Brookdale Estate began with Tim Rudd, a UK native who rescued a neglected wine farm in South Africa and named it after his home village. Working with renowned winemaker Duncan Savage, he led a multi-year vineyard revival, preserving legacy vines now over 25 (and in places 35+) years old — earning Heritage Vine status. Today Brookdale is known for its Heritage Vine Chenin Blanc, a sixteen-grape white field blend, and the easy-drinking Mason Road range.
In 2019, Savage handed the cellar to Kiara Scott Farmer, then just 26 and South Africa’s youngest female head winemaker. A Cape Winemakers’ Guild Protégé with experience in France and California, Kiara built on Brookdale’s minimal-intervention philosophy and went on to be named South Africa’s Winemaker of the Year in 2024.
Ahead of the 2025 harvest, Kiara passed the reins to Xander Sadie — son of famed winemaker Eben Sadie — with assistant winemaker Shanice du Preez, another Protégé Program graduate with experience in Portugal’s Douro Valley, by his side. Together, they carry Brookdale’s story forward into an exciting new chapter.
