Kronendal Boutique Winery

Kronendal Boutique Winery: Mirari by appointment in Durbanville

Kronendal Boutique Winery is a tiny, owner-run cellar at 14 Westerdale Road, Durbanville, 7550—on the outskirts of Cape Town’s northern wine hills rather than on a busy M13 tasting strip. Piet and Magdaleen Kroon farm roughly 2 hectares, of which about 0.6 ha is dryland vineyard, and bottle a single wine: Mirari. Official site: kronendalwine.co.za. GPS: 33°48.513 S 18°36.847 E. Cell: +27 82 499 0198 · info@kronendalwine.co.za.

This is not a walk-in restaurant-and-playground wine farm. It is a micro-producer stop for travellers who already know Durbanville’s larger cellars and want one focused, appointment-only tasting of a Rhône-meets-Iberia blend made with minimal intervention. Magdaleen’s homepage line captures the scale: the vineyard is small and the wine is limited, but heart and soul go into every bottle.

History of a 0.6-hectare vineyard

Soil tests in 2002 guided rootstock, cultivar and clone choices. Early in 2003 a giant ripper prepared the soil; vines went in on 26 July 2003: 1 100 Shiraz, 500 Mourvèdre, 100 Tempranillo and 100 Viognier—the ratio intended for the final blend, with staggered ripening to spread harvest work. First harvest was 2006; friends and family who arrived at short notice (with promises of beer and pizza) to help sort fruit into the small hours inspired the name Mirari—something to marvel at.

Magdaleen (botany background plus courses in wine and vineyard maintenance) takes care of vineyard work personally—spraying with a bright orange baby Kubota named Trompie, pruning with battery-operated shears, and the canopy tasks of shoot thinning, positioning and crop thinning. Every year the soil is mulched with straw to keep it healthy and cool. Piet, a mechanical engineer, mentors and partners in the practical cellar life of a two-hectare smallholding that, in Magdaleen’s words, is owned by a pack of dogs as much as by its humans.

The Atlantic Ocean is about 12 km away as the crow flies: relatively cool climate, but a north-east facing slope surrounded by hills that still deliver enough sunlight and heat for optimal ripening. Excellent water-retention soils support a proudly dryland vineyard—no irrigation narrative, just careful canopy and mulch management.

Signature wine: Mirari only

Kronendal makes one wine—Mirari, a blend of Shiraz, Mourvèdre, Viognier and Tempranillo. Harvest usually starts with Tempranillo in late February; early March brings a team of about seventeen ladies for Shiraz and Viognier at first light, with crates loaded onto Magdaleen’s old Landrover Saartjie so Dad can drive fruit up to the cellar to stay cool. The most time-consuming task is sorting: each bunch scrutinised, green, broken or overripe berries removed. Mourvèdre is harvested last; cultivars other than the co-picked Shiraz and Viognier are vinified separately.

Vinification is deliberately gentle and natural: wild yeast on the skins; hand punch-downs of the skin cap every four hours for about fourteen days; another two to three weeks on skins for tannin, mouthfeel and ageability; traditional wooden basket press (patience and stained hands, fewer harsh pip elements); minimal sulphur so the second fermentation can occur naturally in barrel. Ageing is about 24 months in a mix of new and older French oak from several coopers, then at least 12 months in bottle before release. Production is roughly 3 000–5 000 bottles a year depending on vintage. Apart from sulphur, the estate states no added acid, yeast, tannin or taste-altering additives—own grapes only, aiming for a true terroir reflection.

An online shop on the homepage sells the current release for visitors who cannot get to Westerdale Road immediately. A German agent (Kapvinum) is listed for export enquiries.

Visiting: appointment essential

The official site does not publish walk-in tasting-room hours or a priced flight menu. Directory sources (Wined, TheWinery) state that wine is sold at the cellar, prior arrangement is essential, and the cellar is closed Sundays. Wined lists Saturday 10:00–15:00 among trading hours but still advises phoning ahead. Treat Saturday hours as unverified until Magdaleen confirms by phone or email.

Some tertiary listings have at times flagged renovation or temporary closure. The live official site and online shop were reachable at research time (1 Oct 2026), so contact the estate rather than relying on older directory banners before you drive.

How to book a tasting or cellar sale: phone +27 82 499 0198 or email info@kronendalwine.co.za before you visit. Ask about tasting fee (if any), how many bottles are available to buy, whether other Durbanville boutique wines (historically offered alongside Mirari at tasting per Wined farm copy) are still poured, and parking or access notes for Westerdale Road.

Small intimate functions

Wined and related farm copy note that the cellar can host small, intimate functions. Capacity and catering details are not a full event brochure on the official homepage—enquire directly if you want a micro celebration, birthday pour or corporate tasting for a handful of guests rather than a large wedding venue.

How Kronendal fits a Durbanville day

Use Kronendal as a deliberate second or third stop after a walk-in cellar such as Diemersdal, Maastricht or Nitida: phone the day before, taste Mirari slowly on the stoep or in the cellar, buy a case if the vintage speaks to you, then continue. Do not arrive unannounced expecting restaurant hours, kids’ play areas or published picnic boxes—those are not the Kronendal product. Postal address for correspondence: PO Box 4433, Durbanville, 7551.

FAQ

Is there a restaurant? No restaurant or picnic programme is published on the official site.

Walk-in tasting? No—directories and TheWinery state appointment only; phone ahead.

What will I taste? Expect the current Mirari vintage as the centrepiece; confirm extras when you book.

Contact: info@kronendalwine.co.za · +27 82 499 0198 · https://kronendalwine.co.za/