Hughes Family Wines - Hochdotiertes Weingut in Südafrikas Swartland Region

Influenced by the hot climate and the soil conditions on the Hughes Family Wines Farm, Rhône varieties are mainly grown here. Red varieties for blending NATIVO Red include Shiraz, Grenache Noir, Mourvèdre, Pinotage and Tempranillo, while white varieties include Viognier, Grenache Blanc, Chenin Blanc and Rousanne.
When Argentinean-born engineer Billy Hughes settled in South Africa in 1990, he developed a burning desire to make his own wine. 10 years later, he fulfilled this dream and bought a piece of land in Malmesbury, which he called Kasteelsig Vineyards. 27 hectares of this prime location are now planted with vines on an east-facing hill overlooking Kasteelberg Mountain.
Billy's passionate interest in agriculture and viticulture developed when he accompanied his father, who worked as an agricultural engineer in Mendoza (Argentina), to numerous wine farms as a young boy. Today, he manages all aspects of his wine farm himself - from growing the vines and making the wine to blending his wines and bottling them. His wife Penny, originally from the gastronomy and tourism industry, takes care of sales, marketing and distribution.
There is no real recipe for the cuvées of Nativo. Each vintage provides a different encépagement* to the previous or next vintage, based on the character of the different grape varieties and the quality of the particular vintage.
Although Nativo always strives to create innovative wines, they are bound by what nature ultimately produces in a vintage-specific way. Through a biological approach to viticulture and a minimal intervention in the natural cellar processes of wine production, Nativo tries to transfer the characteristics and peculiarities of the location and the terroir into the wine. This approach is wonderfully reflected in the minimalist label, and name, NATIVO.
In their appealingly pure and simple manner, these wines are perfect companions to countless dishes. Their unmistakably spicy side goes perfectly with dishes of classic cuisine.

*(ratio of different grape varieties in a cuvée)