At more than 3,200 feet above sea level, Cederberg Private Cellar is South Africa’s highest vineyard. A cool continental climate, where snow can fall on the vines in winter and northwesterly breezes fan them in the warm summers, combined with unpolluted air and crystal clear waters, make this dramatic landscape the ideal terroir for producing a wide range of noble wines.

Dating back to 1893, there have been five generations of Nieuwoudts on the farm.  Appropriately, the family name means ‘New Wood’.  Far from the softer, settled scenes of the estates closer to Cape Town, the Nieuwoudts broke ground, farming tobacco and fruit, before discovering that this rocky, high-altitude terrain provided the ideal terroir for wines of distinction. 

Today, young David Nieuwoudt carries on the pioneering family tradition, innovating and growing award-winning wines.  A keen ‘rocker’ or rock climber, David is not afraid to go in new directions, experimenting with new techniques and not merely resting on his own or his family’s success.  His training at Elsenburg Wine Academy and passionate love of wine has resulted in a wide repertoire of wines, each with special character and appeal.

The Cederberg label was designed in honor of the rare Clanwilliam Cedar tree, Widdringtonia cedarbergensis, one of Africa’s few remaining trees dating back to the age of the dinosaurs.  It still clings obstinately to the stony slopes and secret kloofs in the high altitudes of the Cederberg Mountains.  In the 19th century the cedar’s extremely hard wood, pleasant smell and resistance to insects made it a favorite choice for a wide range of furniture items, and almost caused its extinction from over-exploitation. 

Nowadays, this rare and precious tree is highly protected, the only species to have an entire mountain range named after it.  What better icon for the Nieuwoudt’s wines than this tree of rare character and endurance.

Choose a wine to the right.