Our Wine Heritage
Lanzerac, home to the world’s first commercially bottled Pinotage and one of the oldest heritage farms in the Western Cape, dating back to 1692, has been cultivating award-winning wines for decades. Nestled in the Jonkershoek Valley between the majestic Stellenbosch mountains, this historic Estate’s rich winemaking history can be traced back to the early 1900s, when the first Lanzerac wine was bottled from grapes harvested on the farm. Since then, Lanzerac has cemented itself as a distinguished wine producer with a commitment to superior quality wines both internationally and locally.
The Birth of Pinotage
The year 1925 saw Professor Abraham Izak Perold, the first Professor of Viticulture at the University of Stellenbosch, successfully cross two grape varietals, Pinot Noir and Hermitage (Cinsaut), to create South Africa’s first unique and indigenous wine grape variety – Pinotage. Several years later, Lanzerac became the first winery in the world to use the term ‘Pinotage’ on their label when they marketed the 1959 vintage under the name ‘Lanzerac’. This visionary release marked the birth of Pinotage as a unique variety from South Africa.
Three Ranges, One Legacy
To this day, Lanzerac, under the leadership of the Cellar Master and Farm Manager, is still producing award-winning Pinotage, along with a wide variety of other excellent quality wines that form part of Lanzerac’s three tiers – the Jonkershoek Range, Heritage Range and Keldermeester Versameling (Cellar Master Collection).
