Saxenburg Winery
SOUTH AFRICA
When Adrian and Birgit Bührer first gazed over Saxenburg in 1989, they had a vision of three guinea fowl and immediately saw the heart, brain and soul connected into one of the most prestigious wine farms in South Africa. The estate occupies 200 hectares in Stellenbosch, of which 90 hectares is under vineyard.
The farms history is a rich tapestry dating back to 1693 when Governor Simon van der Stel granted the land to a free burger from Germany, Joachim Sax. Sax built the original homestead, which is considered to be one of the Cape’s most interesting, in 1701.
Adrian Bührer brought with him a wealth of experience and had the foresight in 1990 to appoint Nico van der Merwe, one of the country’s top winemakers. Together they successfully steered Saxenburg to producing elegant and noble wines that speak of its terroir.
Africa was a wild and untamed place when Joachim Sax first made his way up to the hills above the Kuils River, some 30 kilometres east of the Dutch settlement at the “Cape of Good Hope”. The year was 1693, and Sax was one of only 350 “free burgers” (free farmers) granted land by the 9th Dutch Governor, Simon van der Stel.
Together with his wife, Susanna, Sax had arrived some two years before from his native town of Egeln, in Germany. He immediately set about planting vines, and built the original manor house in 1701. Four years later he sold the farm to Olaff and Albertus Bergh. The name Saxenburg developed from these early pioneers.
Almost three centuries were to pass before the historic farm was acquired by the Bührer family from Switzerland – Adrian, his wife Birgit and their children. They, along with their close working team, have revived the proud family tradition of Saxenburg’s historic past.
Accolades
2008 Private Collection Sauvignon Blanc
2006 Private Collection Cabernet Sauvignon
2006 Saxenburg Sebet Shiraz
2006 Saxenburg Sauvignon Blanc
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