Dalkeith
‘’Dalkeith is more than just a winery, it’s a way of life’’.
Dalkeith is a specialist producer of distinct, handcrafted wines with a light footprint, perfect for spirited wine lovers who believe that wine should be as thoughtful as it is thought provoking. Through considered farming practices and minimal intervention winemaking techniques which honour the land and the people, Dalkeith produces wines of character and intrigue which are shifting perspectives of premium South African wines.From its inception Dalkeith was inspired by winemaker’s Graham Weerts passion to craft wines from 50-year-old dryland bush vines alongside his two great friends, Adi Badenhorst (from Badenhorst wines) and Mario Damon.
In tribute to the hardiness and robustness of the vine stock, the wine was named for an iconic waterhole in the Kalahari – Dalkeith. Like the waterhole, this wine brings life to the community and creates a sustainable future for all involved. One of the most interesting Kalahari Desert facts is that it is not a desert in the strictest sense of the word, as it receives too much rainfall – between 5 and 10 inches annually. However, any rain filters rapidly through the vast expanses of sand, leaving nothing on the surface, turning the Kalahari into the “thirstland”, hence the name “ Kalahari”, derived from the Tswana word Kgala, meaning “the great thirst”, or Kgalagadi, meaning “a waterless place”.
Graham Weerts, Founding Winemaker
Graham began his career working harvests in South Africa, in both the vineyards and the winery. His stint as a cellar hand secured him the post of assistant winemaker at Mulderbosch Vineyards, where he assisted with the production of their iconic Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc. Graham then spent a season working for Château de Terrefort-Quancard in Bordeaux. In that time, he earned his degree in viticulture, wine science, and pomology from the Elsenburg Agricultural College in Stellenbosch in 1996.
Today, Graham oversees vineyard and winemaking operations for our two wineries in South Africa, Capensis and Dalkeith. Graham has mastered mountain winemaking in the Western Cape by crafting expressive wines with complexity and unmatched potential.
Mario Damo, Winemaker
Born in Paarl, Mario began his career at DGB winery as a general worker for the season, which ultimately led to a permanent cellar position. Mario's career took a significant turn when he entered the SKOP programme (Senior Kelder Opleidings Programme), designed by Elsenburg graduates to educate and empower cellar workers in winemaking. Finishing top of his class in 2000, he was selected for an exchange programme that sent him to Burgundy for three months. Upon returning to DGB, he met the newly appointed Head of Winemaking, Graham Weerts, who, after a brief meeting and a Chardonnay-blending test, appointed Mario as his Assistant Winemaker.
Mario worked at DGB until 2018, when he left to join Graham Weerts again, this time as part of Jackson Family Wines. In his role as facility winemaker, Mario oversaw operations and winemaking, particularly during Graham's travels to the United States. In 2022, he took the next step in his career by becoming the winemaker for Dalkeith Wines.