Local winemaker names wine after his Jack Russell

There’s a little Jack Russell, Saartjie that runs around Hillcrest Wine Estate in Durbanville. Wine maker, Arno Smith has had her since she was a pup.  Saartjie is named after a great aunt of Arno’s, who he says “Was a fierce old lady, that also cautiously observed and assessed from a distance and then when needed to intervene or to stand her ground, she would make herself known and silence all the wrong say- or doers, just like Saartjie does”.

Visitors to Hillcrest Estate know Saartjie well and she is quite the celebrity on the farm. She even has playdates on a regular basis. Like all Jack Russells she is quite territorial and never leaves Arno’s side.

She is no stranger to the quad bike either and the sweetest of all, she loves grapes. Arno noticed she seemed to enjoy the Semilon grapes the most. Hence the birth of the limited edition Saartjie Semilon. “I harvested a ton of Semillon grapes and decided to ferment it in old French oak barrels, using a technique called wild fermentation, that simply means no commercial yeast is added to help with the fermentation process, it all happens naturally.”

Only 460 bottles were produced at R150 per bottle. If you would like to get your hands on this special wine you can contact Hillcrest Estate by clicking here.