Terroir, tradition & elegancePhilosophy
Christophe and Sabrina Durand have created a space to nurture and showcase wines that express terroir, honour tradition, and exude elegance. In 2014, they opened Cape Town’s first urban winery in the heart of the city.
This vision reflects Dorrance Wines’ credo: to craft elegant, refined wines in the French tradition with minimal intervention. Every step in the cellar is as gentle as possible, ensuring the wine’s true character remains untouched.
Our white wines are whole-bunch pressed using a soft pneumatic press, then fermented and matured in 225-litre French oak barrels and concrete eggs. For the reds, whole berry fermentation is essential—no berries are crushed—preserving aromatics and elegance.
Working closely with three dedicated growers, Christophe focuses on early hand picking and strict berry selection to achieve balance: beautiful, healthy fruit with low pH, higher natural acidity, and lower alcohol.
DiscoverOur Wines
Rooted in French winemaking philosophy and inspired by the unique character of the Cape, our wines are thoughtfully crafted to express purity, elegance, and balance.
Chenin Blanc 2023
A rich, balanced wine with mouth-filling flavours of baked apple, almond paste, and honey.
Syrah 2022
Elegant and balanced, it is inherently fresh with a lingering finish.
Chardonnay 2023
Delicate lime notes emerge, leading into a refined style layered with marzipan, crushed stone, white citrus, and grapefruit pith.
Pinot Noir 2022
This youthful wine reveals aromas of black fruits, pepper, black olives, and a hint of liquorice.
Blanc 2024
This beautiful blend has a pale yellow colour, aromas of apricots, orange blossom and almonds.
Rosé 2024
Smooth and elegant, this fresh wine is bursting with summer fruit flavours, complex and easily enjoyable at the same time.
Cinsault 2023
The medium to full bodied, food friendly palate is finely textured with firm but approachable tannins and as fresh, lingering finish.
TerroirsElgin Vineyards
A mere 5km from the ocean, our vineyards benefits from cold winters with abundant rainfall, followed by cool South Easterly sea breezes in the summer. The cool summers allow for a longer ripening period which produces grapes with concentration, fruit intensity and elegant tannins.
Our soils are predominately of bokkeveld shales sandstone and quartz soils known Average altitude 400 metres.
TerroirsSwartland Vineyards
Three main soil types have evolved in the Swartland from the parent materials that dominate the area, these are shale/schist-, granite- and iron-based soils; each with very different characteristics and therefore creating unique growing conditions.
These deep, sandy soils are found close to, or on the granite outcrops of the Paardeberg. Wines from these areas tend to be exceptionally pure with a floral and spicy granitic perfume and nervy acidity.
Beautiful, healthy berries which shape a more balanced wine with a low PH, higher natural acidity and lower alcohol. Christophe Durand, Owner & Winemaker
