- Lea & Sandeman Wine Merchants

If you’ve been following the exploits of Gary Barlow on his wine tour around South Africa (broadcast by ITV), you’ll have seen him stop off at the impossibly picturesque Maanschijn winery, whose wines we are delighted to import. A looming mountain, a saltwater lagoon and beneath, a tiny white farmhouse, nestled amidst the trees. This is the magical place that is Maanschijn. Named after the mountain which overlooks the winery – Maanskynkop (Moonshine peak), it is a stunning spot in the heart of Walker Bay. Whilst this may be moonshine in the geographical and poetic sense, the wine is far from it. Friends Paul Hoogwerf and Doug Myrlea (pictured hard at work above) studied winemaking together at Stellenbosch University, before their careers and travels took them in separate directions. Not just to great South African wineries, but through Chile, France, California, Portugal, Spain, Greece and even England. In 2016, their paths crossed again, and they decided to make a couple of barrels of wine together (everyone needs a hobby). At the time, Paul was working in one of South Africa’s top wine bars and the owner liked what they had made so much, he convinced them to label and sell it to him. Their base is a tiny building perched beside the Klein River Lagoon. Many years ago, this hut had been occupied by Walker Bay local, Oom Sampie, who was fond of stringing up and drying a selection of the local wildflowers and herbs here. So, the name was born – Herbarium. If you haven’t yet picked up on the theme, the sense of place matters enormously to this duo. Indeed, all the grapes are sourced from the Walker Bay – and their tiny one hectare of Sauvignon Blanc is directly outside their winery door. On Gary’s visit, after some hard work treading the grapes that will be part of the 2024 vintage, he sat down to taste with Doug and Paul. First up was the Herbarium Cape White, a finely judged medley of Sauvignon Blanc with 33% Chenin Blanc, 22% Semillon and 1% Muscat d'Alexandrie. “You could drink it all afternoon!” was the verdict from Gary here. Next, the Cape Red, a four-way blend of mostly Pinotage with 44% Mourvèdre, Syrah and Grenache, was well-received by all around the table, and attracted high praise from Gary: “That is wonderful, that is one of the best wines I’ve had since I’ve been in South Africa.” Try Maanschijn’s Herbarium wines for a taste of this South African adventure.

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Maanschijn: Seen on Gary Barlow’s ITV Wine Tour

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