest surviving farmhouses in the Robertson valley
• Farm originally called Goedemoed (Afrikaans for good cheer); owned by the local Dutch Reformed Church until 1927
• Willie Bruwer bought Goedemoed from the church in 1927; his son André joined the wine business in the 1960s and settled on the farm in 1965
• October 1983: André renamed the farm Bon Courage in honour of the Bruwer family's French Huguenot Bruère ancestors from the Loire Valley

Bon Courage has been a Bruwer family estate for three generations, with each generation adding its own contribution. Willie Bruwer was the founder who bought the farm in 1927 and established it as a working wine farm in the era before Wine of Origin certification. André Bruwer, his son, born on the farm in 1942, built Bon Courage into a recognised Estate brand: he led the renaming in 1983, introduced new methods including night harvesting, drove the construction of the underground cellar and started the traditional method sparkling wine programme. Jacques Bruwer, born in 1966, literally grew up in the vineyards and decided early on to follow his father into winemaking. He completed his studies in oenology and viticulture at Stellenbosch University and joined the family cellar in 1990, taking over winemaking responsibilities and bringing in the modern toolkit of small-barrel ageing, lees-stirring and longer Cap Classique tirage times. Today, viticulturist André Bruwer and his son Jacques the winemaker work alongside each other, with André managing the vineyards and Jacques running the cellar. Jacques's three children Ingé, Karli and André represent the fourth generation, honoured in the Inkara range.

• Three generations of Bruwers: Willie (founder, 1927), André (1965 settlement, 1983 renaming) and Jacques (winemaker, 1990 onward)
• André Bruwer (born 1942) drove the renaming of the farm and the introduction of night harvesting, mechanical harvesting and the underground cellar
• Jacques Bruwer (born 1966) joined the cellar in 1990 after studying at Stellenbosch University; modern small-barrel and Cap Classique programme
• Fourth generation honoured in the Inkara name: Jacques's three children Ingé, Karli and André

Bon Courage sits in the heart of the Robertson valley, between the Breede River to the south and the Langeberg mountain range to the north. The vineyards are planted on the gravel, limestone and clay-rich soils typical of the district, with afternoon south-easterly breezes from the Indian Ocean cooling the vineyards through the heat of summer and diurnal temperature swings of up to 20 degrees Celsius preserving natural acidity. The estate has been a Robertson pioneer in several practices that are now standard across the valley. Bon Courage was one of the first farms in the district to introduce night harvesting, picking grapes in the cool of the early hours to preserve fresh acidity and aromatic compounds. It was also one of the first to import a mechanical harvester, an unusual choice at the time but one that allowed precise timing of harvest. The underground cellar was a Bon Courage innovation, providing year-round temperature stability for barrel maturation and Cap Classique tirage at a time when most Robertson cellars were above ground and temperature-controlled by air conditioning alone.

• Located between the Breede River and the Langeberg mountain range in the heart of the Robertson valley
• Gravel, limestone and clay-rich soils; afternoon south-easterly Indian Ocean breezes; diurnal swings of up to 20 degrees Celsius
• Pioneer of night harvesting in Robertson; one of the first farms in the district to import a mechanical harvester
• Underground cellar provides year-round temperature stability for barrel maturation and Cap Classique tirage

The Jacques Bruere range is Bon Courage's most celebrated achievement and one of the leading Cap Classique programmes in the Robertson valley. Named in honour of the family's Bruère Huguenot ancestor and signed by Jacques as cellarmaster, the range comprises three traditional-method sparkling wines: the Brut Reserve (a Chardonnay-Pinot Noir cuvee aged on lees for an extended tirage), the Blanc de Blancs (a vintage Chardonnay-only wine for cellaring) and the Cuvee Rose Brut (a Pinot Noir-driven rose sparkling lovingly finished by hand). All three wines are made in the méthode champenoise tradition with secondary fermentation in bottle, extended lees ageing and hand-finishing of the final dosage. Bon Courage has won the Amorim Cap Classique Challenge twice, one of the most prestigious sparkling wine awards in South Africa, and the Jacques Bruere range is widely respected by sommeliers and judges across the country. The bottlings are produced in small volumes and tend to find their way onto top wine lists across South Africa, the United Kingdom and continental Europe.

