Unearth Our History
Home to one of South Africa’s first commercial Pinotage vineyards
Bellevue’s story is one of bold decisions and forward thinking. When Pieter Krige (P.K.) Morkel couldn’t find Gamay vines in 1953, he embraced a pioneering South African cultivar: Pinotage. This decision not only shaped Bellevue’s identity but also contributed to the global recognition of Pinotage as a uniquely South African wine.
An Introduction
A Vineyard Rooted in Innovation
Pinotage was cultivated by Prof A.I. Perold around 1925 when he crossed Cinsault and Pinot noir. The first Pinotage cuttings made their way onto Bellevue soil in the early 1950’s when P.K. Morkel was attempting to obtain Gamay Noir for planting. He was not able to find the cultivar he was looking for and approached the Agricultural College at Elsenburg.
He was advised to try the newly developed variety, called Pinotage. At that stage, there were no commercial plantings of this variety, only experimental vines cultivated by the college. In 1953, together with Paul Sauer from Kanonkop, P.K. Morkel was one of the first few farmers to plant Pinotage on a commercial scale. His bold step paid off, since Bellevue’s Pinotage was awarded the Genl. Smuts Trophy in 1959, being the best young wine on the Cape Wine Show.
To salute the vision and bravery of P.K. Morkel, Bellevue takes utmost care of the 1953 Pinotage block which is still in production. It remains the pride and joy of Bellevue and a very special wine is made from this block, called Bellevue Heritage Pinotage.
Our Journey Through Time
1701
The Birth of Bellevue
On 5 October 1701, Bellevue was established as Houd den Mond (“keep your mouth shut”). The land, measuring just under 40 hectares, was granted by Cape governor Willem Adriaan van der Stel to blacksmith Christoffel Groenewald. It changed hands multiple times until Dirk Cloete Morkel purchased it on 6 December 1861. Bellevue was to remain in the Morkel family for over 150 years, before changing ownership to the Neethling Family.
1820
Unlocking Bellevue’s Winemaking Legacy
The original Cellar was a very basic structure built by Johannes ‘Jan’ Julius Mechau in 1820. It was stated on his death certificate that his profession was a wine grower, when he passed away on the 17th of April 1835”. In 1943, Pieter Krige (P.K.) Morkel expanded the original cellar where he personally made between 800 & 900 leaguers of wine annually, which he sold to Stellenbosch farmers Winery.
1953
A Contribution To South African Heritage
P.K. Morkel started farming at Bellevue in 1940, initially maintaining dairy cows, Merino sheep, and guavas. His true passion, however, was wine. Vineyards of Chenin Blanc, Cinsault, Shiraz, Pedro, Riesling, and Clairette Blanche were grown back then. In 1951, he was encouraged to plant Pinotage by Stellenbosch Agricultural College and SFW. By 1953, he had established one of South Africa’s first commercial Pinotage vineyards. The vines planted then, are still in production today.
1959
The Year Bellevue Pinotage Made History
In 1959, P.K. Morkel entered his Pinotage wine in the Cape Wine Show, South Africa’s top wine competition at the time and won the coveted General Smuts Trophy, heralding P.K. South Africa’s new ‘king of wine.’ Stellenbosch Farmers Winery sold Bellevue’s Pinotage in 1961 under their Lanzerac label. This was the first bottled Pinotage sold in the world.
Pinotage Wins…said Piet to me at sundowner time yesterday (he was drinking tea and trying hard not to eat biscuits): ‘Ask your readers to visit the show and sample for them- selves the championship wine of the year.’ So this year when you go to Goodwood find Mr. P.K. Morkel’s wine. It is a dry red Pinotage, a full-bodied red. An aristocratic wine indeed. Sip it. Savour it. It is as good as anything one has tasted from the Boland. Mr. Morkel’s farm Bellevue is at Koelenhof. And I am glad indeed that a pinotage has won the highest possible award. For the past two years sweet wines have headed the whole array and it is time tribute was paid to the growers of pino, a difficult crop…
CAPE ARGUS, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1959
The Resilient Vines of 1953
In 1953, P.K. Morkel planted 2.58 hectares of Pinotage at Bellevue, followed by an additional 3.23 hectares a year later. These vines, among the oldest still in production, have weathered decades of natural elements, their twisted trunks and branches embodying resilience and history.
The grapes they yield continue to produce wines of exceptional character, a tribute to P.K.’s pioneering vision and the enduring legacy of Bellevue. These vines stand as a living connection to the estate’s rich heritage and its role in South African wine history.
