Audacia Wines

Audacia Wines is a boutique 32-hectare wine estate situated in Stellenbosch’s prestigious ‘Golden Triangle’ at the foot of the Helderberg Mountain, perfectly positioned on the banks of the Bonte River between Stellenbosch and Somerset West. Founded in 1930 when Kosie Louw, heir to Neethlingshof, made the audacious decision to forsake his inheritance and purchase a piece of Annandale farm for his new bride, the estate has become synonymous with bold innovation. Now owned by the Strydom and Harris families since 1996 and 2002 respectively, Audacia has revolutionized winemaking as ‘The Red Wine Boutique Winery’ by becoming the world’s first producer of no sulphur added wines using indigenous South African Rooibos and Honeybush woods. This groundbreaking innovation, developed by Trevor Strydom and winemaker Michael van Niekerk in 2014, uses the antioxidant-rich woods of Aspalathus linearis (Rooibos) and Cyclopia genistoides (Honeybush) as natural preservatives, eliminating the need for sulphur dioxide. The patented process has been registered in 83 countries worldwide and enables the production of wines that retain fresh fruitiness and delicate flavours while avoiding sulphur-related allergens and irritations. The estate’s vineyards are exclusively planted to red grape varieties on soils ideally suited for premium reds, particularly Shiraz, with crop yields restricted to 7-8 tons per hectare through meticulous viticulture. The winemaking process involves small 7-ton stainless steel tanks, low sulphur-yielding yeasts, and maturation in French oak barrels for 12-18 months, followed by additional bottle aging for 12-24 months before release.