The Story
The Hemel-en-Aarde Valley is arguably my favourite part of the Western Cape winelands. It is small, quiet and extraordinarily beautiful, framed by the Babilonstoring Mountains and the Kleinrivier Mountains. Cool Atlantic breezes filter through the valley, moderating the vineyards and creating exceptional conditions for Pinot Noir.
South African Pinot Noir can still be underestimated internationally, but the finest wines from Hemel-en-Aarde comfortably stand alongside some of the world’s best. I remember walking into the Vrede vineyard with Hannes Storm, listening as he explained every detail of the site with remarkable passion, knowledge and enthusiasm. That same intensity and sense of place comes through clearly in his wines.
The idea behind Velour was ambitious. It would take some persuasion to convince the producers of The Singles Club—three terroir-focused, single-vineyard estates, Restless River, Newton Johnson and Storm—to allow their wines to be blended not only across different wards of Hemel-en-Aarde, but with those of their peers.
One of the things that fascinates me most about South African winemakers is the camaraderie between them and their genuine care for the industry as a whole. With these three producers, there is a shared understanding that if Hemel-en-Aarde succeeds, they all succeed. That spirit of collaboration became an essential part of Velour.
The 2023 Collectible Vintage Velour Pinot Noir was finally created during a blending session on 7 September 2023, followed, appropriately, by a braai and a few of the valley’s finest bottles at Collectible Vintage HQ in Hemel-en-Aarde—the beautiful The Guardian Guest House.
There is also a very personal chapter to the story.
The first consumers ever to taste the inaugural release of Velour were our wedding guests on 25 May 2025.
For a wine born from a place, friendships and a shared love of Pinot Noir, it could hardly have had a more memorable first unveiling.
The Final Blend
Chemical Analysis
The day we blended it
Storm · Restless River · Newton Johnson
The Producers
Storm Wines · Hemel-en-Aarde
Hannes & Nathalia Storm
Storm Wines is the small, family-run project of Hannes and Nathalia Storm, dedicated to producing site-specific Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from South Africa’s Hemel-en-Aarde. Working as a husband-and-wife team, they have built the winery around carefully selected vineyards, meticulous farming and a belief that each wine should express the individual character of its origin with clarity and precision.
Hannes studied viticulture and oenology at Stellenbosch University before spending 12 vintages in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, including several years as winemaker at Hamilton Russell Vineyards. This experience gave him an intimate understanding of the region’s soils, climate and vineyard sites. After discovering two small parcels with exceptional potential, he established Storm Wines, producing the first vintage in 2012 and releasing the wines in 2014 following extended maturation in bottle.
Storm is the only producer to make individual Pinot Noirs from each of the Hemel-en-Aarde’s three recognised appellations. Vrede, from the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, is grown on low-vigour, clay-rich Bokkeveld shale; Ignis, from the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, comes from decomposed granite soils scattered with rounded stones; and Ridge, from the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, returns to stony Bokkeveld shale. These contrasting sites allow Hannes to explore the subtle differences in structure, fragrance, texture and energy that exist across the valley.
“Each wine should express the individual character of its origin with clarity and precision.”
Chardonnay has become an equally important part of the Storm portfolio, with Vrede and Ridge Chardonnay offering two distinct interpretations of the region. Throughout the range, production remains intentionally small. Careful viticulture, low yields and sensitive cellar work are used to preserve freshness and vineyard identity, while oak and winemaking technique are kept firmly in a supporting role.
The Storm wines are defined by restraint rather than power: fragrant, finely structured and shaped by natural freshness, with the depth and balance to develop beautifully in bottle. Through their patient, uncompromising approach, Hannes and Nathalia have created a collection that captures both the diversity of the Hemel-en-Aarde and their shared commitment to producing authentic wines of place.
Est. 2012 · 12 vintages Hemel-en-Aarde · All three appellations
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Restless River · Upper Hemel-en-Aarde
Craig & Anne Wessels
Restless River is the deeply personal project of Craig and Anne Wessels, created on their family farm in the cool, elevated reaches of the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. The couple purchased the property in 2004, initially seeking a quieter place to raise their family away from Cape Town. The former sheep farm happened to include mature Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards planted in 1998, among the oldest surviving examples of these varieties in the valley. What began with Craig experimenting in a converted garage gradually evolved into one of South Africa’s most distinctive and highly regarded wine estates.
