CHEVIOT's boutique winery was established in 2003 by passionate wine duo Elmari Swart and Jaap Scholten. We produce small quantities of excellent wine which reflects the nature and character of their source vineyards and express the differences apparent in vintages. Our winemaking philosophy has three guiding principles: Quality, Purity and Authenticity. 

The focus of CHEVIOT is Syrah and we strive to produce wines which express this regal variety at its best.  We source ripe fruit to give dense, flavourful wines with silky, opulent tannins which remain elegant and balanced. No effort is spared in the selection of grapes, vinification and maturation and our passion is to produce wines which we enjoy drinking. No recipes are followed and we use a combination of traditional and modern techniques.

Elmari Swart can trace her lifelong passion for fine wines back to her first glass of Veuve Clicquot at the age of 18. Living in Switzerland at the time, Elmari gained first-hand experience of the diverse European wine industry as well as its varied consumer market. She returned to South Africa to begin her studies and went on to complete a Masters Degree in Oenology.  

From an early age Elmari knew she would follow in footsteps of her ancestors’, the De Waal and Du Plessis families – French Huguenots who arrived at the Cape of Good Hope in 1688. These immigrants settled the secluded Franschhoek valley and their wine knowledge greatly improved the local grape cultivation. The De Waal family were winemakers in the northern Rhône valley, home to the famous Condrieu and Cornas vineyards. Today these vines still produce some of the world’s greatest Viognier and Shiraz wines respectively – both wines for which Elmari has a particular passion.  

In her wine career, Elmari combined professional knowledge with extensive local and international travel to culminate in winemaking ventures in France, Australia and South Africa. Following the publication of her articles in European wine magazines, she started writing on South African terroir. Elmari’s first book, The Essential Guide to South African Wines – Terroir and Travel, established her as one of the foremost English writers on the subject.  

  Jaap Scholten is an entrepreneur personified and divides his time between his IT business, winemaking and his photography studio. Specialising in the digital realm of photography, his published images are in high demand. Jaap prefers to express his work in landscape and detail photography.  

Sharing a boundless passion for fine wines, Jaap and Elmari completed several courses at the Cape Wine Academy and regularly attend international wine tastings. As qualified wine judges, they enjoy judging wines from a business perspective while keeping the consumer’s requirements close at hand.