Singapore’s wine scene is about to make history with the inaugural Pinotage Festival—the first of its kind ever held here—all to mark Pinotage’s 100th year. The Festival offers more than 60 South African wines across immersive tasting zones and showcases many new producers to the local market. For this article, we spotlight three of these fresh faces whose wines embody the extraordinary diversity of South Africa’s regions.
Hasher Family Estate (Upper Hemel-en-Aarde, Hermanus | WWF Conservation Champion)
Hasher Family Estate is the vision of Belgian founders Frederik and Celine, who moved to Hermanus to realise their dream in one of the Cape’s most dramatically beautiful valleys. The Upper Hemel-en-Aarde region is renowned for cool, maritime winds and rich fynbos biodiversity, with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay its usual stars. Hasher’s Pinotage, grown in fynbos wetlands and named for the rare “microbatrachella capensis” frog, is a true regional wildcard—showing pure red fruit and elegant finesse, thanks to the cooler climate and unique soils.
Hasher Family Estate is a proud WWF Conservation Champion, actively preserving 60 hectares for wildlife and going chemical-free in the vineyards, including livestock in their regenerative farming. Their Batrachella Pinotage recently scored a record 97 points at the Decanter Wine Awards and won the prestigious Pinotage Trophy at the International Wine Challenge—remarkable for an estate in only its third vintage and in a region not known for this grape.
Distance context: Hemel-en-Aarde is 100km southeast of the Polkadraai Hills (Bruwer Vintners) and over 160km from Durbanville (Diemersdal), with marked climate and soil differences shaping each producer’s uniquely expressive Pinotage.
Bruwer Vintners (Polkadraai Hills Ward, Stellenbosch)
Bruwer Vintners is rooted in the Polkadraai Hills—the smallest and one of the newest wards in Stellenbosch, only officially designated in 2006. Here, cooling False Bay winds and decomposed granite soils create a singular microclimate, producing Pinotage with vibrant acidity, intense fruit, and a mineral-driven core. Gavin Bruwer’s family-owned winery brings together innovative minimal intervention and respect for heritage, focusing on honest site expression over cellar manipulation.
Bruwer’s wines speak of South Africa’s journey—from ancestral winemaking techniques to cutting-edge creativity. Their method ancestral sparkling Pinotage, for example, takes a centuries-old technique and reimagines it with a uniquely South African twist. In Polkadraai, Pinotage is fresh, balanced, and distinct—proof of how a new ward brings renewed energy to the region, even with just 45km separating it from Durbanville and 90km from Hemel-en-Aarde.
Diemersdal (Durbanville Wine Valley, Cape Town)
A cornerstone of the Durbanville region since 1698, Diemersdal remains family-owned—now under the sixth generation of Louw stewardship. Durbanville’s cool climate and decomposed granite soils are shaped by Atlantic Ocean breezes and regular morning mist, slowing ripening and enriching wines with depth and freshness. Diemersdal champions dryland farming, letting vines burrow deep and extract pure terroir-driven minerality.
At Diemersdal, tradition meets innovation under the philosophy of “human terroir”—centuries of vineyard wisdom combine with modern open-top fermentations and gentle cellaring to bring plush, robust, and graceful Pinotage to life. Their reds showcase the tension between cool-climate elegance and classic South African intensity, making each bottle a vivid reflection of Durbanville’s signature style. Just 40km from Polkadraai Hills, yet a world apart in wine character!
Get your tickets to The Pinotage Festival
The Pinotage Festival promises a sweeping tour through South Africa’s vibrant wine culture, offering the chance to experience dozens of new-to-Singapore producers and taste how regional terroir truly matters in every glass. From mountain fynbos to oceanic granite slopes, each sip tells a story of place, people, and passion.
Secure your tickets today and join this one-of-a-kind event—visit The Pinotage Festival for more details and to reserve your spot!
