Oneiric Wines

The word 'oneiric' comes from the Greek for 'dream,' and the story of this boutique Elgin winery begins with one. Matt Pascall left Rhodesia in the early 1980s and eventually settled in South Africa, carrying with him a long-held dream of owning a farm. For years that dream waited while he built a career in the copper industry. Then in 2007, he purchased a 64-hectare property on Highlands Road in the Elgin Valley, and the journey of Oneiric began.

The farm came with eight hectares of grapes, which were initially harvested and vinified by Matt's old friend Benn Gunn of Iona Wines. When the decision was made in 2011 to take the wines to market under their own label, Matt enlisted Jean Smit, known for his work at Boekenhoutskloof, to produce Oneiric's first vintage. The 2009 wines were released upon the official launch in late 2012, and the entire debut range received wide acclaim, putting this newcomer firmly on the map of serious South African wine.

In 2013, Niels Verburg of Luddite Wines took over as winemaker, ensuring continuity of the elegant, cool-climate style that defined the original release. Verburg's experience with Elgin fruit, combined with the farm's exceptional vineyard sites, where cooler slopes are planted to Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay while warmer aspects carry the red cultivars, produces wines of precision and character.

Matt's background in the copper industry became the creative thread running through the label design. Each wine carries a colour and name drawn from a different copper derivative or sulfide. The Sauvignon Blanc wears a rich green malachite label. The Merlot carries a crimson hue. The Shiraz takes on the deep blue of azurite. The Chardonnay, named First Quantum, references the copper mining company. And the Bordeaux-style red blend, Cousin Jack, is named after the Cornish miners who worked the copper mines, its label the warm copper colour of the metal itself. A rose, the Copper Rose, and a Cap Classique bubbly, the Copper Classique, complete the range.

Oneiric also offers a French-inspired restaurant on the property, where vineyard views and seasonal cuisine complement the wine experience. Chef Bertus Basson has hosted pop-up events at the farm, underscoring Oneiric's standing in the Cape culinary scene. The tasting room is open Monday to Friday, offering an intimate, unhurried exploration of the range in one of Elgin's most peaceful settings.

This is a farm where a decades-old dream found its expression in vine and copper, a hidden gem in the cool heart of the Elgin Valley that rewards those who seek it out.