ABOUT MANLEY WINE ESTATE

Manley Wine Estate is situated in Tulbagh, Western Cape, South Africa, and comes from a long history of wine production with a unique terroir that yields grapes of exceptional quality that produce the best-tasting award-winning wines that we are known for. Our winemaker, Joshua van Blommestein, has received many years of training and experience at Saronsberg Cellar before joining our team. Manley Private Cellar has become renowned for its multi-award-winning wines that were as well exported to the UK and other European markets.

TERRIOR

The terroir of the Tulbagh Valley is very unique and, as known, terroir is narrowed down as far as to a block of vines. The climate in this valley is classified as a midlatitude desert climate, which is a huge factor in the ripening of the grapes that come forth at Manley Wine Estate. Phenolic ripeness here is enhanced.  The soil at Manley is shale/schist-based Swartland soil. It takes up the heat during the day and releases it during the night, giving the grapes a beautiful equal ripening.  The three red varieties at Manley, namely Pinotage, Shiraz, and Cabernet Sauvignon, all fit into this terroir as these cultivars flourish under such circumstances. Our wines are very terroir-driven, while at the same time, it is our focus to allow the grapes to showcase the unique characteristics of the terroir.

THEIR STORY AND FARM HISTORY

The estate was established by David Manley Jordan, who had not only farmed in the Free State but also spent fifteen years on a sailing yacht. He then decided, with his wife Esther, to settle in Tulbagh, where they purchased the estate in June 1996 and farmed with dairy cows, sheep, and later a few horses, while Esther ran a small guest house.  Within a few years, they had upgraded the guest house facilities, built a dam, and started  planting vines. The first two crops were harvested and sold to three private cellars, after which David decided to make his own wine.

The existing dairy and stables were converted into a barrel maturation cellar and a fermentation room was later added. Parts of Manley Wine Estate date back to the 1860s.  The main thatched Manor House, unlike most of the buildings in Tulbagh, does not follow  the classic Cape Dutch design but rather reflects the French Huguenot homes of the late nineteenth century.

Today, Manley Private Cellar is a registered, multi-award-winning wine estate. Most of the output is sold overseas, shipping largely to the UK and also many other European countries.

In August 2020 Manley Wine Estate and Private Cellar were acquired by Markus Ehehalt, a German engineer with great enthusiasm for wine and a love for the Tulbagh area. Markus received formal wine education in Germany to dive deeper into the sophisticated world of wine production. His vision is to re-establish Manley Wine Estate into a prestigious South African boutique winery and guest farm, a small haven in the countryside of Tulbagh.