Sumaridge Estate

Sumaridge Estate's original farm was established in 1997, when approximately 44 acres of vines were planted on the higher reaches of the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. The Upper Hemel-en-Aarde ward sits between two mountain ranges with elevated views across the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley to Walker Bay and the Atlantic. The original estate produced Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and other cool-climate wines, but it was the 2008 ownership change that catalysed Sumaridge's modern identity. Simon Turner and his wife Holly Bellingham had been holidaying in Hermanus for some years and bought the estate in 2008 after a deliberate search for a Cape wine farm. Their arrival marked a significant expansion in both vineyard plantings and ambition.

• Original farm established 1997 with approximately 44 acres of vines
• Located in the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley ward between two mountain ranges
• Original focus on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the Hemel-en-Aarde tradition
• 2008 ownership change catalysed the estate's modern identity

Simon Turner and Holly Bellingham acquired Sumaridge in 2008 and have since transformed the estate into one of the more substantial wine farms in the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde. Under their ownership, the vineyard plantings have grown from approximately 44 acres to 104 acres, and the wine portfolio has broadened to include not only the Burgundian varieties traditional to the Hemel-en-Aarde but also Syrah, Pinotage and Bordeaux varieties. The Bellingham Turner family runs Sumaridge as a private wine estate and has invested in tasting room infrastructure and brand development. The family is also involved in coastal conservation work in the Hermanus area, including with the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI).

• Simon Turner and Holly Bellingham bought the estate in 2008
• Vineyards expanded from 44 to 104 acres under their ownership
• Portfolio broadened to include Syrah, Pinotage and Bordeaux varieties
• Family runs Sumaridge as a private wine estate; involved in NSRI coastal conservation work

The 210-hectare Sumaridge property sits in the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley ward, the highest and most inland of the three Hemel-en-Aarde wards. The estate is bordered by two mountain ranges and offers panoramic views across the valley to Walker Bay and the Atlantic. The Upper Hemel-en-Aarde's combination of altitude, granite-influenced soils and cool maritime climate produces wines with a tighter aromatic profile and brighter acidity than the lower Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. Approximately 104 acres are now under vine across a range of varieties suited to the cool maritime mesoclimate: Pinot Noir and Chardonnay for the Burgundian heritage of the ward, Sauvignon Blanc for the Maritimus white blend, and Syrah, Pinotage and Bordeaux varieties for the Epitome Cape blend and the estate's other reds.

• 210-hectare property in the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley between two mountain ranges
• Approximately 104 acres under vine across a range of cool-climate varieties
• Granite-influenced soils and cool maritime climate yield tighter aromatic profiles and brighter acidity
• Vineyards include Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, Pinotage, Merlot, Semillon and Viognier

Sumaridge's Pinot Noir and Chardonnay sit at the heart of the cellar and reflect the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde's elevated cool-climate identity. The Pinot Noir shows red cherry, raspberry and savoury herb with bright acidity and fine tannins, while the Chardonnay is fermented and aged in French oak with restrained new wood, offering citrus, white peach and a long mineral finish. Greg Sherwood MW has been a notable advocate of the Sumaridge Chardonnay, calling out the 2017 vintage as one of the more distinctive expressions of the ward. The Maritimus white blend is a Sumaridge signature: 65 percent Sauvignon Blanc, 26 percent Chardonnay, 6 percent Semillon and 3 percent Viognier, combining four cool-climate white varieties into a complex, fresh estate white that complements the more focused single-varietal Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay bottlings.

• Pinot Noir: Upper Hemel-en-Aarde character with red cherry, raspberry and savoury herb
• Chardonnay: French oak fermented and aged; citrus, white peach and a long mineral finish
• Maritimus white blend: 65% Sauvignon Blanc, 26% Chardonnay, 6% Semillon, 3% Viognier
• Greg Sherwood MW: Sumaridge Chardonnay is one of the more distinctive expressions of the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley

Epitome is Sumaridge's flagship red and a serious entry in the South African Cape blend tradition. The wine is a deliberate Syrah-Pinotage blend rather than a Bordeaux-style wine: 57 percent Syrah and 43 percent Pinotage, matured for 18 months in French oak. Cape blends are a distinctively South African category that combine Pinotage with classic international varieties (most commonly Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah or Merlot) and aim to express the unique character of South African winemaking through the indigenous variety. The Sumaridge Epitome has been recognised as one of the more refined Cape blends in the country, with the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde's cool maritime mesoclimate producing a wine with bright structure, savoury herb and a less heavily fruited profile than warm-climate Cape blends from inland regions. The wine's name reflects its ambition to embody the best of South African red winemaking.

• Flagship Cape blend: 57% Syrah, 43% Pinotage; matured 18 months in French oak
• A Cape blend, not a Bordeaux-style blend; deliberate expression of South African red wine tradition through Pinotage
• Upper Hemel-en-Aarde mesoclimate yields bright structure, savoury herb and a less heavily fruited profile
• One of the more refined examples of the Cape blend category