Welcome to the website of Cederberg Private Cellar. Here, on the farm Dwarsrivier, our winemaker David Nieuwoudt leads a ‘team with attitude’ to produce award-winning wines from our high-altitude vineyards. The secret behind our ‘wines with altitude’? A unique terroir and a pure, virus-free environment.
360-degree views, spectacular rock formations, crystal-clear rivers, a breathtaking night sky … visitors will find much to enjoy as they stay over at Sanddrif Holiday Resort, hike or cycle on the well-marked trails, or relax with a Boggom & Voertsek from the Cederberg Brewery.
Our commitment to responsible living is reflected in everything we do, from the way we manage our facilities to the audits we participate in and the special projects we support. We care about people and we care about the environment. But most of all, we care about how responsibly we, as people, interact with the pristine Cederberg Wilderness around us.
Latest News
Cederberg Wines’ Ghost Corner Wild Ferment best Sauvignon Blanc at Six Nations Challenge
On 10 October 2019 (today) – in Australia – the Ghost Corner Wild Ferment 2017 took the honours for Best Sauvignon Blanc at the Six Nations Wine Challenge 2019. In Sydney, Cederberg winemaker Alex Nel will be celebrating with wine celebrities from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the USA, South Africa, Chile and Argentina at Manjits at the Wharf in Lime […]
Read more…
Wine Ranges

Cederberg
The Cederberg range is Cederberg Private Cellar’s focus range. At present there are 66 ha under vine and the red to white wine ratio is 50:50. The following cultivars are cultivated on the farm: Sauvignon blanc, Chenin blanc, Bukettraube, Cabernet sauvignon and Shiraz, Chardonnay (for the MCC Blanc de Blancs Brut), Viognier (as a blending component) and Merlot (for the Merlot Shiraz blend). At 1 036 m above sea level the terrain is harsh, leading to small but high-yielding bunches with a lot of concentration. Soil types are diverse, from sandstone and decomposed gravel to red slate and clay. Thanks to extensive replanting, the isolated area and extreme winters, the vineyards are virus and disease free. Sustainable vineyard practices are used on the farm and irrigation water comes from mountain springs.
Five Generations
The Five Generations range is Cederberg Private Cellar’s flagship range. The Nieuwoudt family started farming on Dwarsrivier farm in 1893 and winemaker David Nieuwoudt is the fifth generation Nieuwoudt on the farm. The first wine-grape vineyards were planted in 1973 by David’s grandfather, Oom Pollie Nieuwoudt. Oom Pollie made the first Cederberg wine in 1977 and was known for his Cabernet Sauvignon. In 1997 David took over from his uncle, Flippie Nieuwoudt. The two flagship wines, the Five Generations Cabernet Sauvignon and the Five Generations Chenin Blanc, are made from single vineyards. The top barrels are selected and a limited quantity of each wine is released every year.
Cape Winemakers Guild
Cederberg Private Cellar’s winemaker, David Nieuwoudt, became a member of the Cape Winemakers Guild in November 2005. The Guild’s members include top winemakers in South Africa and membership is by invitation. David makes two wines in small quantities exclusively for the annual Guild auction: Ghost Corner Semillon and Teen Die Hoog Shiraz. Grapes for the Ghost Corner Semillon come from the Elim ward, an area known for its white wines, but the Semillon is only presented in exceptional years. Grapes for Teen Die Hoog Shiraz come from a vineyard situated on a red-slate hill more than 1 000 m above sea level on Dwarsrivier farm in the Cederberg. The farmworkers gave the wine its name to remind them of the toughest pick of the season, high up on the slope. Read more about the Cape Winemakers Guild at www.capewinemakersguild.com.
Ghost Corner
Winemaker David Nieuwoudt created the Ghost Corner brand in 2007, initially starting off with a Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc and adding three new wines in 2012: The Bowline, a Sauvignon blanc and Semillon blend; Ghost Corner Pinot Noir; and Wild Ferment Sauvignon Blanc, a Sauvignon blanc naturally fermented in older barrels. Every year David selects a small quantity of grapes from vineyards in the Elim ward near Cape Agulhas on the southernmost tip of Africa. Ghost Corner takes its name from this treacherous coastline where more than 130 ships have been shipwrecked through the ages. The deep lime-rich soil with plentiful slate and gravel deposits in Elim’s maritime climate gives rise to exceptional white wines.
Waitrose
Cederberg Private Cellar produces two wines for the Waitrose Foundation – Waitrose Sustainable Chenin Blanc and Waitrose Sustainable Shiraz. These wines are only sold in selected Waitrose stores in the UK and are made from vineyards farmed sustainably for the Foundation as a development and upliftment project on Dwarsrivier farm. Read more about the Cederberg Waitrose Foundation project at waitrosefoundation.org.za/wine
Longavi
The Longaví range is a collaboration between Chilean wine producer Julio Bouchon and Cederberg Private Cellar’s winemaker David Nieuwoudt. The idea to make wine together developed over several years as the two friends met at the annual London Wine Fair and tasted each other’s wines, vintage to vintage. Longaví means ‘snake’s head’ and is also the name of a volcanic mountain at the foot of the Andes Mountains that Julio finds particularly inspiring. The vineyards are situated in the Leyda Valley in Chile, a mere 8 km from the cool Pacific Ocean. The first wine, a Sauvignon Blanc, was produced in 2013 and was followed by a Pinot Noir. The Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 was released in 2016. All the wines are made in Chile. Read more about Longaví wines at www.longaviwines.com.Our Team
“Dis ’n cliché, maar harde werk en toewyding is op die ou einde die ding wat die wa deur die drif sleep. Moet nooit van die kleinste detail vergeet nie – dis wat saak maak.” –– David Nieuwoudt, wynmaker.
Read more about the Cederberg team …
Upon arrival in this remote area, first-time visitors often ask: Why here? Why wine? The answer is simple: we are blessed with an isolated, virus-free area, water from mountain springs, a unique cold climate without coastal influences and five generations’ understanding of the land.
Our wine portfolio consists of seven ranges – all of them except the Waitrose and Cape Winemakers Guild wines are available on the farm and from the online shop.
The Cederberg Brewery team, Alex Nel, David Nieuwoudt and Tammy Turck-Nel, set out with a simple goal: to create the beers they wanted to drink. Today Cederberg Brewery produces three handcrafted beers that promise to ‘take your taste buds on a roadtrip’: Boggom Blonde Ale, Voertsek India Pale Ale and Cederberg Original Lager.
Read more at www.cederbergbrewery.com
‘A river runs through it’, and it is the Matjies River, where you can pitch a tent on the river bank or rent a self-catering cottage. All the campsites at Sanddrif have electricity points, with hot water in the ablutions blocks. Your choices are endless: read a book, drink some local wine (or beer), listen to nature, do small walks, do big walks, swim, climb, cycle, bird-watch, find a rare fish species, imagine you saw a leopard, talk to family and friends, count the sand at the riverside …
Read more at www.sanddrif.com
