Haskell Vineyards

Awesome tasting, stunning wines – thanks.
We are coming back soon for lunch.

The view are excellent and the staff are well informed (thanks Werner you know your wines) Samara was one of my favourites and we bought Dombeya Samara 2005 & 2006 twin pack. We enjoyed the conversation and the explanation on how the wine is made we could ask Werner anything. We visited Haskell on 4th January 2012. Wines are so worth it.

Overall a great bunch of wines, Very reasonably priced with a good mix of ones drinkable now and others to be laid down. I wasn’t able to do the tri-nations tasting as that only happens on weekends which is a pity. Restaurant – great views and food a mix of very good and one very bad dish. However, this was rectified as the waitress removed the food and agreed that it wasn’t up to scratch. Full refund on that dish with sincere apologies. Now that’s good service. Will be back to do another tasting and eat at the restaurant.

The best, most informative tasting ever!!!! Werner is really great! He knows his wines and is ready to answer any questions! Will definitely be back to do the tri-nations tasting!!

Consistently the best tasting experience in Stellenbosch. Werner knows his products well, is a friendly chap and they make the effort to keep thing interesting with comparative tastings, never scared to put their products against other producers and wine from other countries.

Excellent wines! enjoyed the view! very friendly and knowledgable staff! Samara a definite must-try!

My friends and I went here specifically for the tri-nations tasting. Was great to try Aussie and NZ wines also. I was a little bit disappointed with the choice of wines to represent NZ, however, it was just great to have some home soil wines
Werner was fantastic. He has a great passion and knowledge on wine. He made us feel very welcome and spent a great amount of time and attention going through the wines with us. It was great.
We had an amazing lunch here also. We all loved the place. You can check out my full review on my wine blog http://westerncapewineries.blogspot.com/
I would recommend this place. Be sure to come for lunch also though!!

Had a very good visit here. In the tasting room Werner was on top form. Extremely knowledgeable, very accommodating and no question or comment from the audience was frowned upon. This man has a heart warming passion for wine and a bubbly way of sharing his knowledge. Then on to lunch in Die Langtafel restaurant… great value for money meal in pleasant surroundings, with open views of the valley below. Very attentive restaurant staff, bouquets to all. Would visit again.

Tri-Nations tasting excellent for broadening the taste of your palate. Can just recommend it!

Good service and very good wines. I like the tri-nation tasting, brings something extra to the party!!!

Excellent wines and good tasting!

Awesome view, great food and amazing wine! In combination with good company an alltogther fantastic experience. LOVE the shiraz!!!

No doubt a winery suited for red wine, in particular Shiraz, well worth the visit – especially when tasting against our arch rivals – Australia and New Zealand

What a tasting? …..excellent host – thank you Werner. Wine were excellent too. Had lunch there as well – lovely setting.

lovely!…having an awesome time!

Werner, the wine tasting centre manager, is the quintessential wine lover. He relays a enthusiasm for the product he represents that can only come from his inherent passion and love for wine. The setting is perfect and their wonderful wines are crafted with great attention to detail. Small and intimate, I love this farm. Domeya shows a warm welcoming atmosphere in the winter which goes perfectly with a glass of their award wining 2005 Pillars Syrah and vibey and invigorating in the summer, just in time for a chilled glass of their Chard. A must visit for all

I love it here. The friendly & well informed staff, beautiful views, great food & fine wines, makes it a must for all. It’s child friendly, with a play area and the relaxed atmosphere is perfect for both tourists & locals. The Long Table Restaurant & Cafe have a beautifully diverse menu and its prices are great compared to the quality of the food. Well done guys. Keep up the good work.

Fantastic! We so enjoyed the knowledgeable tasting staff (Werner deserves a high-5) and the variety of wines on offer, especially the Australian & New Zealand varietals. The opportunity to compare our local wines with these foreign terroirs was a novel tasting experience.

The Haskell Pillars and Aeon Shiraz are superb, and great value for money, can’t wait to crack 1 of the bottles!

Always up for something different, I decided to do the Tri-Nations Triple Tasting at Dombeya. We tasted the two Haskell wines, as well as a New Zealand Shiraz. Our host, Werner, made the experience very special with his enthusiasm and wine knowledge. Their cellar door experience is so far ahead of most estates in this area and I’ll definitely be back for more.

And the food at the Long Table Restaurant is not to be missed either!

i dont often spend R 400 on a wine but I did today…and my word…what a wine….shiraz, cloves, cinnamon, spice, pepper, fruity pallet….and the food was not bad either

currently at the vineyard for the open day and looking great so far with the Chardonnay in the hand!! wines only getting better! lets hope i got all the wines right for the varietal tasting!

Great tasting at open day. Taste all the pillars and still standing. A must visit.

Great wines, great food, great views….

Dombeya what can i say! Was invited to Lunch at the long table with a couple of wine enthusiasts. Wine tastings are only by appointment, the setting is simple but refined not over the top. Beautiful views of Helderburg and the Golden triangle. The wines are stand out wines particularly the Samara and the Chard. Beautifully balanced wines across the range.
Thanks to Rianie and crew.

We enjoyed one suburb lunch at their new Long Table Restaurant on an amazing autumn Saturday afternoon. The view from the restaurant is great and the food…..OUT OF THIS WORLD! Nothing fancy smanchy, just hearty dishes. Chef Carli’s passon for cooking can be tasted with every bit!

Grant was such a good host and spoiled us with French wines, Dombeya wines, Haskell Pillars Shiraz and even a 1953 KWV Jerepigo! I think all the Wineflies present at the table thought we died and gone to heaven. A truly memorable experience!

