It begins with understanding and loving our land, being sensitive to the long-term needs of our vines and treating our grapes with the utmost respect and care in the Estate winery.
The Overberg Highlands presents a geologically fascinating environment. The Estate’s vineyards are planted between 400m and 520m above sea level on the slopes of the Akkedisberg – the southern-most mountain range, only a few kilometers from the southern tip of Africa.
The soil is different from anything else on this planet. It has been formed over millions of years and is a unique mix of uplifted (then eroded) sandstone, decomposed granite, quartz and limestone, kneaded by hundreds of millions of years into iron-rich clay and shale.
Our weather further differentiates the estate. At altitude, so far south, the cold, ocean-borne winds off the chilly sea scour our slopes and batter our vines, encouraging tiny, mightily concentrated berries. These in turn lead to unique, delicious wines.
Bruce Jack is the owner and winemaker. He has been in the wine business for 30 years, most of those as a winemaker, after attaining an oenology and viticulture degree from the famous Roseworthy Campus, at the University of Adelaide, in Australia (being the first South African to do so). He makes wine globally, The Drift Estate, however, is his home.
He is joined on this journey by this wife Penelope, who designs the labels.