Mother Sippy: Wine of the Tijger

Welcome to Mother Sippy, where we shine a light on the talented winemakers, brewers, distillers and mixologists that make sure the Mother City never goes thirsty! From new wine releases to taprooms pouring perfect pints, Mother Sippy is your guide to all that’s good and great in Cape Town’s world of drinks.

"If anybody orders Merlot, I'm leaving. I am not drinking any f***ing Merlot!".

While Miles may have famously ranted against the varietal in the 2004 movie ‘Sideways’ – causing a drop in sales across the United States – perhaps he’d change his tune if he found himself sipping a glass of the latest release from Durbanville wine estate De Grendel.

Draped across the western slopes of the Tygerberg Hills, De Grendel is one of Cape Town’s oldest family farms, owned by the Graaff family since 1891. For much of the 20th century, it focused on livestock and fruit, with the first vineyards not being planted until 1999. The modern cellar, completed in 2005, marked De Grendel’s shift into premium Cape winemaking.

Under cellar master Charles Hopkins, De Grendel has long made a convincing case for growing Merlot in a corner of the winelands more famous for Sauvignon Blanc (don’t forget, De Grendel’s Koetshuis Sauvignon Blanc is also superb). The release of the De Tijger Merlot 2022 marks a confident step forward for the cellar.

The De Tijger Merlot is not an experimental offering or a winemaker’s whim, but rather the culmination of two decades of work on the variety by a cellar team set on showing what Merlot can do in a cooler corner of Cape Town. Because while Merlot has long been criticised for being too jammy or too ‘green’ – Miles would no doubt agree – when grown with care in distinctly maritime terroir it shines.

And in De Tijger cellar master Charles Hopkins, who has shaped De Grendel’s winemaking since the cellar opened in 2005, and winemaker Morgan Steyn set out to bottle a Merlot with greater structure, depth and ageing potential than the already successful estate Merlot.

But first... what’s in a name? De Grendel sits on the Tygerberg, named by early Dutch settlers who saw the yellow patches of indigenous renosterveld for the markings of a ‘tiger’, having no word for the leopards who roamed here. Today, those same Renosterveld remnants are among the Cape’s most threatened habitats, and De Grendel’s role as a WWF Conservation Champion gives the wine an added sense of environmental continuity.

And De Tijger certainly offers a sense of place, with fruit picked from a single vineyard: the oldest Merlot block on the farm, where vineyard roots run deep into clay soils and fruit is cooled by Atlantic breezes.  

“That age delivers grapes of real intensity, and with our hands-off approach, the wine speaks of its place,” adds Steyn.

Without going into all the winemaking geekery, green harvesting and leaf-thinning resulted in a smaller harvest of better fruit. Meanwhile, in the cellar, the use of specialised tanks and techniques, along with a specific choice of barrel ageing, yields a wine that is concentrated and elegant, without excess.

“South Africa is still discovering its Merlot story,” says Hopkins. “We want De Grendel to be part of writing that narrative, showing that Merlot here can be as layered, structured, and rewarding as anywhere in the world.”

For wine enthusiasts who have always considered Merlot fruity and forgettable, or better in a blend, De Tijger might just change your perspective. It’s a beautifully elegant wine, with enough depth and structure to make it worth stashing a few bottles away in the cellar (or the back of the cupboard, whichever you have access to). It pairs wonderfully with any lamb dish, so perhaps save some for Easter 2026?

But you’d better act quickly. Only 4500 bottles of this maiden 2022 vintage have been released. It sells for R350 per bottle, which I think offers excellent value for a special occasion wine. Available from the farm, online, or select retailers. 

Wine Tasting

De Grendel offers wine tasting in the relaxed wine lounge or on the wide stoep, with glorious views across to Cape Town and Table Mountain. Tastings range from R140 to R275. Open daily.

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