Spit or Swallow at Hartenberg Estate

Total Swallows 472	Rated by 63	Avg Swallows 7.49

Reviews
Wines
News
Events

Tell us about your experience at Hartenberg Estate

Reviewed by Johan Burger - 31 March 2013 at 08:04

Casual Winefly - 24 farms visited and 24 reviewed.

Very nice wine. Shiraz is a good one, amongst others. Need to go back!

Reviewed by Francois Koegelenberg - 30 January 2012 at 19:14

Novice Winefly - 3 farms visited and 4 reviewed.

Great service by Gavin who was suprbly informative and told me a great story about the Pontac grape and wine they had there previously!

Reviewed by Joris Goudriaan - 12 February 2011 at 17:15

Casual Winefly - 43 farms visited and 6 reviewed.

Picnic a bit of an oversell! Wine OK.

Reviewed by Reenen Borman - 1 February 2011 at 15:29

Casual Winefly - 9 farms visited and 4 reviewed.

Both chardonnays are superb.

Reviewed by Melissa Chetty - 25 January 2011 at 15:34

Casual Winefly - 15 farms visited and 6 reviewed.

Bit of a disappointing tasting experience, but the wines made up for it! Took home a bottle 2004 Merlot as a gift to myself, also liked the Riesling. One day when I can afford their other wines, I’ll visit again. The place is beautiful though!

Reviewed by Carsten Dietz - 2 January 2011 at 23:03

Novice Winefly - 2 farms visited and 1 reviewed.

for me one of the world best chardonnay

and the picknick in the garden, is one of our highlights in every holidaytrip.

Reviewed by Hetta Vuuren - 4 October 2010 at 20:02

Explorer Winefly - 128 farms visited and 73 reviewed.

We visited Hartenberg for the first time on Saturday, what a beautiful Estate! Driving up to the parking lot you would never think you’re going to find such a lovely area down stairs. We tasted the Weisser Riesling first, an interesting dry white with a hint of honey. The Stork is a wonderful Shiraz, not very peppery, more fruity, but really, really very good. The Savignon Blanc 2009 is very fruity and would be lovely with a good cheese platter on a hot summers afternoon.

Reviewed by Natalie Marco - 13 September 2010 at 08:07

Firefly - 217 farms visited and 30 reviewed.

I was throughly impressed with Hartenberg. Can’t believe I haven’t been here before. It’s a long drive up to the tasting room but well worth it. The Sauvignon Blanc was lovely and refreshing on the hot day. The tasting room assistant was cheerful and most helpful. We tasted the Weisser Riesling 2007 and 2009 side by side. What an interesting comparison. Then on to the reds. The Pinotage has really good flavours and at a price of R65, well worth a purchase. The Shiraz is probably what they are best known for and rightly so. Delicious. In 2008 they were voted one of the best Shiraz producers in the world. Then we tasted the Merlot, stunning.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the tasting and there wasn’t one wine I thought was mediocre. They also do a lovely cheese board and you can have a picnic lunch, definitely worth a visit this summer.

Reviewed by Pieter Lindenberg - 23 August 2010 at 14:45

Discoverer Winefly - 94 farms visited and 12 reviewed.

Great wines – ‘The Mackenzie’my favourite. Tasting staff extremely knowledgable.

Reviewed by Jacques Weidemann - 22 July 2010 at 17:45

Firefly - 196 farms visited and 146 reviewed.

By far the best farm to visit on the Bottelary rd (who seems stuck in the nineties as far as accessibility to the public goes) The shiraz speaks for itself, and they offer more than just the usual range, a very very fine riesling forms part of a truly outstanding SA wine estate. Nice picnic, knowledgeable staff…and always a special offer lurking in the wine sales shop below…

Reviewed by Maggie Mostert - 16 May 2010 at 16:32

Firefly - 222 farms visited and 197 reviewed.

Excellent wines, feels a bit staid when you arrive – like old school wine farms…but after the first taste of the fabulous super premium wines BOY OH BOY

Farm is beautiful too.

Reviewed by Amorie Loots - 6 April 2010 at 14:14

Casual Winefly - 18 farms visited and 18 reviewed.

Unfortunately it seems foreigners are entitled to a more informative tasting than locals. Found the winter soup “picnic” a bit disappointed on two occasions.

Reviewed by Hennie Coetzee - 19 March 2010 at 23:29

Super Winefly - 249 farms visited and 185 reviewed.

Place should be a national heritage sight. The Eleanor, The McKenzie, The Stork and the Gravel Hill Shiraz all make this place very very special. Tasting room attendants all know their products well.

Reviewed by Anthony Krijger - 23 February 2010 at 16:44

Novice Winefly - 3 farms visited and 3 reviewed.

When the Mackenzie’s bought the farm, they spent a ton on upgrading. The results are amazing. The setting is beautiful and their wines are terribly more-ish. Very friendly folks and their friendliness is from the heart, same as their wines.

