Louiesenhof Wines
Wines produced in Harmony with Nature
About Louiesenhof
Louiesenhof welcomes visitors to the heart of the Winelands where you can enjoy and taste our wines in our beautiful tasting area and wide patio that allows you to take in and absorb the panoramic mountain views in a relaxed comfortable and pleasant garden setting. During the end of year season enjoyable light lunches are served to allow visitors to linger a while and really have a chance to savour some of the best wines, views and atmosphere the Western Cape has to offer.
Our guesthouse is ideal for families or a group of friends, offering luxury accommodation with a bathroom leading to a walk-in jacuzzi set in a balau deck, see Louiesenhof Guesthouse.
In producing his wines, owner and winemaker Stefan Smit’s aim is to work ‘in harmony with nature, with as little tampering as possible’. This is made possible by the varied terroirs here, which allow him to cultivate the most suitable cultivars and to implement sustainable cultivation practices.
Stefan also produces a very unique style of port – Perroquet Cape Tawny as well as a connoisseur’s sipping brandy after acquiring a beautiful historic distilling kettle.
Tapas
A new addition to the Louiesenhof offerings, is our new tapas menu available from November. Served on our patio overlooking the Simonsberg mountains and our gardens. Come and enjoy our tapas platters paired with a selection of our wines, a perfect way to taste our wines and enjoy the Stellenbosch summer.
Please contact us on +27 (0) 21 865 2632 or info@louiesenhof.co.za for group bookings.
Interesting Facts about Louiesenhof shared by the Owner
Louiesenhof was part of the farm Koopmanskloof which belonged to my father W S Smit (senior). The deed to the farm Koopmanskloof was issued in 1701. The Cape Dutch Homestead on Koopmanskloof was built in 1801.
My great grandfather bought Koopmanskloof in 1896. He farmed with wheat, cattle and grapes. Records in an inventory of around 1860 indicate that Koopmanskloof also distilled brandy in those early days, making it one of the very early Cape distilleries. My father started farming on Koopmanskloof in 1948 and increased the farm acreage to 640 hectares under vines. This made it the biggest wine producing estate in South-Africa.
In 1993, I purchased the portion of Koopmanskloof now called Louiesenhof from my father. We then formed a trust involving Watergang Farm, Louiesenhof Small Holding and the Watergang Cellar. After purchasing Louiesenhof I immediately started with a soil analysis of the farm to be able to replant the slopes bordering the Papegaaiberg and running over to Devon Valley, with top quality cultivars in the most ideal soil types.
The original cellar on the farm is rented out and therefore I installed another smaller cellar, especially for the production of quality Louiesenhof wines. Louiesenhof bottled wines were launched on the South African market in August 1996. We are a member of the Stellenbosch Wine Route, the South African Brandy Route and also the South African Exporters Association.
