It’s a crisp, cold Cape winter’s day and the air high above the Du Toits Kloof Pass is clean and fresh – the perfect spot for taking some time out from our busy schedules. It’s a different world up here and the steady hum of traffic below on the busy N1 is masked by the sounds of silence – the hum of nature. An area that is covered with fynbos, now almost wholly recovered from a devastating fire in 2004, this is Elandsjacht, the retreat that Anthony Smook and his family escape to after a busy week.

It is here that his passion for wine and the outdoors meet in perfect symmetry. The granite soils are full of minerals – perfect for the practice of viticulture. The biodiversity of the area offers a number of fynbos species and the inaccessibility means that Anthony can experiment with his winemaking without interruption.

On this 100ha of land bought in 2003 he and his family spend peaceful weekends enjoying the ruggedness and stunning views of the area. Gentle buck sometimes join the family and keep the grass on the old picnic site well trimmed. Obviously used in the good old days when the dirt road did not require a 4x4, Anthony has made this the perfect spot for camping and viewing his vineyard experiment.

Rising above the fynbos, almost as if they had grown there, are poles marking off the one ha planted with Shiraz vines. The virgin soils have embraced the young plants and already shoots are appearing strongly on the one year old vines. A labour of love and testament to Anthony’s overriding joy in the craft of winemaking, this unique terroir offers challenges when planting.

“We wanted to see how growing vines amongst the fynbos would affect the final flavour of the Shiraz”, says Anthony, gently handling the young vines. “The fynbos supplies sufficient organic material to help limit soil erosion and suppress weed growth. There are no other vineyards in the area and the quality of the soil and the natural minerals make it perfect for viticulture. The water is gravity fed from high in the mountain and has a herbal taste”. Buchu abounds on this piece of land and there is no doubt that once this crop is harvested a very special Shiraz will be the result.

“It was hard labour planting”, laughs Anthony, “but the elements for making this a very special wine are all here. Planted in a north–south direction down the mountain protects from the wind, the area is high rainfall and cool nights mean slow ripening. We planted the vines far apart to ensure maximum sunlight exposure and have used three different methods: bushvine, trellised vine and vertical trellis”, he adds.

Harvesting should take place in 2010 and all three types will be blended together. Once the vineyard is established Anthony will look at having it registered under the Biodiversity and Wine Initiative and talks of the organic nature of the cultivation.

“This area is perfect for Shiraz, my favourite cultivar, and to have the time to experiment and use what nature offers here is such a gift” he says.

We sit on the edge of the camping site and admire the 365 degree view of the mountains: waterfalls cascade across the valley and rocky outcrops and pebbled streams vie with the fynbos for space. This rugged land does not offer up its secrets easily.

In an area that is rich in farming and natural resources it seems right that this small vineyard should look down on the bustling communities below whilst gently producing a wine that will reflect the heritage of the area.