Ask anyone who's spent time in South African wine circles which estate defines Stellenbosch reds, and Kanonkop comes up before you've finished the question. Tucked on the lower slopes of the Simonsberg mountain, this is a producer that has never chased fashion. Instead, it has spent decades perfecting two things: old-vine Pinotage and Bordeaux-style blends built to age.
What makes Kanonkop worth your attention is its refusal to modernise for modernising's sake. The red wines are still fermented in open concrete kuipe, with cellar hands physically punching down the cap by hand rather than relying on mechanical pumps. It's labour-intensive, slower, and exactly why the wines carry such depth and structure. Some of the Pinotage vines here are bush-trained and over fifty years old, planted long before the grape earned any international respect.
Winemaker Abrie Beeslaar has led the cellar since 2002, taking over from Beyers Truter, the man widely credited with putting South African Pinotage on the world map. Beeslaar has more than kept pace, picking up the International Winemaker of the Year title at the IWSC three times, a rare feat for anyone, anywhere. The estate remains a family business, run today by brothers Johann and Paul Krige, whose family has owned this land since 1929.
We stock Kanonkop because it answers a question UK customers often ask us: what does serious South African wine actually taste like? The Kadette range, the estate's second label, gives newcomers an honest, accessible route into that answer, built on the same philosophy and fruit sourcing as the flagship wines, just at a friendlier price point. If you want to understand why critics call this a First Growth of the Cape, starting here makes complete sense. Delivered across the UK, it's as close as you'll get to Simonsberg without a plane ticket.
