The Briers-Louw family have been the capable custodians of this beautiful property for over 180 years and have developed the farm into a multi-faceted enterprise including grapes, cattle, sheep, and wheat.
Sheep farming is Eenzaamheid’s oldest land use and dates back to the late 1600s. The Briers-Louw family have farmed with Merino sheep for decades. Merino is a unique dual-purpose breed known for its exceptional quality wool and meat. Merino’s fine and soft wool is odourless, price competitive, has natural UV protection, warmth, breathability, and moisture management. It is machine washable, and tumble dries perfectly. Merino lamb is genetically lean, low in kilojoules and rich in flavour, protein, iron, and vitamins.
For more than a century at Eenzaamheid, we have been farming with free roaming pasture-raised beef cattle for their delicious meat and we supply to various free-range brands. Beef is the third most consumed meat in the world. Cattle handlers are expected to maintain a low stress environment for their herds, involving constant safety, health, comfort, nourishment, and humane handling.
Wheat production at Eenzaamheid dates back more than two centuries and some of the infrastructure from that era can still be seen on the farm today. We use wheat in our crop rotation system. Our Mediterranean climate, good winter rainfall and strong soils are ideal to produce dryland spring wheat. Wheat is milled into flour, which is the main ingredient of bread – a staple food for many cultures.
Vineyards
Looking out over Agter-Paarl, one immediately senses that Eenzaamheid is different. “Great winemaking begins in the vineyard,” they say. Therefore Eenzaamheid’s dryland vineyards are cultivated passionately, with a vision of consistently producing excellent quality grapes.
Dryland viticulture refers to the cultivation of vines that rely entirely on natural rainfall as a source of water and this practice is becoming increasingly challenging, given the realities of global warming and the current financial climate. Less than 15% of South Africa’s vineyards are currently farmed without irrigation, as not all terroirs are suitable for the dryland cultivation of wine grapes.
Terroir is defined as the total natural environment of a viticultural site. This includes climate (heat, sunshine, rainfall, and frost), soil, aspect (sunshine, temperature, sun strength and drainage) and location.
In dryland conditions the vines produce smaller berries with higher skin-to-juice ratios and more intense flavours and aromas.
The Mediterranean climate and deep shale soils of the Agter-Paarl region are reflected in the unique character of our fine and distinctive wines.