We talk to a cellar each month about their business, what makes them lie awake at night and what gives them hope. “Craft exceptional wines and be out there, be visible to as many people as you can be,” says Michael Langenhoven, winemaker at Mont Rochelle.

 

1. Tell us more about Mont Rochelle?

Mont Rochelle is a boutique winery based in Franschhoek next to the beautiful Dassenberg Mountain. We form part of the Virgin Limited Edition Group and focus on exclusivity, while prioritising the quality of our wines and overall service.

The first owners of Mont Rochelle were the De Villiers family when they arrived in 1688 with the French Huguenot’s in South Africa. In the 20th century, the Roux family held title to the estate. In 1940, Abraham Michelson bought Mont Rochelle which at that time had a cellar with 20 large oak vats with the first vines being planted around the last Boer War in 1899. Over the past 20 years, Mont Rochelle has been extended on numerous occasions with several owners. The most recent owners of Mont Rochelle were Erwin Schnitzler and Miko Rwayitare. Miko was the first black person in South Africa to own a winery, and our flagship wines are named after him.

In 2014 Sir Richard Branson bought the farm and Mont Rochelle became part of the exclusive Virgin Limited Edition group which includes Necker and Moskito Island in the British Virgin Islands, Kasbah Tamadot in Morocco, Mahali Mazuri in Kenya, Sun Bonyola in Mallorca, The Lodge in Verbier and Ulusaba Game Reserve in South Africa.

We process around 150 tons of wine grapes per year. We have a big following of consumers world-wide, and we focus on wines with lots of finesse and elegance. Our wines are divided into three tiers to cater to every consumer’s need, from fruity style wines to more old-world wines with elegance and aging potential. We export 60% of our wines compared to 40% locally.

Apart from wine sales, Mont Rochelle has a 5-star hotel with 26 ensuite rooms with beautiful valley and vineyard views. Our Manor House is a luxury villa located a short walk from the hotel – the perfect option for a private retreat for a family or friends. We also have two restaurants on-site to cater to visitors’ every need. The MIKO Restaurant in the hotel is best described as a taster of South African favourites with each dish telling a story, using the freshest local ingredients. The Country Kitchen spoils visitors with beautiful surroundings of the property and a breathtaking view as they enjoy hearty and fresh dishes.

Our people are a very big asset to the company. We have a small team consisting of a winemaker, farm manager, sales and marketing manager, two cellar workers and 11 vineyard workers.

2. What makes your area unique in terms of terroir and the wine styles that you produce?

Franschhoek is a warmer wine growing area, but we are on the cooler elevated slopes of the Franschhoek valley, which give us a longer ripening period which is very good for growing premium grapes.

3. Wine tourism is a big part of your business and must have been greatly impacted by Covid-19. What pulled you through and what lessons have you learned that have become part of how you do business?

Covid-19 made us all realise that we can be creative in many ways. The past two years taught us a lot about thinking out of the box, adapting to various situations, and ensuring we still produce a great product with excellent service for our local and international market and consumers.

We were fortunate enough to focus on the export market where we grew our footprint in the UK, EU and US for both direct-to-consumer as well as on-consumption sales. We are also eternally grateful for all our local consumers and their loyalty towards our brand as they supported us every step of the way.

4. Do you have any exciting plans under way?

We are currently busy replanting all our vineyards with top quality grapevines and will finish the replanting off with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for our first Cap Classique to come.

We are looking forward to growing our local and international market for direct-to-consumer and on-consumption sales. Mont Rochelle is excited about the future and taking the brand to new heights!

5. Your message to other wineries on the way forward?

Craft exceptional wines and be out there, be visible to as many people as you can be.