The 'Sultan of savvy', so-named for his devotion to sauvignon blanc, Bartho Eksteen marches to the beat of his own drum, but in whimsical, cheery rather than imperious fashion.
Vintage 26
His winery, Hermanuspietersfontein Wynkelder, is a key tenant of The HemeL & Aarde Village, a shopping and small business precinct at the entrance to Hermanus. Here he hosts Saturday morning food and wine markets and festivals in his werf (courtyard) between the cellar and the tasting room. From farmers’ produce and tuisgebak (home-baked goods) it’s all there, plus lots of wine.
With typical Hermanuspietersfontein hospitality - combined with just a hint of marketing savvy - he persuades people to relax and have a good time while enjoying a bottle of his most recent bit of winemaking fun: the Hermanus Pieters Brut Cap Classique. This is the only place you can buy a bottle and there's one condition: that the cork be popped on the premises.
The sense of community and celebration amid a village atmosphere is rooted in the humble beginnings of the town and surrounding area. Bartho recalls this in the labels and names of his wines: the Posmeester red blend; Skoonma Rhone blend, Swartskaap Cabernet Franc, Kleinboet Bordeaux blend and Bloos Rosé.
Hermanuspietersfontein (HPF) was the original name of the Walker Bay hamlet founded in 1855. Hermanus Pieters was a teacher hired by Overberg farmers to instruct their children in Dutch during the Cape’s English colonial period.
Of meagre means in those days, the farmers often remunerated Mijnheer (Master) with sheep, which he grazed and watered at a fontein (spring) near the sea. But they did honour him by naming the growing fisherman's village after him. It was the local English posmeester (postmaster) who, in 1902, shortened the name to Hermanus, apparently to fit onto envelopes.
With typical forthrightness, individualism, a strong sense of integrity, and not a small amount of pride in his Afrikaans heritage, Bartho was not shy in choosing the long moniker for his winery, and electing to feature only Afrikaans on his wine labels. 'After all, my full name is Bartholomeus Eksteen!'
Hermanuspietersfontein Wingerde is a joint venture established in 2005 between Bartho and Johan and Mariette Pretorius, 'my two very active partners'. They're owners of 320 hectares comprising the two farms Waboomsrivier and Waterval between Stanford and Elim wine ward. It subsequently became part of a new wine ward, pioneered by Bartho, called Sunday's Glen, or as he prefers: 'Sondagskloof!
The vineyards comprise just under 30 hectares of sauvignon blanc (including a soupcon of sémillon and nouvelle for blending); 24 hectares of classic red Bordeaux varieties; and six hectares of Rhône varieties (shiraz, mourvèdre, grenache and viognier).
From these building blocks come the trio of Hermanuspietersfontein's acclaimed flagship wines: Die Arnoldus (a Bordeaux red blend named after HPF partner and director Johan), Die Martha (a Rhône red blend named after Johan’s wife Mariette, also a partner and director) and Die Bartho (a proudly 'Cape white blend' combining the two traditional white Bordeaux varieties with the South African-bred nouvelle.)
Alikreukel (giant periwinkles) trio of tasty cakes, creamy cubes and salsa strips recipe by Bartho Eksteen paired with Die Bartha or Hermanu...
Baked ox tongue with mustard sauce recipe by Bartho Eksteen served with vegetables and paired with Herrnanuspietersfonrein Swartskaap wine....