About Me

Belfield Wines (written by the Winemaker's son Allister Kreft)

At the end of 2000 our family was faced with some choices. Mike Kreft, my father, had just been retrenched from Lourensford Estate and we had a lot of decisions to make. I was about to start at UCT. My sister was two years away from finishing school and my mother had just stopped working full time as a Unit manager at Medi-clinic hospital. We were in a complete state of flux and this did not make any decisions easier. As an old varsity buddy told me, if it doesnt kill you it makes you stronger. Bear in mind that this comment was made whilst drinking something dubious; but it came to epitomise our family bond! My parents had always wanted a small farm to call their own and I remember our first trip to a dilapidated small holding in Elgin. The main house was coated in ivy and grey with age. The remaining apple orchards were at the end of their life spans and the garden was wild. The easy choice would have been to buy a town house in Somerset West and rebuild from there. But, my father's skills are in agriculture and our family are shameless plaas japies! Two months later we had carted our belongings up the pass and distributed them through our new home, Belfield.

After moving onto the farm the land was cleared of all the apple orchards and lay fallow for a couple of months. After consulting with Paul Wallace, a viticulturist, a decision was made to plant Cabernet Sauvignon, the king of the red grapes. My father will be able to give the exact size of the vineyard but as I recall it covers just less than 1 hectare. It lies on a gradual slope facing north east and is anchored to red, stony earth (Malmesbury Shale Paul?). Before the vines could be planted a couple of tasks had to be performed. The soil was tested to ascertain ph levels and what elements dominate the soil makeup. Everything looked great on that front. The area was plowed and the upturned red earth seemed to invite the planting and growing of red wine grapes. Lawrence and my father planted all of the poles with some help from Greg and me (I think we did two?). The next step was the laying of irrigation and the planting of the frail sticks that would turn into vines. To do this, we made use of the most expensive and underproductive labour force in the world, our friends and family! Approximately 70 of them descended on Belfield to plant two rows of vines, those closest to the house. My father gave a stirring lecture of how to plant a vine properly and outlined the payment system we would adopt. Each person that planted a vine would get some food, some dop and a bottle of Belfield when the job was done. With much enthusiasm and very little skill the job was completed! We felt that it was a great way to christen the vineyard and our new endeavour; Belfield Wines.