Highgate Wine Estate

In 1996 the Kassier family purchased Highgate farm – what was then a small 1ha hydroponic vegetable farm in the misty hills of the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Midlands.

Initially, the farm served to supply local guesthouses, coffee shops, hotels, and markets with fresh produce. The business later grew to supply major supermarket chains throughout KZN. By growing all the vegetables on the farm itself, the concept of the Piggly Wiggly Farm Stall was born. Under the large tree at the entrance of Piggly Wiggly, with a few hay bales, offcut pine branches and a tin roof, the Farm Stall supplied local passers-by with fresh produce, home-baked bread, select goods, and craft dairy products.

Its beginnings were humble: no more than a tractor-drawn trailer packed daily with fresh produce sold meters away from the earthy source. The concept was modest and charming, naturally growing to the point of becoming a meeting and shopping destination for patrons from near and wide.

As the demand grew, so did the farm. Rudi and Cindy, the owners, used this opportunity to fuel their own passionate love of food to share more local produce with their community and visiting patrons. Piggly Wiggly has now become a household name locally and abroad.

Rudi has always been a romantic at heart, with a love for wine and the process of growing a crop by hand. Coincidentally, in 2004, Cedara College was doing trials on growing grapes in KZN and Rudi was approached by them to get involved. And so, the first block of vineyards were planted on Highgate Farm consisting of 26 different cultivars.

Today, more than a decade later, what started off as a passion project, has now blossomed into one of only three established wine estates in KZN – Highgate Wine Estate. Highgate boasts a five-hectare vineyard with a variety of Merlot, Chardonnay, Pinotage, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. The farm also produced the first certified KZN chardonnay in 2010. If you have a look to the right of the Highgate entrance, you can still find the original trial block of vines that was planted in 2004.

The Kassier family value the authentic process behind creating a bottle of wine, and so, they keep to the tradition of bottling and labelling by hand.

As demand and interest grew, the opportunity arose to build a tasting room for showcasing and presenting the premium wines crafted. The beautiful Highgate building as it now stands was built predominantly from demolished Victorian red brick heritage buildings around KZN. Pino from La Lampara and Rudi partnered together and worked on the design/build of Highgate, using local craftsmen to construct what you see today.

In 2016, the first commercially viable wines were produced totalling 1500 bottles. Highgate Wine Estate now produces on average 17 000 bottles per annum, and it is our goal to increase our vineyards over the next few years.