Cape Moby Winery is recognized as a specialist in vinifying grapes from classic grape varieties. All fruit comes exclusively from the renowned Springfontein Wine Estate, located in the cool Walker Bay region of South Africa, where it is also immediately vinified and bottled. Both the vineyards and the cellar are managed strictly according to the principles of organic viticulture. This means that all Cape Moby wines are effectively organic, even though certification has not yet been pursued. The grapes are entirely hand-harvested and hand-sorted. A strict selection to ensure a narrow range of ripeness allows comparatively low alcohol levels without green or raisin-like notes. Fermentation of the must and macerated juice occurs without any added yeast, meaning it takes place entirely naturally, with a strict rejection of flavor enhancers. The limestone-rich terroir also allows for complete avoidance of acidification, making Cape Moby wines exceptionally gentle on the stomach. To preserve full aromatic richness and the unaltered, holistic fruit experience, no filtration is performed. As a result, Cape Moby’s bottlings reveal the true character of each grape variety and their blends. The extremely purist approach may initially surprise some, but it truly unlocks the authentic expression of what nature has to offer. Those who appreciate this style will find great enjoyment in Cape Moby wines.

Our wines hail from the path of Ahab at the Cape still full of Good Hope, where in rarest moments the Cachalot Whales feed in the Agulhas current, wine and whales are the stuff of legends. Like Ishmael, with sure hands and a clear vision, we bring you this bottled tale. It’s a saga of cold nights, of hot days, of driving winds and cool rain along the jagged coastline of Table Mountain Sandstone, softened granite and dunes of purest chalk and lime stone rocks.

Herman Melville’s novel Moby Dick (1851) is Ishmael’s narrative on the obsessive quest of captain Ahab, who tries to revenge the giant sperm whale Moby Dick that bit off his leg on the ship’s previous journey.

The novel tells the story of life and represents the lessons that life teaches every single one of us. It is story full of hopes, dreams, and fears. It is also a story of humbleness – last but not least as the opposite of haughtiness, egocentrism and egotism, despotism. A single person sees himself entitled to manipulate (or just use) other people to fulfil his individual demands without any respect for those others. And he feels he can trump nature and divinity – be it symbolised by the sea, be it symbolised by the whale.

The novel underlines that the key to happiness lies not within reaching your goals at any price, but rather can be represented as an act of balancing. Among others, it involves friendships, modesty and a close connection to nature.

The birth of Cape Moby Winery is a story worth mentioning for itself. It is a story full of friendship, mentorship, fatherhood, and emancipation. It is the story of Mariska and Johst …

[Mariska? ] –

Even though a mentor can never replace a father, the line between these two roles can become very thin. A mentor can easily become a father figure that has an equally significant and positive impact on a (younger) person’s life.

At Cape Moby Winery, we are not only living by the values that Ishmael has derived from his adventure. It is also our winemaking that is inspired by a spiritual connection to Moby Dick and his descendants. We are originated in Walker Bay, precisely where the Cachalot Whales birth their calves during South African spring.