On the stoep of the farm cottage in Oude Denneboom's game reserve, it's easy to believe there is no civilisation for hundreds of kilometres. On the grassy slope in front of you, springbok and bontebok share grazing, while to the left a pair of blue wildebeest stand motionless. Minutes later, zebra enter the scene, while a magnificent eland takes centre stage. Only the grysbok and steenbok remain hidden from view.
This game reserve is set on a farm, where vines and citrus orchards provide the income: satsumas and clementines have been harvested for export, and olive trees have yielded their fruit for oil. The boutique winery that Niel de Waal established six years ago is presided over by Hannes Aucamp, an innovative perfectionist who doubles as viticulturist and winemaker.
It's a source of amazement that this rural enclave of Voor Paardeberg, a ward in the wine region of Paarl, managed to stay relatively unknown until recently: only a few in the industry were aware that wine grapes of exceptional quality were grown there, and profited by trucking them into their own areas - often without crediting the source on the labels of their wines.
This is all changing as Voor Paardeberg is now recognised as a vinous star in its own right, and new varieties are being added to the cab, shiraz, chenin, merlot and pinotage for which it is noted. Tourists are discovering the laidback charms of the ward and its wines, which are available for tasting at the David Frost estate centre.
The enclave has long been De Waal territory, with Scali, the home farm, settled by Niel de Waal's great-grandfather. His father bought Oude Denneboom in 1940, and Niel, a 12th generation South African, took over from his brother with the naive hope that wine farming would be very profitable.
Having always found visits to game reserves the answer to dealing with stress, he enclosed 60ha to form a private reserve and stocked it with antelope, zebra and wildebeest.
Oude Denneboom is also home to nine families, who work vines and orchards, with the Geduld and September families going back seven generations.
Rentia and Niel de Waal recently restored the original farmstead, a neglected cottage in the middle of the reserve, making an ideal rural retreat.
The two-bedroom, self-catering cottage is rustic and welcoming, with all mod cons. The wide hearth calls for a log fire, the braai facilities for al fresco fare, but best is the peace, interrupted only by bird chatter.
This is where I tasted the quartet of wines that make up the tiny output of Oude Denneboom's 500 cases. I liked the 2008 sauvignon blanc (R45), and was intrigued by Aucamp's exciting white blend: 50 percent wooded viognier with 35 percent chenin and 15 percent chardonnay go into the '08 Steenbok.
There's a good balance between fruit and acid, a long aftertaste, and I think this is a white that could improve with squirrelling away.
Eland is the name of the 2007 red blend, where about 60 percent shiraz shares space with mourvedre and grenache noir in an impressive début, backed by quality shiraz which has already proved its worth in earlier vintages: the 2006 shiraz - voted best single vineyard shiraz in the Paarl Vintners' challenge - is elegant and silky, with mineral and bluegum notes. It costs R90.
Organic olive oil from mature trees, selling at R50 for 500ml, should be available from this month.
While the solitary Paardeberg mountain is a feature of the Oude Denneboom landscape, the better known Perdeberg winery is just a few kilometres west. Here there's a large cellar, home to 40 wine grape growers, renowned for its delicious budget priced chenins.
The producers have embarked on an online marketing programme, which has made its zebra icon familiar to a new generation of consumers. Now Perdeberg has gone upmarket with a range dubbed Rex Equus, a superior limited edition, each classy black bottle numbered, identified by gold labels and the zebra logo.
While the sauvignon blanc is enjoyable, the chenin is outstanding. The cab, pinotage and shiraz are quality reds, but I thought the pricing - whites at R180 and reds at R240 - are steep for today's recessionary times. But perhaps I am wrong - much of the range has been lauded at the 2009 Decanter World Wine Awards, which gave Rex Equus nine medals and the trophy for best South African red Rhône varietal to the 2007 shiraz.