South Africa’s Western Cape can be called both the oldest wine region of the New World and the newest wine region of the Old World. Capensis skillfully combines these two facets — the oldest and the newest — of Western Cape winemaking. It embodies the unparalleled quality that comes from old, gnarled vines planted in some of the oldest soils in the world, and it represents the young energy of a new generation of winemakers determined to make world-class wines with state-of-the-art techniques.

Capensis, meaning “from the Cape,” is a leader in bringing South Africa to the forefront as a world-class Chardonnay producer. The commitment to Chardonnay comes from the belief that the truly great vineyard sites around the world are revealed by only a few noble grape varieties.

After Barbara Banke’s first visit to the Cape in 2008, the beautiful story of Capensis started to take shape. The first vintage was produced in 2013 by Graham Weerts who is still in charge of production today. In 2014 they purchased Fijnbosch Vineyards in Banghoek, an address they can call home. 2017 saw the addition of Silene, a slightly younger drinking Chardonnay, also available on this site.