Steenberg Vineyards

The story of Steenberg begins in 1662, when a Dutch widow named Catharina Ustings (or Ustinx) arrived at the Cape from Lubeck (some sources have her German). After being widowed four times in the new colony, she petitioned the Governor of the Cape for her own farm and in 1682 was granted the land then called Swaaneweide ('Swan Feeding Place,' named for the spur-winged geese that frequented its marshes) by Governor Simon van der Stel. The 1682 grant predated Van der Stel's own founding of Groot Constantia by three years and made Catharina the first woman to own land in South Africa. By the time of the grant she was married for the fifth time to a man named Hans Ras (giving her the name by which she is best known in South African history). Catharina was a famously determined frontier figure: she walked from the farm to Cape Town with her geese to sell them at the market and was reputed to be one of the strongest characters of the early Cape settlement. The Steenberg Mountains rise behind the property and give the estate its modern name.

• Land first granted in 1682 by Governor Simon van der Stel to Catharina Ras (born Catharina Ustings); the oldest farm in the Cape Winelands
• Original farm name was Swaaneweide ('Swan Feeding Place'), named for spur-winged geese that frequented the marshes
• Catharina was the first woman to own land in South Africa; widowed four times before the grant, married a fifth time to Hans Ras
• Modern name Steenberg comes from the Steenberg Mountains that rise behind the property

Steenberg has been a continuously working vineyard for more than three centuries, predating most of the South African wine industry. The farm passed through numerous owners during the 18th and 19th centuries, including the Kruger family for several generations. The Louw family took over the farm in the 1880s and ran it for the better part of the 20th century, predominantly as a working farm with substantial vineyards alongside other agricultural activities. The Louws sold to Johannesburg Consolidated Investments (JCI), the South African mining conglomerate, in 1990. JCI undertook substantial vineyard replanting and built the modern winery and Steenberg Hotel during the 1990s, establishing the contemporary form of the estate. After JCI restructured its non-mining portfolio in the early 2000s, Steenberg was placed on the market and bought in April 2005 by Graham Beck, the prominent South African mining magnate (no relation to the Bordeaux Beck families) whose Robertson-based Graham Beck Wines had become South Africa's most decorated Cap Classique house.

• Steenberg has been a continuously working vineyard for more than three centuries since the 1682 grant
• The Louw family ran the farm from the 1880s through to 1990, predominantly as a working agricultural estate alongside vineyards
• Johannesburg Consolidated Investments (JCI) bought the farm in 1990; substantial vineyard replanting and the modern winery and hotel built during the 1990s
• Bought in April 2005 by mining magnate Graham Beck, owner of South Africa's most decorated Cap Classique producer Graham Beck Wines in Robertson

Graham Beck died in 2010 and Steenberg passed to his family, who reorganised the wine business under the Beck Family Estates umbrella. Antony Beck, Graham's son, leads Beck Family Estates today; the shares are held through the Graham Beck 2011 Family Trust. The same family group continues to own Graham Beck Wines in Robertson, the country's most decorated Cap Classique producer (whose wines have been served at the inaugurations of both Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama), and the Steenberg sister wine estate in Constantia. Beck Family Estates also has significant horse-breeding interests in Kentucky's bluegrass country, where the Beck family runs Gainesway Farm. Under the Beck ownership, Steenberg has continued to invest in vineyard quality, cellar capacity and the hospitality offering, positioning the estate as both a high-volume premium Constantia winery and one of the leading Cape wine-tourism destinations.

• Graham Beck died in 2010; Steenberg passed to his family and was reorganised under the Beck Family Estates umbrella led by Antony Beck
• Shares held through the Graham Beck 2011 Family Trust
• Beck Family Estates also owns Graham Beck Wines in Robertson (South Africa's most decorated Cap Classique producer) and Gainesway Farm horse stud in Kentucky
• Continued investment in vineyards, cellar and hospitality under Beck ownership; one of the leading Cape wine-tourism destinations

Steenberg is a 165-hectare property in the Constantia ward of the Cape Town district, with approximately 65 hectares of vineyards. The vineyards sit on the south-eastern slopes below the Steenberg Mountains, between roughly 60 and 250 metres of elevation, on a mix of decomposed Cape granite, weathered Table Mountain sandstone, and clay-rich seams in the lower blocks closer to the False Bay floodplain. Steenberg is the closest Constantia ward estate to the cooling waters of False Bay, which lies just a few kilometres to the south, giving the farm one of the strongest maritime cool-climate signatures in the ward. The Cape Doctor south-easterly wind blows reliably during summer and moderates daytime temperatures. Plantings are diverse and dominated by Sauvignon Blanc, the variety that has come to define modern Constantia. Other plantings include Semillon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir (for Cap Classique sparkling), Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Nebbiolo, the last of which is an unusual choice for the Cape and produces the rare Steenberg Nebbiolo bottling.

