Franco Lourens is based in Paarl where he crafts his wines from a cellar near Klapmuts. Previously he was Chris Alheit’s assistant and graduated to making his own wines, sharing space with Lukas Van Loggerenberg before moving into his own space.

He sources fruit from Stellenbosch, Swartland, and in particular Piekenierskloof for his wines.

“Poenie”, as he more widely known, is one of the industry’s ‘Nice Guys’. He always has a smile on his face and is never too far from a laugh and a joke.

Make no mistake though, when it comes to wine, Poenie is totally quality-obsessed. While this means that the wines are superb, it also means that the quantities can be frustratingly small, but so worth getting your hands on.