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Silverthorn Wines

@silverthornwines

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Cap Classique of The Year 2026, situated in Robertson, Western Cape. Tastings by appointment.

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There’s a certain magic to the last light of the day.

When the sun slips through the trees, long shadows stretch across the grass and the Breede River catches the fading light.

Another beautiful day on the farm, asking nothing more than that you stop for a moment and take it all in.

Come stay awhile.

www.thedogstar.co.za

#DogStarManor #SilverthornWines #RobertsonWineValley #CapeWinelands #FarmStay

@mcgregortourism @robertsontourism @montagutourism @bonnievaletourism by @silverthornwines

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5 days ago

Beyond these doors, a world of stories, craftsmanship and beautiful bubbles awaits.

Our Celebrate Life: Spring Edition competition is still open, with a tasting for two at Silverthorn forming part of a wonderful prize.

Simply purchase 6 bottles or more of Silverthorn Cap Classique before 31 October and you’ll automatically be entered into the draw.

The prize: Tasting for two | Mixed case of Silverthorn & Dog Star wines | Six Silverthorn glasses | Premium champagne closure | Magnum of River Dragon

We’d love to welcome you.

This is Silverthorn.

www.silverthornwines.co.za

#SilverthornWines #CelebrateLife #CapClassique #RobertsonWineValley #CelebrateEveryday

@thedogstarcollective @robertsontourism @mcgregortourism @bonnievaletourism @montagutourism by @silverthornwines

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5 days ago

Happy Birthday, John.

Some mornings feel a little more special than others. And this morning, the sky put on the most beautiful show.

A sunrise worthy of celebrating the man whose vision, passion and extraordinary journey have shaped Silverthorn into what it is today.

Here’s to another year of following your dreams, finding beauty in the unexpected and creating something wonderful along the way.

Today, we raise a glass to you. 🥂

This is Silverthorn.

www.silverthornwines.co.za

#SilverthornWines #HappyBirthdayJohn #CelebrateLife #CapClassique #RobertsonWineValley

@thedogstarcollective @winelobster @karen.loubser by @silverthornwines

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9 days ago

There’s something rather lovely about slipping away while the rest of the world carries on.

A quiet morning. Nowhere to rush to. A few days that feel entirely your own.

Sometimes the best weekends happen in the middle of the week.

Come stay awhile.

www.thedogstar.co.za

📸🙏🏻: @lifetreeescapes

#DogStarManor #SilverthornWines #RobertsonWineValley #MidweekEscape #CapeWinelands

@robertsontourism @mcgregortourism @montagutourism @bonnievaletourism by @silverthornwines

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19 days ago

Cap Classique… made in the traditional méthode Champenoise. At Silverthorn we adhere to strict Champenoise protocols, but add a touch of African flair and passion… a fusion of classical Old and adventurous New World creativity.

This is Silverthorn. Proudly South African.

@damianvdw @winelobster @karen.loubser @robertsontourism @mcgregortourism

Happy Heritage Day #Afropean #Capclassique #Heritageday by @silverthornwines

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24 days ago

It’s all about balance.
Finding the point where one flavour lifts another. Where acidity brings freshness, fruit finds fruit and neither one needs to compete.

The bright, juicy character of fresh raspberries paired with the delicate fruit and fine bubbles of The Genie.

Different on their own. Rather lovely together.

Because sometimes the best pairings begin with a little curiosity.

This is Silverthorn.

www.silverthornwines.co.za

Recipe below in comments.

#SilverthornWines #TheGenie #CapClassique #FoodAndWinePairing #CelebrateEveryday

@robertsontourism @mcgregortourism @bonnievaletourism @montagutourism by @silverthornwines

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25 days ago

“Music from our formative years has a remarkable ability to stay with us. Neuroscientists tell us that our brains form especially strong emotional connections to the songs we hear in our youth, and for me no band left a deeper impression than Pink Floyd.

One song in particular became the soundtrack to our Namibian adventure: Shine On You Crazy Diamond.

Released in 1975 on the album Wish You Were Here, it is widely regarded as one of Pink Floyd’s greatest works. Written as a tribute to Syd Barrett—the band’s brilliant founding member—it reflects on his extraordinary creativity and the tragic mental illness that ultimately led him to withdraw from public life.

The opening lines have always resonated with me:

Remember when you were young
You shone like the sun.
Shine on, you crazy diamond.

The song is both a celebration and a lament—a heartfelt reminder of the brilliance that once was.

As fate would have it, Shine On You Crazy Diamond became the soundtrack to our own journey. On countless dusty drives across the Skeleton Coast, it crackled through the ageing tape deck of our faithful Land Rover, filling the vast desert silence with music, hope and possibility. Every trip into the Sperrgebiet carried the dream that perhaps today would be the day we uncovered our own elusive sparkling prize.

Looking back, I realise that while we were searching for diamonds beneath the sea, we were also collecting memories that would prove even more precious. Perhaps that is what Crazy Diamond has always meant to me.” - John

@winelobster @karen.loubser @cape_winemakers_guild

#CrazyDiamond #SilverthornWines #DiamondDiving #SkeletonCoast #Namibia by @silverthornwines

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a month ago

Part 2/2

“We also shared the coastline with thousands of Cape fur seals. They were wonderfully noisy, unmistakably smelly, and an inseparable part of life on the Skeleton Coast.

One afternoon we came across a tiny seal pup lying motionless on the beach, too weak and exhausted to move. We carefully loaded him into the back of the Land Rover and took him home. Convinced he was starving, we bought a box of pilchards from the local Spanish fishing factory. We thoughtfully cut the fish into bite-sized pieces and tried to feed him—without any success.

