Stark-Condé

Characteristics

growing area

Jonkershoek Valley

philosophy

Class instead of quantity : Organic cultivation , hand picking, careful selection of the grapes by hand, manual pressing, fermentation in open tanks with natural yeasts , basket pressing and long maturation. With a limited production of nearly 10,000 cases, Stark-Condé remains committed to producing fine artisanal wines .

Cultivation Info

Size: 35 ha
Soils: Decomposed granite over clay ranging in texture from light gravel to quite rocky
Altitude: 150m - 600m above sea level NN
Annual precipitation: 1,200mm

Stark-Condé is a family-run winery that produces artisanal wines using tried and tested traditional methods. The total production amounts to about 10,000 cases, of which 80% are red wines. The vineyard not only offers ideal conditions for growing grapes, but is also visually spectacular and attracts visitors from afar. Jonkershoek Valley itself is a small district within Stellenbosch that has unique characteristics. Due to the altitude, a correspondingly wide range of fruit characteristics is made possible. It is an area with high winter rainfall, nearly double the Stellenbosch average. The Jonkershoek Valley is exposed to south-easterly winds in summer which helps reduce disease incidence and keeps yields down...

Careful viticulture, selective harvesting, sorting of the grapes by hand, fermentation in small quantities, patient aging in barrels - these are the guiding principles of the wines. The carefully crafted wines speak to the personality of a particular terroir.

Winemakers & team

Cellar master: José Conde
Winemaker: Rüdger van Wyk
Vineyard Manager: Andrew Klink

With the excellent winemaker Rüdger (Diner's Club: Best Young Winemaker's Award) and the more than 25 years of expertise of the vineyard manager Andrew, the team is constantly reaching new milestones: The winery also received the official organic certification in 2021.

Once around the world...

...the South African founding father Hans Schröder had to travel to find the love of his life , to Japan to be precise. During his studies he met and married his fellow student Midori. At the time, their marriage violated the apartheid regime's law prohibiting intermarriage , so the young couple settled in Japan. They stayed in Tokyo for the next 30 years, where they raised three daughters - Marie, Lisa and Miki. By the late 1980s, the end of apartheid was drawing near and Nelson Mandela 's release was imminent. Hans and Midori decided it was time to return to South Africa and be part of the positive change . They bought the farm Oude Nektar in 1989 and concentrated on growing grapes.

But that's not all of the multicultural influences! Eldest daughter Marie and her Cuban-American husband José Condé moved to South Africa to support the family. Together they founded Stark-Condé Wines in 1998.

The name of the winery reflects the diversity and cultural diversity of the family: "Stark" is that of Hans' mother, who originally settled in Stellenbosch and her
creative spirit is still an inspiration today. "Condé" refers to José's father, a Cuban émigré in the United States, whose hard work and self-reliance was and is a lesson for future generations.

The logo also shows the connection to the Japanese roots of the family:
The round motif with the vine was created in the style of a Japanese Hanko stamp , which is personally made in Asia and serves as a signature.
José still designs all labels and tags himself - because the co-owner and cellar master has a bachelor's degree in art and originally worked as a graphic designer !

Just do it : Jose first tried his hand at winemaking in 2000 and decided to experiment with his favorite grape, Cabernet Sauvignon. Made with simple means and traditional methods, the maiden vintage produced just 2400 bottles, but against all odds the wine won 5 stars in the Platters Wine Guide. That's called fate!

Impressions of the winery

  • A colorful family: Hans & Midori in the middle, Marie & José on the right and winegrower Rüdger with vineyard manager Andrew on the right.

  • A homage to Japan: the logo of the winery in Hanko stamp style.

  • This winemaker clears up: Rüdger has already won numerous titles and prizes!

Stark Conde wines

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