Cabriere

The Cabriere farm sits in the Franschhoek Valley, with land first granted in 1694 to French Huguenot refugee Pierre Jourdan. Jourdan was one of the small but influential community of French Protestants who arrived at the Cape under the Dutch East India Company's resettlement programme for Huguenots fleeing religious persecution in France. He named his farm Cabriere, an allusion to his French homeland, and established a small wine farm that would carry his name forward for more than three centuries. The valley as a whole, with its concentration of Huguenot settlers, came to be called the Quartier Francais (the 'French Quarter,' later anglicised as Franschhoek). The Cabriere farm passed through generations of Cape Dutch families and remained a working farm through the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, though its modern wine identity would have to wait until the 1980s.

• Cabriere farm established in 1694 by French Huguenot Pierre Jourdan, who fled religious persecution in France
• Granted under the Dutch East India Company's Huguenot resettlement programme at the Cape de Goede Hoop
• Sits in the Franschhoek Valley, the heart of the Cape's Huguenot heritage
• Pierre Jourdan name preserved in the estate's signature sparkling wine label since 1986

The modern Cabriere story begins in 1982, when Achim von Arnim purchased a portion of the historic farm. Achim was already an established figure in Cape wine, serving as Cellar Master at Boschendal (the large and historic Franschhoek estate just down the valley) in the early 1980s. He had developed a deep love of the Champagne method and was convinced that the cooler, higher slopes of the Franschhoek Valley were ideally suited to growing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for traditional-method sparkling wine. At a time when South African wine was dominated by warm-climate varieties and the long, dry red blends, this was an unconventional vision. Achim purchased the Cabriere farm specifically to plant Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, build a Cap Classique cellar and release a serious South African sparkling wine made in the classical French style. The farm's higher elevation, cooler exposure and decomposed granite soils suited the project well.

• 1982: Achim von Arnim purchased a portion of the Cabriere farm with the express goal of producing Champagne-method sparkling wine
• At the time, Achim was Cellar Master at neighbouring Boschendal, one of the largest historic Cape estates
• Cooler, higher slopes of the Franschhoek Valley identified as ideal for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir traditional-method sparkling
• An unconventional project for the early 1980s, when South African wine was dominated by warm-climate varieties and red blends

In 1986 Achim released the first vintage of Pierre Jourdan Brut, the inaugural sparkling wine of the modern Cabriere estate. It was the first South African Cap Classique made exclusively from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir (the two classical Champagne grapes), a significant pioneering moment in the development of what would become the formal Methode Cap Classique category. Achim chose to name the new sparkling-wine range Pierre Jourdan after the original French Huguenot landowner, both as a gesture of respect to the farm's heritage and as a clear stylistic signal that the wines were intended to express a classical French sensibility. The Pierre Jourdan range expanded over time to include several distinct bottlings: Pierre Jourdan Brut (the flagship Brut Reserve), Pierre Jourdan Brut Sauvage (a zero-dosage Brut Nature), Pierre Jourdan Belle Rose (a salmon-coloured Pinot Noir-led Rose), Pierre Jourdan Cuvee Brut and a Tranquille (still wine made from the same Chardonnay and Pinot Noir base). The Pierre Jourdan name remains the heart of the Cabriere story.

• 1986: first vintage of Pierre Jourdan Brut released; first South African Cap Classique made exclusively from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
• Pioneering moment in the development of the formal Methode Cap Classique category
• Pierre Jourdan range named in honour of the original 1694 French Huguenot landowner
• Range includes Pierre Jourdan Brut, Brut Sauvage (Brut Nature), Belle Rose, Cuvee Brut and the still Tranquille bottling

Beyond the Pierre Jourdan sparkling wines, the estate has built a parallel still-wine programme under the Haute Cabriere label that has become equally celebrated. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir remain the central varieties, with bottlings ranging from approachable everyday wines to the flagship Haute Cabriere Pinot Noir Reserve. The Reserve Pinot Noir, produced only in suitable vintages, has emerged as one of the most age-worthy Cape Pinots and routinely scores in the 92 to 95 point range from major international reviewers. Achim was among the first South African winemakers to grow Chardonnay commercially after the variety was legally permitted in the country, and the estate's Chardonnay programme has matured into a serious expression of high-altitude Franschhoek fruit. The Unwooded Pinot Noir and entry-tier varietals provide the volume backbone of the still-wine range, while the Reserve bottlings of both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir occupy the top tier.

• Haute Cabriere label covers the still-wine programme: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir as the central varieties
• Haute Cabriere Pinot Noir Reserve emerged as one of the most age-worthy Cape Pinots; routinely 92 to 95 points from major reviewers
• Achim von Arnim was among the first South African winemakers to grow Chardonnay after the variety was legally permitted
• Range spans entry-tier varietals, Unwooded Pinot Noir and the flagship Reserve Chardonnay and Pinot Noir bottlings

Achim von Arnim is one of the most distinctive personalities of the modern Cape wine industry: a flamboyant, theatrical figure who became famous for the sabrage demonstration (opening a Cap Classique bottle with a sabre) and for his deep evangelism on behalf of sparkling wine. His charisma helped establish Pierre Jourdan and the broader Cap Classique category in the public imagination. The estate is today led by Takuan von Arnim, Achim's son, who serves as second-generation Cellar Master. Takuan brings a quieter, more contemporary sensibility to the winemaking, with a continued focus on Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and traditional-method Cap Classique but a clear interest in lifting freshness, lowering alcohol and refining the precision of the wines. The von Arnim family ownership across two generations now spans more than four decades, and Cabriere has become one of the most distinctive family-owned estates in the Cape Winelands.

• Achim von Arnim: founder, theatrical Cape wine personality, populariser of sabrage and a key evangelist for Cap Classique
• Takuan von Arnim: second-generation Cellar Master, son of Achim, continues the family Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cap Classique programme
• Takuan brings a contemporary sensibility: lifted freshness, lower alcohols and greater precision
• von Arnim family ownership across two generations now spans more than four decades

Cabriere is one of the most visually distinctive estates in the Cape Winelands, with a tasting cellar dramatically built into the side of the Franschhoek mountain. The cellar's underground vaults provide stable cool temperatures ideal for tirage and ageing of the Cap Classique bottles, and the experience of descending into the rock face is a memorable part of any visit. The on-site Haute Cabriere restaurant has been a benchmark Cape Winelands dining destination for decades, with a focus on dishes designed to partner the estate's wines and a panoramic view of the Franschhoek Valley. The estate is one of the most popular stops on the Franschhoek wine tram route and a fixture of any serious Cap Classique tasting itinerary in the Cape. Sabrage demonstrations, originally Achim's signature, remain a regular feature of the visitor experience.

• Tasting cellar dramatically built into the side of the Franschhoek mountain; one of the most visually distinctive cellars in South Africa
• Underground vaults provide stable cool temperatures ideal for tirage and ageing of Cap Classique bottles
• Haute Cabriere restaurant on the estate has been a benchmark Cape Winelands dining destination for decades
• Sabrage demonstrations remain a regular feature; Cabriere is a fixture of the Franschhoek wine tram and Cap Classique tasting circuits