Our Story
The making of a legend
A cannon on a hill, a family with deep roots, and a century of red wine excellence.
Our Story
A cannon on a hill, a family with deep roots, and a century of red wine excellence.
Chapter One
Five custodians of the cellar since 1973 — from Jan Boland Coetzee to Francois and Dirk van Zyl.
Chapter Two
Paul Sauer, four generations of lineage, the Krige brothers — and the next generation.
Chapter Three
Viticulture, open fermenters, and certified sustainable production.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, a cannon on a kopje (hillock) of the Simonsberg was fired whenever a trading ship rounded the Cape of Good Hope. The boom rolled down the valleys, telling farmers it was time to load their wagons and set off to barter produce in Table Bay. That hill gave our farm its name — and our wines their voice.
Timeline
Four generations on the same granite slopes. Move along the years, or open any moment to read more.
The Legends
Our terroir was shaped not only by soil and climate, but by the people who pruned, picked and pressed here for a lifetime.
The People of Kanonkop
“The farm was always, and still is, a place where a worker gets the sense that they are looked after.”
Cellar legend Frikkie Elias started here on 1 January 1971 and mentored two generations of winemakers. He retired in 2016 and has still not missed a harvest — he comes back when he hears the machines running. “You can have all the fancy tools you want,” he says of the open concrete fermenters, “but these are where the real wine is made.”
Farm foreman Jan Hendriks has given the vineyards nearly four decades. Profit-sharing reaches every member of the team — a philosophy as old as the houses, community hall and sports teams Jan Boland drove for in the 1970s.
Meet Kanonkop in pictures