Many Cape wine cellars are housed in wonderful old buildings reflecting the Cape Dutch heritage of the land. However, when the Saronsberg cellar complex was designed and built in 2003, the decision was taken to create a structure that embodied a modern interpretation of the valley's rich past.
We have great respect for the cultural history of the area and wanted to express that in this, the heart of our production facility. Despite the contemporary design, the architecture incorporates classic Cape Dutch elements that speak of an era that pre-dates us, but still informs our future.
At the centre of the cellar complex is the avant-garde tasting room – an austere interior combining notions of space and light that plays home to the Saronsberg Collection, a permanent instalment of contemporary South African art that suggests an underlying respect for creative expression and unconventional thinking. The gallery includes works by notable local artists such as Paul du Toit, creator of a distinctive piece that hangs above the large tasting room fireplace and - in a smaller form - decorates the bottles of Saronsberg's "Provenance" range of wines.
To one side of the tasting room stands the winery's cutting-edge fermentation cellar, and to the other side one can peer into the traditional wood maturation cellar. Expansive glass panels afford a view of operations in both these areas.
Click here to read about our tasting room in PDF format.