Bringing people together

“The story of Schaap Wines is a story of turning a dream into reality. It was on my first holiday to South Africa in 2005 that I fell in love with the Cape and the Stellenbosch region. The natural surroundings, the Mediterranean climate, the people, the lifestyle, and the historic Dutch culture, I fell in love with it all. It felt like home away from home. South Africa became my second home that Autumn. And standing at that turning point in my life, a new dream and ambition was born.

A new life phase and a new professional dream. From banker to winemaker, time to enjoy life, family, friends and South Africa! And so Schaap Wines was born, personally owned and managed by my family and fondly known to friends as Skaap Wines (for those of you that don’t know, Schaap/Skaap means sheep in Dutch/Afrikaans).

At Skaap we aim to make high quality, accessible wines. Personal care and attention is given to every aspect of winemaking; letting nature take its course, making our wines as naturally as possible. Vibrant, elegant, and expressive, produced in limited quantities; wines sure to give enjoyment.

Wines that make a difference. Wines that give back to the local community and to nature. After a visit to a children’s soup kitchen I knew I wanted to help the people I met and we set up Children’s Foodure, a charitable foundation which feeds, clothes and educates kids in our local village. We designed our labels to showcase the work of underprivileged local artists who receive income and exposure for their work. And as keen members of the WWF Biodiversity in Wine Initiative (BWI) we follow sustainable farming practices.

Above all we hope that our wines will help bring people together.

“Proost!”

Thierry Schaap