Cape Overberg Region: The Giant Periwinkle

What:
Visiting Giant Periwinkle is always a pleasant experience for me. It is not often that you come across a wine farm where you have the whole place to yourself.
The farm is off the beaten track and hosts wine tastings in a stylishly restored barn. Guests sit at a beautiful, long table, with a fireplace for winter.
There is nothing ordinary about a visit to this unique location, where you instantly feel relaxed and taken care of.
Where:

The Giant Periwinkle was first established in rented spaces by winemaker Pierre Rabie. It can now be found at South Cape Vineyards, a small farm near Baardskeerdersbos in the Overberg.
Together with his friends and partners, Karen van Helden and Robert Stelzner, The Giant Periwinkle has turned into a boutique winery.
The Giant Periwinkle – Boutique Winery
The Cape Agulhas region’s cool climate causes the grapes to ripen more slowly. This results in lower natural sugars and higher acidity, giving the wines a crisp, fresh taste.
These weather conditions are particularly favourable for growing grapes, such as Sauvignon Blanc. The results are wines with tropical and herbaceous flavours.
The Giant Periwinkle Wines
Giant Periwinkle’s flagship wine is the Blanc Fumé. It is a lightly wooded, 100% barrel-fermented Sauvignon Blanc. For their 2019 vintage, they received a top 10 best wooded Sauvignon Blanc award.
Many of their wines are named using alternative names for the ‘Baardskeerder,’ after which the village is named.

Their wines include:
- Sun Spider Pinotage;
- Wind Scorpion Sauvignon Blanc;
- Kelp Forest Syrah;
- The Bard (a dry white blend of Semillon, Nouvelle, Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc);
- and a red Rhône blend called Baardbek.
The owners and winemaker often host the wine tastings on weekends. During the week (or when the owners aren’t available), a local Baardskeerdersbos resident hosts the tastings.
Website:
Contact:
For an appointment to visit The Giant Periwinkle, phone De Wet Groenewald on +27 (082) 465 8350.
Book a Gansbaai Wine Tour
The Giant Periwinkle can also be experienced with a Gansbaai Wine Tour of the Cape Agulhas Wine Route.