• Jacques Bruere Brut Reserve: Chardonnay-Pinot Noir cuvee with extended lees tirage; the signature wine of the range
• Jacques Bruere Blanc de Blancs: vintage Chardonnay-only Cap Classique built for cellaring
• Jacques Bruere Cuvee Rose Brut: Pinot Noir-driven rose sparkling lovingly finished by hand
• Two-time winner of the Amorim Cap Classique Challenge, one of South Africa's most prestigious sparkling wine awards

The Inkara range is the modern still-wine showcase of the estate, designed by Jacques Bruwer to demonstrate the more ambitious side of Bon Courage. The name Inkara is a portmanteau of the names of Jacques's three children Ingé, Karli and André, and the range is intended as a personal tribute to the fourth generation of Bruwers who will eventually inherit the estate. The range comprises a small selection of single-varietal still wines made in limited quantity from the best blocks on the farm, with focus on Shiraz, Pinotage and Pinot Noir among the reds and Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc on the white side. Wines are barrel-fermented or barrel-aged in French oak as appropriate, with longer maceration on the reds and extended lees contact on the whites. The Inkara wines were the centrepiece of Bon Courage's haul at the 2019 Novare SA Terroir Awards, where the estate was the standout performer. The range positions Bon Courage as a serious still-wine producer alongside its long-established Cap Classique reputation.

• Inkara is named for Jacques's three children Ingé, Karli and André; a tribute to the fourth Bruwer generation
• Limited-quantity single-varietal range made from the best blocks on the farm; focus on Shiraz, Pinotage, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc
• Barrel-fermented or barrel-aged in French oak; longer maceration on the reds and extended lees contact on the whites
• Standout performer at the 2019 Novare SA Terroir Awards, demonstrating the still-wine quality alongside the Cap Classique reputation

Beyond Jacques Bruere and Inkara, Bon Courage produces an extensive range of estate still wines, fortified wines and dessert wines that draws on the full breadth of Robertson terroir. The white range includes an estate Chardonnay (both wooded and unwooded versions), Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Colombard and a Riesling that is one of the most respected examples of the variety in South Africa. The red range covers Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot, Pinotage and various blends. Bon Courage is also well known for its fortified and dessert wines, which include a Hanepoot Jerepigo (a Muscat of Alexandria sweet wine), a Red Muscadel (the lightly fortified red Muscat that is a Robertson specialty) and a White Muscadel. These fortified wines reflect Robertson's heritage as a producer of high-quality Muscadel before the modern shift to dry table wine, and Bon Courage's versions have won multiple South African wine awards. The estate's tasting room serves as a destination on the Robertson Wine Route and is a frequent stop for travellers exploring the Cape Winelands.

• Estate white range includes Chardonnay (wooded and unwooded), Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Colombard and a well-regarded Riesling
• Estate red range covers Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot, Pinotage and Bordeaux-style blends
• Fortified and dessert wines: Hanepoot Jerepigo (Muscat of Alexandria), Red Muscadel and White Muscadel, all reflecting Robertson's fortified-wine heritage
• Tasting room is a destination on the Robertson Wine Route and a frequent stop for travellers in the Cape Winelands

Bon Courage is one of the most consistent and well-respected family-owned estates in the Robertson valley. The Jacques Bruere Cap Classique range has won the Amorim Cap Classique Challenge twice and consistently scores well at the Veritas Awards and in the Platter's South African Wine Guide. Tim Atkin MW awards the estate strong scores in his annual South Africa Report. The 2019 Novare SA Terroir Awards was a standout year, with Bon Courage taking home a sweep of medals across both the Inkara still-wine range and the Jacques Bruere sparklings. The estate has hosted the South African leg of major Cap Classique competitions and is a frequent reference point in the country's growing sparkling wine industry. Bon Courage remains a privately held three-generation family estate, with André and Jacques Bruwer continuing to run the day-to-day business and the fourth generation (Ingé, Karli and André) growing up around the cellar. The combination of long family tenure, technical sophistication and reliable quality has positioned Bon Courage as one of the anchors of the Robertson Wine Route.

• Two-time winner of the Amorim Cap Classique Challenge, one of South Africa's most prestigious sparkling wine awards
• Standout performer at the 2019 Novare SA Terroir Awards across both the Inkara still wines and the Jacques Bruere Cap Classique range
• Strong scores in Tim Atkin MW's annual South Africa Report and in the Platter's South African Wine Guide
• Privately held three-generation Bruwer family estate; one of the anchors of the Robertson Wine Route