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Alto Wine Estate

Our History

Alto Wine Estate has built a proud legacy as one of South Africa’s great red wine estates.

For over a century we have been dedicated to crafting wines that reflect our exceptional terroir.

Throughout our history, we have only had 5 winemakers with two being father and son combinations. Each generation has continued to build on our foundation rooted in heritage, tradition, family and terroir.

MANIE MALAN

Manie Malan was known as the visionary and very first winemaker at Alto from 1920 to 1959. He helped his father, Hennie Malan, clear the estate to establish the first vineyards.

He studied winemaking under the legendary Prof Isak Perold, who tasted the very first vintage made on Alto, which was produced in 1922 and bottled in 1924. He was so impressed with the wine that his evaluation resulted in a consignment of this wine going to London. The success of Manie’s red blend in the British market led to the wine being released in South Africa in 1933.

This very red blend became the prototype for the much-loved
iconic Alto Rouge. Manie Malan was also responsible for planting the very first Cabernet Sauvignon grapes on our estate. Today, Cabernet Sauvignon is our most celebrated variety and features in all of our noble red blends.

PIET DU TOIT

Piet du Toit, also known as Oom Piet, was a fourth-generation winemaker who came to Alto as a manager and winemaker in 1959 to 1983.

He was a meticulous and very thorough man known for his perfectionism. He called on the academic expertise of Prof CJ Theron, who analysed our terroir and confirmed that Manie Malan had maximised the potential of the farm by planting red cultivars only.

He drew inspiration from the terroir and during his time at Alto, he continued to craft the highly successful Alto Rouge but was also responsible for introducing our very first single varietal of Cabernet
Sauvignon in 1965, the addition of this wine added a new level of excellence to our estate and is our most accoladed wine today.

HEMPIES DU TOIT

Renowned as both one of South Africa’s finest Springbok rugby players and one of the country’s most respected winemaking figures, Hempies du Toit is deeply rooted in the history of Alto.

Having grown up on Alto Wine Estate, Hempies took over the role of winemaker from his father in 1983 and continued to guide Alto’s cellar until 2001. Farming has always been in his blood, and his passion for the land and vineyards has shaped his lifelong dedication to winemaking.

During his time at Alto, Hempies had many successes. Among the most notable was the prestigious “Grand Prix d’Honneur” awarded at Vinexpo in 1993, where the 1984 vintage of Alto Cabernet Sauvignon became the only South African wine to receive this honour. In 1995 this was followed by a gold medal for the 1987 vintage. Together with his father, Hempies also played a pivotal role in shaping the distinctive style of Alto Rouge, our iconic red blend.

Hempies firmly believes that great wine is born in the vineyard. Through his commitment to nurturing high-quality fruit, he built a reputation for crafting powerful, full-flavoured wines with structure, elegance and the ability to age with distinction, all of which remain hallmarks of Alto wines.

SCHALK VAN DER WESTHUIZEN

Schalk van der Westhuizen was the winemaker at Alto from 2001 to 2015. Shortly after his arrival at Alto, Schalk went to work with planting new vines and weeding out the old ones.

During his time on our estate, Schalk produced many exceptional wines, with the main one being our limited release M.P.H.S. which was created to pay tribute to the previous winemakers who have helped pave the way to our success. The M.P.H.S. still exists today and is a true reflection of Our terroir as well as the Alto tradition.

Schalk brought his deep and seasoned understanding of winemaking to our estate. He always paid tribute to our terroir and believed that the best compost for the vineyards is the winemakers’ footprints.