A great place with amazing people, food and wine. BIG FAN, if not No.1!

Fabulous fabulous fabulous! The wines are a treat (and don’t forget to sample the Haskell wines). May the Long Table Restaurant live long and prosper.

What a great meal and tasting highly recommended for good wine and food. Dont forget about the view. One of the best Sirazes in Africa the Haskell pillars realy worth the what you have to pay for it. Smooth as silk with lots of berries. GO AND BUY IT!

Had a fantastic experience at the farm. The wines all over deliver and the food at the Long Table Restaurant is truly fantastic. Highly recommended.

We had a wonderful afternoon at Dombeya with fantastic wines and excellent food at the new Long Table Restaurant. Definitely a new must-visit for a great cellar-door experience. Love the Haskell Pillars Shiraz and the Dombeya Chardonnay and Samara Bordeaux blend.

Hi to all wineflies,

Many thanks for all the kind words and support. Just wanted to let everyone know that we are taking the “Tasting by Appointment” sign down soon and opening a cellar door where everyone is welcome.

It will be located inside the new Long Table Restaurant and Cafe’, to be opened at the same time, so you can pop in, taste some wine, and then chill out to the view and tranquility with a meal and a glass of Dombeya or Haskell wine. We’ll even have a special ‘reserve’ list as well with some interesting imports from all over the world for those who like to be a little adventurous.

But the bottom line is that we’ll be open for tasting from mid April ( will let everyone know the exact date soon). Let the guys in cellar door know that you are a Winefly and they’ll drag out something interesting for you to try as well.

Looking forward to seeing you at Haskell/Dombeya soon.

All the best

Grant

I’ve been threatening to do a tasting at Dombeya for a long time, but never got around to making an appointment (tastings are by appointment only). I am really glad I finally did, because this was quite a special experience. Our tasting was conducted by their winemaker, Rianie Strydom, so we were able to learn intimate details of how the wines were made that you would not have gotten otherwise.
And her wines certainly did not disappoint. The reds were all rather special. I particularly enjoyed their Samara, a bordeaux-style blend. But the real surprise for me was the Merlot. I normally do not like this varietal (I find it quite dull and lackluster in general), but theirs was so delicious I even bought a bottle.

A fantastic vineyard, loved all the wines, they were very consistent year after year, doing vertical tasting, a beautiful Surrounding and views! loved to put my bed on the balcony!!!

WOW! All the wines that Dombeya ever made on tasting for free! What a pleasure! We popped in at Dombeya’s open day on Saturday and experienced a true treat. Apart from having all their wines on tasting, there was some fun stuff one could partake in and yummy boerewors rolls that went down extremely well with the fab wine.

I was stoked to find out that they are planning to open a restaurant soon and even more stoked about their Haskell range that will be released soon. Considering the fact that their Dombeya range is of top quality already, I can’t even imagine what the Haskell range is going taste like. Definitely a winery that is moving some ground in the wine industry.

Thanks to the whole Dombeya Team for an fantastic day!

I always thought that it’s just to much effort to visit a wine estate that is “only open by appointment.” Now I know that it well worth the effort!

On our arrival we were welcome by Theo. He was friendly and funky and made us feel right at home. We started our tasting with some white wines and then Theo took us on a tour that consisted out of tasting, tasting and more tasting. We sampled some wines out of the silver tanks and then we moved on to the French oak barrels. Theo explained the processes of wine making and answered all our stupid questions with great passion. We were privileged enough to meet one of the wine makers, Wikus Pretorius and my friend could not stop drooling.

Back at the tasting room we tasted the reds and I must say the wines were really yummy and extremely well priced. We had an fantastic experience and the neighboring farms should take note and learn from Dombeya. Great wine, amazing scenery and fabulous people!

Dombeya/Haskell Wine Farm

This wine farm is situated in Stellenbosch, and nestled within the the rolling green hills of Helderberg which is known as the “Golden Triangle”. This is where optimal conditions allow for wines of elite quality. Haskell Vineyards borders Rust en Vrede, Stellenzicht and Bilton.

Dombeya was the original title of this wine farm that was once a fruit farm. It has since been bought by the Haskell family. At present, you can buy wine that has the “Dombeya ” label but by 2010 it will be possible to purchase wines that fall under the “Haskell” range. The Haskell range will express the best of what these vineyards are capable of.

In order to avoid disappointment, please note that you have to make an appointment to visit the Haskell Vineyards. If you read further, you’ll understand that its well worth this tiny bit of fore-planning.
I went to visit the wine farm on a warm sunny day. My senses were riveted! The splendor of the views and the sumptuous wines left me feeling as though I had found a piece of paradise… Theo conducted the presentation of the wines and his passion for wine would be contagious to even non-wine drinkers. He had no idea I’d be writing this review and yet he shared his enthusiasm, his knowledge and made us feel like VIP guests. As for the wine…Rianie Strydom the winemaker and Wikus Pretorius the assistant winemaker are highly talented. The Dombeya range has three individual labels. They are the Dombeya Samara, ( Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend), the Dombeya Boulder Road Shiraz, and the Dombeya Chardonnay. We were lucky enough to try the Dombeya Sauvignon Blanc but this is not a varietal that will be continued in future. (Much to my disappointment!)
The Dombeya range provides excellent value for your money. Each bottle is a work of art expressing individuality and style that will tantalize your taste buds. A word of advice and a warning…make this the first wine farm that you go to and…don’t plan on going to too many farms on the same day… you could always spit but the wine is so good, it seems a waste to do anything but swallow! I was so impressed with the Dombeya range…I can’t wait to experience the Haskell range!

All in all, we had a wonderful experience and I would highly recommend going here if you are looking for something special.