Lazanou Organic Vineyards - By appointement only

Lazanou Organic Vineyards is one of the smallest wine farms in South Africa, a certified organic estate of just 8.48 hectares in the Wellington valley, roughly 45 minutes from Cape Town. Its story is one of reinvention — the land has been transformed twice, and each chapter has deepened its commitment to working with nature rather than against it.

The farm was purchased in May 2002 by Josef Lazarus and Candice Stephanou — the name Lazanou is a portmanteau of their surnames. At the time, the property was operating as a wholesale indigenous plant nursery. Over the following years, the couple converted it into an organic wine farm, planting vines in soils that had never been touched by chemical fertilisers, herbicides, or pesticides. The oldest vineyard on the property dates back to 1987, and Chenin Blanc proved ideally suited to Wellington's warmer climate. Gradually, the planted area grew to 5.54 hectares under vine, with Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Viognier, Syrah, and Mourvedre.

In April 2020, during the depths of COVID-19, the farm changed hands. Xavier, Martine, and Valentin Bavaud — a family from French-speaking Switzerland — purchased the property, though lockdown restrictions meant they could not set foot on the land until August. The Bavaud family has continued and strengthened the organic ethos, maintaining dual organic certification: SGS certification against both EU and USA organic standards for crop production and wine processing, and EcoCert certification against the European Union organic regulation.

The winemaking, currently overseen by consultant winemaker Jaco Brand, reflects the farm's scale and philosophy: small batches, hand-harvested fruit, and no compromise on organic integrity from vineyard to bottle. The Chenin Blanc-Chardonnay-Viognier blend is the estate's signature white, while a northern Rhone-inspired Syrah-Mourvedre blend anchors the reds. The soils are continuously improved through extensive composting, mulching, and nitrogen-fixing cover crops planted during winter.

A restored Cow Shed Cottage provides self-catering accommodation on the farm, offering guests a chance to wake up among the vines. Tastings are held in a relaxed setting surrounded by the vineyards and mountain views. For visitors seeking authenticity over spectacle, Lazanou offers the rare experience of a working organic farm where every bottle tells the story of the land.