Stark-Condé Wines

The Decanter World Wine Awards is the largest and most influential wine competition in the industry. The rigorous blind judging process is conducted by global experts, and the results serve as a trusted benchmark of quality. The Decanter awards are uniquely valued as they are widely referenced by the international wine trade, as well as individual consumers.

At Stark-Condé, we craft 3 different Cabernets from vineyards located at differing altitudes on the estate. We’re delighted that Decanter gave all 3 of our Cabernets exceptional scores.

Knowing that our wines distinguish themselves in the  international arena makes us very proud, and further motivates us to keep striving to make the best wines that we possibly can.

Fantastic fungi 🍄‍🟫 We’re foraging for wild mushrooms on the property to add to our organic vineyard fertilizer.

This will increase the spore count in the soil, encouraging beneficial fungi in the vineyard.

The Organic Wine Trophy has been in existence but never awarded until this year, to our Round Mountain Sauvignon Blanc. 97 points and the Trophy for Best Sauvignon Blanc at the Investec Trophy Wine Show🏆 🏆

Best Organic Wine 🏆 Best Sauvignon Blanc 🏆 for Round Mountain Sauvignon Blanc 2023 at this year’s prestigious Trophy Wine Show in South Africa. This is only our second vintage as a fully certified organic producer. We’re pleased with how far we’ve come and how much the organic journey has revealed about nurturing vineyards for high quality, sustainable grape growing. Cheers!

Meet Andrew Klinck, our dedicated viticulturist who has been with Stark-Condé since 2001! Swipe to see the oldest photo we could find of him.

Andrew has been instrumental in our journey to organic farming and has lovingly tended to our young Chenin Blanc vineyard, featuring newly planted bush-vines on a picturesque terraced slope in Jonkershoek.

Thank you for sharing Ja Afrika Travel

Winter is a busy time of year in the barrel cellar at Stark-Condé.

As the weather cools down, Jaen’s main task will be to nurture the development of our Cabernets in the barrel cellar. Barrel treatment is similar for most of our wines; 30 - 50% new French oak, matured for 20 months before being fined and filtered without bottling.

This helps to highlight the unique qualities of each vineyard that goes into producing our various Cabernets, from the Estate blended Stellenbosch, to the high altitude, single vineyard Oude Nektar.

Stark-Condé Wines ∙ Harvest Report 2024

“For the first time in 15 years, we had a historically “average” winter rainfall (1200ml).
It’s difficult to predict what constitutes “average” with shifting global weather patterns.
In either case, it was nice to see dams overflowing and the groundwater reserves replenished.

Spring turned into Summer in a hurry, with strong Spring winds affecting yields. The dry, warm mid-summer meant that we had low disease pressure and we went into verasion with the vines in excellent condition. An early harvest start, coinciding with a heat wave, made us think that it would be a fast & furious harvest. We were pleasantly surprised that it turned out to be relatively relaxed with wide picking windows.
The white grapes came off in orderly fashion with even ripening and good yields. The white grapes showed excellent aromas and acidity. Chenin Blanc is a standout, particularly the young bushvines on the higher slopes.

The most exciting variety this vintage was the Cabernet Sauvignon. I’ve never seen such dark rich colour, and the TA and pH levels were ideal. Just as the summer heat came on, there was a very light sprinkling of rain which increased the window of opportunity for perfect phenolic ripening and fine tannin structure. I believe it may be one of the best Cabernet Sauvignon vintages we have had.”

– José Conde, cellarmaster

Cabernet Sauvignon is the backbone of what they do at Stark-Condé Wines.

Their Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon is hand-crafted with passion and precision, seamlessly blending a small portion of traditional Bordeaux varieties to add complexity to the wine.

A Triple Wine-Entrepreneur, José Condé Of Stark-Condé Wines, South Africa Like much in South Africa, the Stark-Conde winery is an amalgam of many different cultures and influences. In a stunningly beautiful location, they make outstanding wines.

Here’s to the unsung heroes of the vineyards 🍇

These delicate, curling tendrils serve a vital purpose in the vineyard, ensuring the vines find their path to optimal sunlight and nutrition.

Through their intricate dance, these tendrils connect the vine to its surroundings, absorbing the unique terroir that shapes the flavours and complexity of the grapes.

Sip, Savour, and Celebrate ✨🎉

Our tasting room will be open throughout the festive season. Join us seven days a week, from 9am to 4pm, as we continue to pour our passion into every glass. 🍇🥂

Please note that we'll be closed on December 25th, 2023, and January 1st, 2024, to enjoy the holiday festivities and spend time with loved ones.

Bookings for both the tasting room and Postcard Café highly recommended. See our bio link.