• 165-hectare property with approximately 65 hectares of vineyards; altitudes from roughly 60 to 250 metres below the Steenberg Mountains
• Decomposed Cape granite, weathered Table Mountain sandstone and clay-rich seams in the lower blocks near the False Bay floodplain
• Closest Constantia estate to False Bay; one of the strongest maritime cool-climate signatures in the ward
• Sauvignon Blanc dominant; also Semillon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir (for Cap Classique), Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and the unusual Nebbiolo bottling

Magna Carta is the Steenberg icon wine, a Bordeaux-style blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon made only in years of exceptional quality. The wine is named for the foundational charter of English liberties and reflects Steenberg's claim as the oldest farm in the Cape. Fermented and aged in French oak with a portion of new wood, it is one of the most age-worthy white wines in South Africa. The 1682 Cap Classique range is the second pillar of the portfolio, produced in the traditional method with extended lees ageing and bottled under decorative labels referencing the farm's founding date. The range currently includes the 1682 Chardonnay (a Blanc de Blancs), the 1682 Pinot Noir Rose, and the 1682 Brut Pinot Noir. Catharina is the flagship red Bordeaux-style blend, named in honour of the founder; recent vintages have been led by Merlot blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. The Rattlesnake Sauvignon Blanc is the estate's premium single-varietal expression of its signature white variety, named after the local cobra population.

• Magna Carta: Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon icon blend made only in exceptional vintages; fermented and aged in French oak; one of South Africa's most age-worthy whites
• 1682 Cap Classique range: traditional method with extended lees ageing; Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs, Pinot Noir Rose, and Brut Pinot Noir
• Catharina: flagship red Bordeaux-style blend named for the founder; recent vintages led by Merlot with Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec
• Rattlesnake Sauvignon Blanc is the premium single-varietal white; the estate also produces an unusual single-varietal Nebbiolo from Constantia

Elunda Basson is the current winemaker at Steenberg and is widely regarded as one of South Africa's leading Cap Classique specialists. She built her reputation as the long-standing sparkling winemaker at Graham Beck in Robertson before moving to Steenberg under the same Beck Family Estates ownership umbrella, bringing the Beck group's deep traditional-method expertise to the Constantia estate. Cap Classique is her particular passion and the 1682 range has built a strong reputation for elegance and finesse under her leadership. The Steenberg cellar team also produces the still wines under her direction. The cellar building itself dates to the JCI redevelopment of the 1990s and has been progressively upgraded under the Beck ownership. The estate's viticulture team manages the diverse blocks across the 65-hectare planted footprint, including the high-altitude Sauvignon Blanc blocks that supply the Rattlesnake and Magna Carta wines.

• Elunda Basson is the current winemaker; widely regarded as one of South Africa's leading Cap Classique specialists
• Built her reputation as the long-standing sparkling winemaker at Graham Beck Wines in Robertson before moving to Steenberg
• 1682 Cap Classique range has built a strong reputation for elegance and finesse under her leadership
• Cellar building dates to the 1990s JCI redevelopment, progressively upgraded under Beck Family Estates ownership

Steenberg is one of the Cape's most established luxury wine-tourism destinations. The 24-room five-star Steenberg Hotel sits on the property and offers full hotel services, a spa, and direct access to the vineyards and tasting rooms. Tryn is the signature restaurant, headed by Chef Kerry Kilpin, with a refined fine-dining menu that draws on the estate's vineyards and on local Cape produce. The space is named in homage to Catharina Ras and reflects the estate's 17th-century heritage. Bistro Sixteen82, which opened in 2009, is the more casual on-property option, serving a tapas and bistro-style menu in a relaxed setting. The Cap Classique Bar offers extended tasting flights of the 1682 sparkling range. The complete combination of three-century heritage, premium wines, sparkling wine specialty, fine-dining restaurant, luxury hotel and proximity to central Cape Town (the city centre is about 20 kilometres to the north) makes Steenberg one of the most complete wine-tourism propositions in the country.

• 24-room five-star Steenberg Hotel on the property with full hotel services, spa and tasting room access
• Tryn signature restaurant headed by Chef Kerry Kilpin; named in homage to Catharina Ras
• Bistro Sixteen82 (opened 2009) is the more casual on-property option with a tapas and bistro-style menu
• Cap Classique Bar offers extended tasting flights of the 1682 sparkling range; central Cape Town is approximately 20 km to the north