The farm
A working farm first
Four things happen on this land, in their seasons: rooibos, vines, sheep and the long rotation that rests the soil between them.
Rooibos
Rooibos grows in the sandy soils of the Cederberg and Bokkeveld, and the Nel family have farmed it at Cloudskraal for generations. The bushes are cut by hand, chopped and left to ferment overnight, then turned on the tea court until they take on the deep red that gives the tea its name, and dried. It is slow, seasonal work in a landscape that rewards patience.
Vineyard
Cloudskraal is the only wine estate in the Nieuwoudtville Wine of Origin. At 820 metres above sea level, cool nights and warm days give the Sauvignon Blanc its crisp acidity and refined structure, while ancient dolerite, Tankwa shale and soft sandstone lend the soils a complexity you can taste in the glass. Chenin Blanc grows on Garsland beside the guesthouse.
Dohne Merino
The Dohne Merino flock grazes the veld between the lands, a dual-purpose breed raised for wool and meat that does well on the plateau's aromatic Karoo bushes. Sheep have been part of Cloudskraal for as long as the family has, and the winter lambing season still sets the rhythm of the farming year.
Rotation
Between rooibos plantings the lands rest under cover crops of oats and lupins. The rotation feeds the flock, fixes nitrogen and lets the thin soils recover before the next planting. The photographs show the planter at work in May 2021 and the land being prepared for the next rooibos planting in July 2026.
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