April 17, 2026
Frost candles staged at the bottom of the slope, just in case. Bud break on the Chenin Blanc is right on time. Hot dry Mediterranean, dryland bush-vine country.
2026 Vintage
Swartland Rhône White Blend
Swartland, South Africa
Varietals
Chenin Blanc · Grenache Blanc · Viognier
Winemaker
Revealed on enrollment
Enrollment
70 of 180 spots filled
About this Crew
Revealed on enrollment
Winemaker
Made on a small Swartland estate — Chenin Blanc on decomposed granite, shale, and ironstone (koffieklip). Anonymous by design: the trade name is revealed on commitment, after the samples and the data have done the talking.
The history.
Riebeek-Kasteel, Swartland was a farming town long before it was a wine name. The family sold fruit to bigger houses for years before keeping it back and bottling under our own label.
What this vintage is showing so far.
“No big gaps between the early and late rows. Flowering went past without drama. The vines look after themselves on decomposed granite, shale, and ironstone (koffieklip).”
— the winemaker, updated this month
Philosophy.
Whole bunches when the stems are ripe, destemmed when they're not. Native ferment, long and slow. hot dry mediterranean, dryland bush-vine country does most of the shaping — restraint does the rest.
The year ahead
Every shipment, every sample, every pick.
Real dates as they're known. Updated as the vintage progresses.
November 2026
Flowering update
Fruit set, first yield estimate.
January 2027
Verijuice ships
Pressed from green fruit, shipped to every member.
March 2027
Pick expected
Livestream from dawn. Date confirmed 48 hours ahead.
May 2027
Post-ferment sample
Your wine at its youngest, weeks after pressing.
August 2027
First barrel sample
A pull from the vessel where your wine lives.
November 2027
Blend trial
Vote on the final cuvée with the Crew.
February 2028
Bottling
Livestream from the bottling line.
April 2028
Wine arrives
Your bottles, allocated pro-rata to your vines.
November 2026
Flowering update
Fruit set, first yield estimate.
January 2027
Verijuice ships
Pressed from green fruit, shipped to every member.
March 2027
Pick expected
Livestream from dawn. Date confirmed 48 hours ahead.
May 2027
Post-ferment sample
Your wine at its youngest, weeks after pressing.
August 2027
First barrel sample
A pull from the vessel where your wine lives.
November 2027
Blend trial
Vote on the final cuvée with the Crew.
February 2028
Bottling
Livestream from the bottling line.
April 2028
Wine arrives
Your bottles, allocated pro-rata to your vines.
Meet the current Crew
21
members
17
cities
4
countries represented
12 yrs
average tenure in wine
No individual profiles — privacy matters inside the Crew. You'll meet each other once you're in.
How it's priced
By the vine.
The winemaker sets the price per vine. Buy as few as 5 — choose how many in the next step. Your bottles are allocated pro-rata to your vines.
Swartland Rhône White Blend
Priced by the vine · 5-vine minimum
$56 / vine
From $280 · 5 vines · USD
- A share of the lot, by the vine (5-vine minimum)
- Samples across the season: verijuice, post-ferment, barrel, finished wine
- A vote at every fork — pick date, oak, where the blend lands
- Your bottles at release, allocated pro-rata to your vines
- Livestream access to every moment
110 vines left
Pickup or ship
How your wine reaches you.
Swing by the tasting room when the next shipment is ready. Free. For everyone else, ship is the default and equally smooth.
Ship to my address
Standard carrier, adult signature required. Flat fee per shipment. You can switch the destination per shipment at any time.
Ships to: US
Choose at signup. Switch per shipment anytime.
Recent updates
From the rows.
April 1, 2026
No joke: the first shoots are up. We walked the property and flagged the gaps to replant — decomposed granite, shale, and ironstone (koffieklip) here doesn't forgive a lazy season.
March 20, 2026
Crew chat went live this week. Already a debate about pick date versus hang time — exactly the argument I want you in on.
Join this Crew.
One year of your life, inside one vineyard's year. You'll follow the winemaker from bud break to bottle.