Alvi's Drift

Alvi’s Drift estate, based in the Breede River valley, is named after a bridge that was built across the river, which was commissioned in 1928 by the family as a means for the locals to cross safely. The estates founder Albertus Viljoen ‘Oupa Alvi’ notoriously scored the Springboks first try against the All Blacks on African soil. Today, his grandson Alvi van der Merwe is the winemaker and long side the vineyards, cultivated the land for fruit orchards and livestock herds, both dairy and free-roaming game. The family is committed to sustainability, giving back to the land, but also going beyond farming practices, helping local communities wherever possible, as this is fundamental to their values.

Scattered across a network of adjoining farms in the cooler, southernmost part of the fertile Breede River Valley, their vineyards lie nestled among indigenous renosterveld, succulent Karoo vegetation and fynbos.

For the winemaker and his team, the location of each vineyard is a matter of meticulous planning, ensuring the most beneficial terroir for each grape varietal cultivated on our land.

In the Alvi’s Drift cellar, both modern and traditional production techniques are applied, in tandem with a low-intervention, unhurried approach to winemaking. In 1932, our founder commissioned the kuipe (open-top concrete fermentation tanks) to be built. These same concrete fermentation tanks are still used in the production of certain award-winning Alvi’s Drift red wines today.

No “one size fits all” winemaking recipe is applied. Each wine reflects its particular journey, fruit characteristics and terroir. Here, stainless steel tanks, wooden barrels, and cement kuipe each have their place, as do modern and ancient winemaking practices.

Alvi’s Drift produces a series of great wines to suit all tastes and budgets.