Restless River remains genuinely family owned and operated. Craig, a self-taught winemaker, oversees the winemaking with an instinctive, detail-focused approach, while Anne manages the commercial and operational side of the estate. Together, they have built the property patiently and independently, placing long-term vineyard health, craftsmanship and authenticity ahead of rapid growth. Their philosophy is rooted in the belief that truly great wine is a generational endeavour, requiring time, commitment and respect for both the land and the people who farm it.
“Truly great wine is a generational endeavour, requiring time, commitment and respect for both the land and the people who farm it.”
The vineyards lie on ancient, granite-derived soils containing rocky clay, at an altitude and exposure that bring notably cool growing conditions. Slow, even ripening allows the grapes to develop flavour while retaining natural acidity and moderate alcohol. This environment has enabled Restless River to produce an unusual expression of the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley: wines defined not by overt richness, but by restraint, purity, structure and length.
Craig’s winemaking is deliberately patient and unobtrusive. Harvest dates are chosen with precision, extraction is gentle, and maturation takes place slowly, without allowing oak or cellar technique to overpower the vineyard. The estate concentrates primarily on Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon, produced as individual expressions of specific sites. These include Ava Marie Chardonnay, from the property’s oldest Chardonnay vineyard; Main Road & Dignity Cabernet Sauvignon, sourced from its historic Cabernet blocks; and Le Luc Pinot Noir, a refined single-vineyard expression from the estate’s oldest Pinot Noir parcel.
Restless River’s wines possess a quiet confidence that mirrors Craig and Anne themselves. Precise, finely textured and built to develop with time, they capture the cool climate and granite soils of their remarkable property while reflecting the patience, curiosity and determination of the family behind them.
Est. 2004 · Upper Hemel-en-Aarde · Self-taught · Vines planted 1998
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Newton Johnson · Upper Hemel-en-Aarde
Gordon & Bevan Newton Johnson
Newton Johnson is a family-owned estate situated high in the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley near Hermanus. The story began when Dave and Felicity Newton Johnson moved their family to the valley in 1995, inspired by the region’s cool climate and its potential for producing exceptional Pinot Noir. Today, the estate is guided by the next generation, with brothers Gordon and Bevan Newton Johnson continuing their parents’ pioneering vision.
Gordon leads the winemaking alongside his wife, Nadia, while Bevan oversees the commercial direction of the family business and represents the wines internationally. Gordon joined the family operation in the 1990s after initially studying economics, gradually developing his craft through practical experience and close observation. His approach is thoughtful and instinctive, seeking to produce transparent wines that communicate the character of their vineyards rather than the influence of cellar technique.
“Transparent wines that communicate the character of their vineyards rather than the influence of cellar technique.”
The estate’s vineyards lie approximately nine kilometres from the Atlantic Ocean, where elevated slopes are exposed to cooling maritime winds. Decomposed granite soils, often layered with clay and quartz, contribute structure, fragrance and a distinctive linear quality to the wines. Considerable attention is given to vineyard health, biodiversity and the planting of high-quality, virus-free vine material, reflecting the family’s long-term commitment to the land.
Newton Johnson is best known for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, varieties that have become synonymous with the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. The family produces wines ranging from accessible regional expressions to limited bottlings drawn from individual vineyard parcels. These smaller-production wines explore subtle differences in soil, aspect and elevation, revealing the estate’s varied expressions of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with remarkable clarity.
In the cellar, the approach is restrained and deliberately sensitive. Spontaneous fermentation, selective use of whole bunches, gentle extraction and carefully judged maturation in French oak are employed to preserve freshness and vineyard identity. The resulting wines are perfumed, finely textured and energetic, combining delicacy with the structure and depth required to develop beautifully in bottle.
Through Gordon’s intuitive winemaking and Bevan’s stewardship of the family business, Newton Johnson has played an important role in establishing the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley as one of South Africa’s most respected fine-wine regions. Their wines reflect both the distinctive landscape of the valley and the patience, curiosity and shared purpose of the family behind them.
Family estate since 1995 · 9km from the Atlantic · Granite, clay & quartz