Located on the historic Scholtzenhof farm in Stellenbosch, Ken?Forrester Wines occupies one of the Cape’s oldest vineyard sites, tracing back to 1689—later revived by Ken and Teresa Forrester after acquiring the land in 1993. Their first estate-labeled vintage launched in 1994, igniting a movement that would redefine South Africa’s Chenin?Blanc reputation.
Today, the estate consists of around 72 acres of home vineyards—augmented by about 74 acres under sustainable contract farming—set on weathered sandstone and gravel soils kissed by cool Helderberg and False Bay breezes. Vineyards are hand-tended and certified organic since 2002, reflecting Ken’s philosophy of ecological farming and community sustainability.
Their flagship, the FMC Chenin?Blanc—named for the Forrester Meinert Chenin—emerged around 2000 and became a world-class benchmark, built from carefully selected old-vine blocks using multi-pass picking and precise maturation.
Alongside this cult white, the estate produces Rhône-style reds (Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre) and elegant Bordeaux varieties (Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot), showcasing stylistic breadth grounded in terroir clarity.
