Warwick Estate

Based in Stellenbosch, Warwick Estate has a long history dating back to 1771. Originally a fruit farm, the property rose to fame after Stan and Norma Ratcliffe purchased the estate in 1964 and started making wine. Norma was one of the Cape’s first female winemakers. The family built a cellar and focused on Bordeaux-inspired blends, releasing their first wine in 1984. In 1986, Warwick released the first vintage of Trilogy – the estate’s flagship wine, and one that earned the property great recognition. In 2000, Mike Ratcliffe (Stan and Norma’s son) took over running the estate. 

Today, Trilogy remains the flagship, although shifted from being Cabernet Sauvignon-led to Cabernet Franc-dominant from the 2015 vintage. Beyond this standard-bearer, the property makes the Blue Lady Cabernet Sauvignon, White Lady Chardonnay and Professor Black (pure Sauvignon Blanc until 2017 when it became a Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon blend).   

The First Lady range (including both a Cabernet and Chardonnay) immortalises Norma Ratcliffe, who was the first woman to be invited to join the prestigious Cape Winemakers Guild and was awarded the 1659 Medal of Honour in 2015 for her impact and contribution to the South African wine industry. 

In 2018, Californian investment firm Eileses Capital acquired the estate, with Mike Ratcliffe focusing exclusively on his own project, Vilafonté. Christiana Von Arnim was installed as CEO and JD Pretorius took over the winemaking in 2019.