Restless River Wines

Hemel-en-Aarde Valley South Africa.

Who

The Hemel-en-Aarde Valley was known as Attacquas Kloof. In 1760 the elder, Wessel Wessels arrived with his family and set up home. Some historians say it was Wessel who called the valley 'Hemel-en-Aarde'. What is known for sure is that old man Wessels was the first European of settler descent to live in and farm the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley.

Craig and Anne Wessels bought a small portion of Wessels’ original farm, and in so doing, the name of the original settler was once again returned to the valley.

Like the Wessels’ that went before, Craig’s real passion is farming, and he is also the winemaker. Anne shares the passion, and runs the business side of the estate. The farm has some of the oldest Cabernet sauvignon and Chardonnay in the Hemel-en-Aarde, with vines first planted in 1999. Pinot noir followed and was planted in 2013.

The same pioneering spirit of his forefathers is alive and burning bright (Craig is also a great x7 grandson of President Paul Kruger). So it is no surprise that his approach is unconventional, fairly extreme but always very considered, guided as he says, “more by my senses than science”.