Druk-My-Niet About Us
This 24-hectare wine estate was once a part of a much bigger farm acquired in 1692 by the French Huguenot Francois du Toit. He was the first to discover the passage through the treacherous Drakenstein Mountains, which is why the pass is known today as Du Toitskloof Pass.
Several generations later, his son-in-law inherited this piece of the estate as a dowry. So dissatisfied was he at its diminutive size, wedged between two much bigger parts of land, that he dubbed it Druk-My-Niet, meaning ‘don’t squeeze me’.
The property changed hands several times over the centuries until German couple Dorothee and the late Georg Kirchner acquired it in 2002 with the intention of transforming the somewhat neglected farm into a producer of premium wines. They meticulously restored the houses and facilities to their former splendour and replanted part of the vineyards, which boast breathtaking mountain and valley vistas. Unfortunately, catastrophe struck in 2017 when a blazing veld fire destroyed a number of historic structures and a substantial portion of the vineyards. The pair, undeterred, opted to rebuild, investing in cutting-edge technology for the renovated cellar and planting new vineyards.
When wandering through the vineyards, especially after heavy rains, one is taken back in time as centuries-old porcelain shards are revealed. The indigenous garden plants attract a variety of birds and other forms of wildlife. You could spot a glimpse of a Cape Otter or a Sugarbird as they cool themselves in the mountain stream adjacent to the cellar. The majority of the day’s activities are powered by solar panels installed on top of the storage facilities.
