Arendsig Handcrafted Wines

Arendsig Handcrafted Single Vineyard Wines: Bonnievale foothills on the R317

Arendsig (“eagle’s view”) is a fifth-generation van der Westhuizen family farm on the R317 Stormsvlei road between Robertson and Bonnievale, in the Southern Bonnievale appellation of the Robertson Wine Valley. Official visit line: R317, between Robertson and Bonnievale, 6705. GPS published on the contact page: 33°55′39.2″S 20°00′49.3″E. You are roughly 78 km from the nearest coastline, with Bokkeveld-group rocky, mineral-rich soils, east–west–south–north slope aspects, ~240 mm average annual rainfall (semi-arid), and large diurnal swings in the growing season—classic Breede River foothill viticulture under the Langeberg / Wakkerstroom backdrop.

This is not Ashton R60 country and not a walk-in cellar door on Bonnievale Main Road. Footer and contact copy state clearly: TASTING BY APPOINTMENT.

Lourens van der Westhuizen & the single-vineyard idea

Proprietor-winemaker Lourens van der Westhuizen grew up on the farm, studied agriculture via Cape Peninsula University of Technology / Elsenburg, worked harvests at Glen Carlou, Copain (Santa Rosa, California), and Beaune, then returned in 2003 as the first generation to make wine on the property. In 2004 his father Frikkie allowed small parcels from old Shiraz and Chardonnay plus virgin rocky slopes for a dedicated single-vineyard project. The house philosophy—quoted on the official site—is to craft great single-vineyard wines from unique soil, climate and location, with minimal intervention: natural yeasts, no enzymes, maturation in neutral vessels so block character leads.

Online shop examples (retail bottle prices, not tasting fees) on the wines page at research time included lines such as Sauvignon Blanc Blok A10, Colombar 1987, Chardonnay / Chenin / Viognier / Grenache / Shiraz / Pinotage / Merlot / Cabernet blocks—stock and vintages rotate; ask what is open for your appointment.

Visitor rule: book before you go

Official contact:

• General / info: info@arendsig.co.za · +27 23 616 2835
• Winemaker A/H: Lourens +27 84 200 2163 · lourens@arendsig.co.za
• Events & accommodation: Lizelle van der Westhuizen +27 76 853 0605 · lizelle@arendsig.co.za

Tertiary portals sometimes print weekday 09:00–17:00 windows; the official emphasis remains appointment tasting. Prefer Lourens/Lizelle booking over any walk-in assumption. A named tasting rand fee was thin / unpublished on official HTML fetched 2026-10-01—enquire when you book. Cheese platter on the old-cellar verandah is offered as a pre-booked add-on in accommodation/experience copy.

Stay: four Breede River cottages + The Exchange

Official accommodation page lists four self-catering cottages between Single Vineyard Chardonnay and Cabernet vineyards, about 100 m from the Breede River, marketed as ~155 km from Cape Town:

• Visarend — sleeps 4; wood-fired hot tub; indoor/outdoor fireplace
• Kalksteen — sleeps 4; Chardonnay outlook; hot tub
• Skalieklip — sleeps 4; Langeberg views; hot tub / fire pit
• Die Breede — sleeps 4; river/mountain views; wheelchair-accessible and pet-friendly noted

The Exchange is a shared social kitchen / boma / play area for cottage guests. Activities described on-farm: ~5 km walking trails, MTB across neighbouring farms, fishing/swimming in the Breede (own risk), canoeing, tennis by advance book, birding (fish eagles name the farm). Picnic baskets, braai meat, and prepared meals are available by advance book—not a standing public restaurant.

Groups & bespoke days

Official experience copy (quote-based, not a published price list):

• Lazy River Days — exclusive group river day with meat, sides, ice, wine, wood
• Arendsig on Fire — tasting + slow roast by the river; minimum 12
• Winemakers Dinner — 3-course paired in the old cellar; minimum 20; dated or custom
• Functions / weddings / celebrations — venues include Lounge, Clay Cellar, river banks, The Exchange; scale described up to roughly 40 in experience inventory notes

Always get a written quote; do not invent package prices here.

Directions (official)

From Cape Town: through Robertson, third circle exit toward Bonnievale (R317), continue past Van Loveren and De Wetshof, then right on R317 toward Stormsvlei, over the red bridge / Breede River ~6 km; Arendsig on the left.

Social & booking links

Official site footer links Facebook (Arendsig Handcrafted Wines page). A single YouTube watch URL appears in site markup—that is not treated as a channel URL here. Instagram was not confirmed in the official HTML scrape on research day despite tertiary mentions—left unset rather than invented.

FAQ

Can I walk in for tasting?

Official line is tasting by appointment. Call or email first.

Is Arendsig in Robertson town?

It is on the R317 between Robertson and Bonnievale (Bonnievale southern appellation / Stormsvlei). Plan drive time from either town.

Is there a restaurant?

No public restaurant. Self-cater cottages; pre-book platters, picnics, Lazy River / On Fire / Winemakers Dinner products.

Who do I contact for cottages vs tasting?

Lizelle for events & accommodation; Lourens for winemaker tasting; shared landline +27 23 616 2835 and info@arendsig.co.za.