Waterkloof Wine Estate has welcomed a pint-sized new addition to its herd of four free-roaming Dexter cows that help to keep the grounds nicely trimmed.

Following the estates ethos of organic and sustainable farming, Bessie, along with her bovine pals, are also responsible for fertilising the 120 hectare estates soil with their manure, putting back all the natural organisms, bacteria and fungi needed to sustain the vines health.

Letting nothing go to waste, the estate supplements the manure with compost made from straw from the horse stables, grape skins and stems from the cellar, eggshells, scraps from the restaurant and weeds growing between the fynbos.

Another member of Waterkloofs team of eco activists is Lady G, a Percheron mare saddled with the task of ridging, tilling, ploughing and sowing the land in and around the vineyards. She effectively replaces the carbon footprint that wouldve been created by tractors and other heavy machinery, with a sprinkling of eco-friendly hoofprints.

Despite all of these initiatives, winemaker Werner Engelbrecht isnt boastful about the estates green credentials. Bio-dynamic will never appear on our wine labels as we don’t adhere to these practices to sell more wine, he says. We do it because it makes better wine. The quality and elegance of the product speaks for itself.