The Tale of Two Terroirs | Ella & Early Mist Riesling named Terroir Champions at the SA Terroir Awards
Two wines, two ends of our farm, one philosophy: let the place speak. This week we’re proud to share that both Ella Grenache 2023 and Early Mist Riesling 2025 have been named Terroir Champions in their respective regions at the Novare SA Terroir Wine Awards, an award built entirely around the question we ask ourselves every vintage: does this wine truly taste like where it comes from?
For a family that has been farming this land since 1688, that question is the whole point. Vrede en Lust spans two very different corners of the Cape winelands: the sun-warmed slopes of Simonsberg-Paarl and the misty, maritime hills of Elgin. And this year, a wine from each has been recognised as the truest expression of its home ground.
Ella Grenache 2023 | National Winner, Simonsberg-Paarl
Named after the youngest daughter of the family that owns Vrede en Lust, Ella has always been a wine about character — light and graceful at first glance, with real strength underneath. The 2023 vintage marks a turning point: for the first time, Ella is bottled as a 100% single-varietal Grenache, stepping out from behind its old Rhône-style blend to let the grape speak for itself.
Grenache found an unlikely second home on the warm, dry slopes of our Simonsberg-Paarl vineyards, where long summers and mountain-cooled nights let the fruit ripen fully while holding onto freshness. The result is a wine of ripe red berries, cherries, delicate florals and gentle spice, carried on silky tannins and a long finish — exactly the kind of site-specific character the judges were looking for.
Ella Grenache 2023 — Grenache 86% / Shiraz 9% / Viognier 5% • Wine of Origin: Simonsberg-Paarl • Winemaker: Karlin Nel
Early Mist Riesling 2025 | National Winner, Elgin
If Ella is a story about warmth, Early Mist is its opposite number. The Riesling is grown at Casey’s Ridge, our Elgin Valley site and one of South Africa’s coolest, mistiest patches of vineyard, named for the thick blanket of morning fog that rolls in and shields the grapes from the sun, slowing ripening to a crawl and locking in the variety’s signature acidity.
It’s a notoriously difficult grape to farm well. Winemakers call it the “heartbreak grape” for its vulnerability to rot, which makes this recognition all the more meaningful. Crafted in a traditional German “Trocken” style from two complementary clones grown on sandstone and shale, Early Mist offers vivid green apple, white peach and jasmine over a flinty, mineral backbone. It’s the kind of wine that rewards the patience it demands in the vineyard.
Early Mist Riesling 2025 | 100% Riesling • Wine of Origin: Elgin • Winemaker: Karlin Nel
Why it matters
The Novare SA Terroir Wine Awards don’t reward the biggest or the boldest wine in the room, they reward the wine that most honestly reflects the environment it grew in.
Having two wines recognised from two different terroirs, in the same year, tells us something we’ve long believed: that the diversity of our farms, from Simonsberg-Paarl to Elgin, is our greatest asset.
A heartfelt thank you to our viticulture and cellar team for the work behind both of these wines, and to our Wine Club members and guests who’ve supported Ella and Early Mist from the very first pour. We’d love for you to taste the story for yourself. Both wines are available in our tasting room and online.
