Packwood
パックウッド
A one-of-a-kind, isolated cool-climate estate on the Garden Route, where vines and a Jersey dairy herd share the same hillside.
About Packwood
Packwood is a small, family-run wine and country estate near Harkerville, tucked between Plettenberg Bay and Knysna on South Africa's Garden Route — one of the most isolated wine outposts in the country, with no neighbouring vineyards for miles around. English-born farmers Peter and Vicky Gent emigrated to South Africa in 1997 and first built a Jersey dairy herd on the farm before planting a small vineyard in 2006 on a gentle slope 330 metres above sea level, facing the sun and the sea. The cool, maritime mesoclimate suits Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, the latter also going into a traditional-method Cap Classique sparkling wine and a dry Blanc de Noir. Farming draws on five generations of agricultural knowledge and leans on rainwater harvesting, natural fertilisers and cover crops, run alongside the estate's pasture-fed dairy herd. Visitors can taste the wines, enjoy a farmhouse cheese lunch made from the farm's own milk, and stay overnight in the on-site Winemaker's Cottage.
Who Is This For?
For wine lovers curious about South Africa's lesser-known wine frontiers, and anyone drawn to small, sustainability-minded family estates with a story that goes beyond the glass.
Wines of Packwood
No cuvées registered yet.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Where exactly is Packwood located?
- Packwood sits near Harkerville on South Africa's Garden Route, roughly equidistant between Plettenberg Bay and Knysna — an isolated pocket of vineyard with no other wine estates nearby.
- What grapes does Packwood grow, and what wines do they make?
- The estate's small vineyard, planted in 2006 at 330 metres above sea level, is planted to Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir also goes into a traditional-method Cap Classique sparkling wine and a dry Blanc de Noir rosé.
- Is Packwood only a winery?
- No — Packwood is a working country estate that combines a boutique winery with a pasture-fed Jersey dairy, farmhouse cheese lunches, and self-catering accommodation in the on-site Winemaker's Cottage.