They have a really hearty picnic lunch

Reviewed by Martin Oordt - 21 February 2010 at 10:47

Explorer Winefly - 113 farms visited and 106 reviewed.

The trees and walkways leading up to the main building are absolutely magical. The tasting room cool and very comfortable which was just what we needed on a summer’s morning. If I could have one whish it would be the total banishment of all the farms that still make use of those hobbit winetasting glasses. G’n mens kry the full effect tasting out of one of those. Another thing I didn’t like, being a novice and all, is that the wines were not in tasting order on the list, so you had to kinda figure it out with the host. On the up side, this is a great way to learn how to taste wine! Anyway, Extremely friendly staff, even the landscaper greeted us on our way in, and the host was hillarious. My fav wine for the morning was definitely the Chardonnay 2008 … this hobbit wants more!!

Reviewed by Marion Lille - 31 December 2009 at 10:26

Explorer Winefly - 103 farms visited and 22 reviewed.

I’m a big Riesling fan, but few wine estates make this varietal. I ordered a glass of Hartenberg Riesling at a restaurant once, and that prompted my visit to the estate. I got to taste both their 2007 and 2008 Riesling. The 2007 was harvested about a month later than they did in 2008, with the result being a slightly sweeter (but still nowhere near semi-sweet) wine. The 2008 was drier, which I preferred, even though it lost some of the complexity that you got from the 2007.
Their reds were equally good. They really know how to make a good Shiraz. Their Shiraz was not your typical, heavily-spicy wine. It was a bit lighter with a more fruity character than what you’d expect from a Shiraz.
So overall a very pleasant experience. The tasting assistant was friendly and knowledgeable, and they don’t even charge a tasting fee!

Reviewed by Angelo Dyk - 3 December 2009 at 19:03

Casual Winefly - 11 farms visited and 5 reviewed.

Hartenberg Estate to this day still remains one of my best tastings. We went on a wet and windy day in Winter as a mid-exam stress relief session. Its a beautiful estate, and the wines are absolutely superb. Although it was really cold that day, the Riesling was absolutely excellent, as well as the Merlot which I ended up buying two bottles of. Lovely place with friendly people. A great tasting experience!

Reviewed by Alana Mellet - 27 November 2009 at 16:47

Novice Winefly - 1 farms visited and 2 reviewed.

Really enjoyed our visit and winetasting. Very informative. They have a stunning Riesling!

Reviewed by Mark Pryce - 5 November 2009 at 09:15

Discoverer Winefly - 71 farms visited and 68 reviewed.

Informative host. Great vibe and nice picnic lunch. Excellent wines, especially the Cab’s

Reviewed by Andrew Chigorimbo - 19 May 2009 at 21:02

Secret Winefly - 380 farms visited and 305 reviewed.

it was the tasting room lady’s first day at work when we got there and she had been thrown at the deep end. I guess the last thing she wanted was 24 students asking questions.
she did a great job none the less and kept us entertained and was bery honest right from the start.
she kept the wine flowing.
awesome wines from the farm and the venue is equally as good.

Reviewed by Madame de Wyn - 17 May 2009 at 11:38

Secret Winefly - 361 farms visited and 456 reviewed.

What a beautiful Wine estate. The long drive up, is totally worth it! Big trees and a beautiful garden welcomes you as you walk down the path towards the tasting room and outdoor Restaurant.

We were first welcomed by Robert and then the very friendly manageress Sonette did the tasting with us. She explained the processes that the winemaker of Hartenberg uses to produce their high quality wine. They do not make use of a lab to tell them when the grapes are ready to harvest. The winemaker takes a walk through the vineyards every morning and taste the grapes. If the seeds in the grapes are still green, it’s not ready for harvest. It’s good to know that there are still some wine farms out there that does not make use of a lab to tell them everything.

Seeing that I’m not Raymond Ackermans’ daughter, I find it sometimes difficult to understand how people can buy a bottle of wine for R300, but now I know. Sonette compared 3 different wines that they had on tasting. The first one was a 2005 Shiraz @ R104, the second was a 2005 Cabernet @ R90 and the third one was the Mackenzie Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot 2004 @R290. The first two wines were very good and matched the price. The third one was absolutely fantastic! If only Raymond was my father…..

Reviewed by Adele - 9 January 2009 at 15:12

Casual Winefly - 0 farms visited and 287 reviewed.

A very interesting wine farm – we stayed longer than we intended as we just could not leave!! Very good wine and cant wait to go back in winter time for the all day soup with veggies fresh from the farm – not a bad place to have your wedding….

Reviewed by Madame De Wyn - 8 January 2009 at 21:39

Secret Winefly - 361 farms visited and 456 reviewed.

Good luck to Tanya Fietze, a new member to the winemaking team.

Girl Power!

Reviewed by Madame De Wyn - 8 January 2009 at 10:47

Secret Winefly - 361 farms visited and 456 reviewed.

Loved the farm. It’s stunning and the people are friendly and extremely informative. Thanks for another great lesson in wine!