There is something of status leaderboard to the appellations of the Cape winelands. Constantia, for example, lays claim to antiquity and exclusivity. Over the years urban creep mopped up much of what used to be peri-urban agricultural land, leaving little space for vineyards and leaving supply constrained ― hence the exclusivity. Many of the properties date back to the 17th century ― hence the antiquity. It’s easy to understand why it’s a top wine tourism destination.
Stellenbosch is really the wine industry heartland. It has the charm of a small-ish student town (and some of the disadvantages — such as traffic congestion and parking problems.) The landscape is diverse, yielding fine wines across a broad range of varieties. Many of the Cape’s best wines come from the region. Aficionados of cooler climate wines tend to gravitate to the coastal appellations of Elgin, Hemel-en-Aarde, Stanford and Elim. These are relatively young areas of origin, free to define themselves unburdened by the past.
And then there’s Paarl — whose claim to fame used to be that the wine industry was headquartered there. Those were the days when KWV was the arbiter of all things vinous. Its presence remains, in the same way that the presence of the Colosseum looms over Rome — only now there’s a vacuum where once the glow of its pure power suffused the town.
Paarl needs reinvention: it may not have the charm of Stellenbosch but it does have a plethora of superb wine properties. Not all of them boast Cape Dutch homesteads with long driveways, which hardly matters if you have great vineyards, insightful proprietors and ambitious, talented winemakers. The region needs a new paradigm and there’s a prospective example to show the way.
Brookdale was once a rundown grape farm nestled against the Klein Drakenstein Mountains. Then, about 10 years ago, an Englishman named Tim Rudd saw its potential. It has altitude and multiple aspects — there’s nothing flat or bland about the slopes on which its vineyards have been sited. As you drive up the road to the manor house, it’s clear the property has its own particular presence. Indeed there’s nothing ordinary about the wines emerging from this thoughtfully conceived investment.
So far Rudd hasn’t put a foot wrong. He appointed Duncan Savage as his technical consultant, Jaco Engelbrecht as his viticultural adviser and Kiara Scott Farmer as cellarmaster. In very little time she filled the Brookdale trophy cabinet with some very proper awards. In late 2024 she took up a position at Hazendal, opening the way for Xander Sadie, who had been working with Pieter Walser at Blankbottle, to take over the cellar. From the 2025 vintage onwards the Brookdale wines have the Sadie stamp on them.
You can’t go wrong with any of the Brookdale or Mason Road wines. The former are the seriously conceived products meant to express what is unique about the property; the latter are generally from younger vines, have no visible oak and are intended to deliver accessible but nuanced drinking pleasure. My favourite Mason Road wines are the chenin 2025 and the Serendipity Rosé. Both are bright, finely managed and harmonious: for less than R150 a bottle they deliver dollops of flavour, great purity, and instant uncomplicated enjoyment.
In the Brookdale range, the Old Vine Chenin is the obvious standout. Harvested over the season (15 different pickings), it delivers extraordinary, yet almost weightless intensity and great length. Running a close second is the Bradbourne white blend, made from grenache blanc, palomino, vermentino, marsanne and roussanne. Despite this fruit salad of component parts, it’s harmonious, nuanced and evocative. Among the reds, the 2025 Field Blend, an assemblage of 20 different varieties, is the most striking. More Douro than Rhone in mouthfeel and flavour profile, it plays to the strengths of the Paarl appellation.
Brookdale boasts what is probably the most luxurious accommodation in Paarl, a fine dining bistro and walking trails. All that Paarl needs to jump-start a regional renaissance is a few more establishments like it.
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