“The word “handcrafted” or handmade is a very wide concept. In the end it is nothing but hard work, with your hands, using decades of experience to create something simple. Striving for perfection.” -
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At Stark Condé, the word “handcrafted” is not just a marketing term; it embodies our approach to wine making.
We believe in the essence of hard work and the artistry of using hands to create something exquisite. Our commitment to creating something simple yet extraordinary is the cornerstone of our winemaking practices at Stark Condé.

Serious, Refined, Exceptional ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Monk Stone Chenin Blanc is the newest addition to our family of hand-crafted wines at Stark-Condé. This is a mineral style of Chenin Blanc based on a unique bush-vine vineyard on our Jonkershoek property. Over two vintages, the wine has racked up an award pedigree to be proud of:

⭐️ 2022: 5 stars
⭐️ 2022: 93 pts
⭐️ 2021: 96 pts
⭐️ 2021: 90 pts
⭐️ 2021: 5 stars
⭐️ 2021: 94 pts

Cabernet Sauvignon is the backbone of what we do at Stark-Condé Wines.

Our Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon is hand-crafted with passion and precision. We seamlessly blend a small portion of traditional Bordeaux varieties to add complexity to the wine.

Our 2023 Round Mountain Sauvignon Blanc has been deemed one of South Africa's Top 10 Sauvignon Blancs.

The wine is sourced from a single high elevation vineyard block, consistently producing fruit of exceptional quality that is rich in natural acidity. Its unique, concentrated flavour profile is heightened by its fermentation in aged, neutral French Oak barrels.



Picture credit Sauvignon Blanc South Africa

Tayla Kymdell is the Assistant Winemaker at Stark-Condé. Alongside winemaker Rüdger van Wyk, Tayla is involved with every aspect of winemaking.

She’s a valuable, level-headed team player – something she probably gets from her ongoing dedication to hockey, a sport which is her other great passion (besides rescue dogs) 🍷🐶🏑

“…flinty notes, fragrant, lemon drizzle cake, hint of yuzu, granite, spice…Wow.” 96 points Decanter, Stark-Condé Monk Stone Chenin Blanc 2021

It's now easier to contact Stark-Condé Wines.

The Monk Stone Chenin Blanc vineyard is situated on an extreme site — high altitude and on a very steep slope, with perfect aspect to the sun. In order to prevent soil erosion, deep terraces were dug on the hillside, creating a beautiful ripple pattern.

Why the name Monk Stone? The terraced vineyard with the single large boulder is visually reminiscent of a traditional Japanese rock garden, with intricately swept gravel that surrounds strategically placed stones. Buddhist monks tend to the gardens daily and hence the name Monk Stone.

Almost lost in the end-of-the-year/New Year chaos was a really fantastic write up on our Stark-Condé Three Pines Syrah 2016. This was already released (and sold out) three years ago, but it is always nice to be recognised and we strongly feel that the Three Pines Syrah is a bit of a sleeping giant — it really takes a couple of years to show its best!

We loaded a few bottles from the Library Collection to our online shop, which is available for delivery in South Africa.

Cabernet Sauvignon is our signature varietal. We have three distinct Cabernets, all of which are grown and hand-crafted in the Jonkershoek Valley.

The Stark-Condé tasting room will be open throughout the holidays, apart from December 25th and January 1st when we will be closed.

Postcard Café trading hours 🍴
24 December 09h-14h
25 December CLOSED
31 December 09h-14h
1 January CLOSED

Our hours are 9am to 4pm, and reservations are highly recommended during this period.

The Stark-Condé tasting room will be open throughout the holidays, apart from Dec. 25 and Jan. 1st when we will be closed.

Our hours are 9am to 4pm, and reservations are highly recommended during this period. See our bio link to book.

We use amphorae to add texture and richness to our white wines. This technique is far from new; the practice originated around 6000 years ago!

Even small components of amphora can add noticeable complexity to a blend.

Our kind of Black Friday ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

We were awarded not one, not two, but THREE 5-stars in this year’s Platter’s South African Wine Guide!

We are especially proud of the Monk Stone Chenin Blanc which, in its maiden vintage, stands confidently with our other award-winning Cabernets and white wines.

Field Blend Estate White 2021 – 5 stars
Monk Stone Chenin Blanc 2021 – 5 stars
Oude Nektar 2019 – 5 stars

If you’re in South Africa, all of these wines are available on our online shop

Take it day by day. Taste it wine by wine. We're open for wine tastings every day of the week.

Viticulturist, Andrew Klinck, has been at Stark-Condé since before 2001, but swipe to see the oldest picture that we could find!
Andrew spearheaded our conversion to organic farming, and has been taking special care of our young Chenin Blanc vineyard, with its newly planted bush-vines on a terraced slope.