The Human Family has farmed successfully on the Moddervlei farm, where the Black Oystercatcher winery is housed, for generations. The farm is situated between the small towns of Elim, Bredasdorp and Agulhas, in the Overberg region in South Africa. In 1998, Dirk and his family decided to live their dream – by planting vineyards on the property.
Dirk’s knowledge of the land with its sand plains, wetlands, extensive limestone and calcareous dunes enabled him to select the perfect location for the Black Oystercatcher’s vineyards. In so doing, Dirk became one of the pioneers to establish vineyards in the maritime ward of Elim in 1998. By 2005, the first boutique wines were bottled. Dirk named the new wines after the rare Black Oystercatcher birds, which, like the grapes, thrive along the coastline around the cool tip of Africa. Today, around 70 000 bottles of Black Oystercatcher boutique wines are produced a year – making the wines truly exclusive.
It was time to extend the Black Oystercatcher wine range. So over the years, Dirk has added a host of reserve wines to the selection. Like the Reserve Sauvignon blanc, Reserve Semillon, the Blanc Fumé, the Wild Ferment, the Noble Late, and the Méthode Cap Classique – are only available at the Black Oystercatcher Farm or on our online shop.
A time to grow Dirk’s next goal? To bring the world to his doorstep in the Agulhas Wine Triangle, and show them the uniqueness of this southernmost wine-producing region.
The Black Oystercatcher is a family-run wine farm at the cool Oystercatcher Farm.
Our unique region crafts our cool-climate wines, creating penetrating fruit flavours, and a distinctive minerality.
But we’re more than a winery: we’re a destination. We offer fresh farm-style snacks from our deli and wine tastings. Shop for local crafts and our cool-climate wines and craft beers in our shop. And stay over in our self-catering cottages overlooking the biodiversity-rich Agulhas Plain. We also have a wedding and function venue.