Signal Gun Wines

Hooggelegen Farm, home of Signal Gun Wines, has been in the De Wit family for over six generations, making it one of the oldest family-owned wine farms in the Durbanville area. The farm sits at the foot of the Hoogeberg hills, a two-hundred-and-twenty hectare property of which ninety-five hectares are planted under vine. But the story of Signal Gun begins not with grapes, but with a cannon.

During the Dutch East India Company era, the VOC installed more than fifty cannons on hills and mountains around the Cape to form a signal gun chain that could summon the Burgher Militia to defend the settlement. This chain extended from Signal Hill in Cape Town via Durbanville to Citrusdal in the northwest, Worcester to the north, and via Tygerberg to Suurbraak beyond Swellendam in the east. The original signal cannon still stands on Hooggelegen Farm, and several others in working order are fired on special occasions -- a living connection to the farm's eighteenth-century heritage.

In 2010, M.J. de Wit and his wife Estani took over management from M.J.'s parents, Ryk and Elmi, with a vision of transforming the working farm into a family-friendly food and wine destination. M.J. had started making wine in 2006 as a hobby, crafting small batches of Shiraz and Sauvignon Blanc. As the wine gained a following, the brand Signal Gun Wines was formalised, followed by the opening of a restaurant, and later a tasting room and a craft beer range.

The estate's most remarkable vineyard is the Sea Smoke block, planted at four hundred and fifty-five metres above sea level -- the highest in the Durbanville Wine Valley. At that altitude, morning fog rolls in from the Atlantic and hangs across the vines, creating a cool microclimate that produces Sauvignon Blanc of extraordinary minerality and concentration. The De Wit Family Reserve Sea Smoke Sauvignon Blanc, made from this single vineyard, is the estate's most celebrated wine.

Today Signal Gun is a complete destination. Ke-Monate Restaurant serves burgers, pizza, and evening specials with live music, open daily from noon on weekdays and from ten on weekends. Die Stal, the tasting venue, offers flights of both the Signal Gun and De Wit Family Reserve ranges. Guided wine safari tours take visitors through the Hoogeberg hills to taste the Sea Smoke Sauvignon Blanc at the vineyard itself. The craft beer range adds a casual dimension. With its historic cannons, hilltop vineyards, and six generations of farming heritage, Signal Gun is a Durbanville destination that reaches far beyond the glass.