Winery ~ Viticulture

During the late 1980s, the estate, then known as Zandrift, started a new era of development with a replanting programme which was initiated in 1989 and in 1992 the first wine was produced from these vines.

The total size of the Rickety Bridge wine estate is 56 Hectares of which 15.8 Hectares are made up of currently producing vines with another 6 Hectares under development. Rickety Bridge also sources grapes from a property on the way to Paarl, Zonnebloem, also owned by Duncan Spence.

The vineyards are broken down into the following cultivars: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc and Semillon.

Wynand Grobler, the winemaker, believes that the actual quality of the grapes harvested, arising from good viticultural practices, is crucial to ensure the best possible wine is bottled.   

In order to achieve the consistent high quality, Rickety Bridge also source specific grapes from other areas or microclimates to suit the requirements of the winery by lifting quality and ensuring a premium product which sets Rickety Bridge apart from other producers.