Fortunately, our neighbour, a French professor studying seals, quickly explained our mistake. Seal pups don’t eat chopped fish—they swallow them whole, head first, no matter the size.

We named our new companion **Mellie**, after one of the common shapes of a rough diamond. Within days of a steady diet of whole pilchards, he regained his strength and soon became part of the family. Mellie slept in our seaside house, travelled with us into the Sperrgebiet in the back of the Land Rover, and before long had become something of a local celebrity around Lüderitz.

We may not have found as many diamonds as we had hoped, but looking back, it’s hard to imagine anything that could have shone brighter than an orphaned seal named Mellie.” - John

@winelobster @karen.loubser

#CrazyDiamond #SilverthornWines #DiamondDiving #SkeletonCoast by @silverthornwines

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a month ago

Part 1/2

“Diamond diving is notoriously difficult, not because of the diamonds themselves, but because of the unforgiving environment in which they lie. Violent sandstorms, shifting dunes, relentless winds, salty sea mist, stormy seas and a blistering desert sun pushed both man and machinery to their limits. Every day was a battle against the elements.

Yet amidst this harshness existed an overwhelming natural beauty. The solitude and silence of the desert had an almost meditative quality, while the untouched wilderness teemed with wildlife. Gemsbok, springbok and jackals were regular companions, but my favourite encounters were with the elusive **Strandwolf**—the Brown Hyena. These shy nocturnal scavengers would visit our campsite under cover of darkness in search of food, often leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. On one memorable occasion they even managed to chew holes through our enormous metal teapot!

The coastline provided an endless feast. We always had a pot of black mussels simmering over the fire, while giant limpets roasted on the coals. Crayfish were plentiful and became our primary source of protein. These were magnificent creatures—the largest and oldest crayfish imaginable—many well over half a metre from the tip of their feelers to their tails and probably fifty years old or more.

…”

📸: @bradwoodphotography

@winelobster @karen.loubser

#CrazyDiamond #SilverthornWines #DiamondDiving #SkeletonCoast by @silverthornwines

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a month ago

“Lüderitz was unlike anywhere I had ever seen. It felt as though it had been lifted straight from the set of Mad Max—a remote outpost where elegant German colonial buildings stood improbably against the stark, windswept landscape of the Namib Desert. It was a place of striking contrasts, where civilisation seemed to cling to the very edge of one of the world’s most unforgiving environments.

For the next eighteen months, Lüderitz became our home, giving us access to both the northern and southern reaches of the Sperrgebiet.

Our mining operation was surprisingly simple in principle, but formidable in scale. A large tractor powered a massive PTO-driven pump, connected to six-inch pipes that we dragged hundreds of metres out into the surf. The pump sucked diamond-bearing gravel from the seabed and fed it through a classifier, which separated the material into different sizes. From there, it entered a jig—a vibrating concentrator that exploited the diamonds’ density, causing them to settle into the centre of a sorting tray where they could finally be recovered.

Transporting this equipment across the desert each day fell to our trusty 1967 short-wheelbase Land Rover. It wasn’t fast, it wasn’t comfortable, and it certainly wasn’t reliable—but it was all we had.

On paper, we were fully prepared. We had the equipment, the permits, the determination, and the confidence of youth.

What could possibly go wrong?

As it turned out, quite a lot.

Because to dive for diamonds on Namibia’s Skeleton Coast, you first have to be a little bit... Crazy.” - John

@winelobster @karen.loubser @thedogstarcollective

#CrazyDiamond #SilverthornWines #DiamondDiving #SkeletonCoast #Namibia by @silverthornwines

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a month ago

“Way back in March 1990, I embarked on one of the greatest adventures of my life. My second cousin, Billy Clayton, and I had been given the opportunity to dive for diamonds on a private mining concession off the harsh desert coastline of Namibia.

For three months we built our specialised mining equipment in Windhoek. When it was finally complete, we set off for Lüderitzbucht—the epicentre of the greatest diamond discovery the world has ever witnessed.

We named our small mining company NADD (Namibian Alluvial Diamond Divers), and armed with little more than youthful enthusiasm, determination, and a healthy dose of bravado, we headed into the windswept wilderness of Namibia’s legendary Skeleton Coast.

Lüderitz is a remote harbour town that owes its existence to the discovery of diamonds in 1908. The find sparked one of history’s great diamond rushes, transforming this desolate coastline almost overnight. Although the frenzy was interrupted by the First World War, the region remained one of the richest diamond deposits on Earth. After the war, Consolidated Diamond Mines took control of the area, creating the restricted Sperrgebiet—the “forbidden zone.”

For decades, access was limited to a privileged few. Ironically, the need to protect the diamonds also preserved the desert itself, leaving its extraordinary landscapes, wildlife, and plant life virtually untouched—a true natural time capsule.

As newly approved diamond divers, Billy and I were granted rare security clearance to enter this forbidden world. It was an extraordinary privilege, and the beginning of an unforgettable chapter in my life.

These are my Sparkling Memories.” - John

@winelobster @karen.loubser @thedogstarcollective

#CrazyDiamond #SilverthornWines #DiamondDiving #SkeletonCoast #Namibia by @silverthornwines

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a month ago

I have had the privilege to be a member of the #capewinemakersguild since 2005 and have had some amazing experiences, but our recent trip to Johannesburg was by far the most enjoyable and memorable. A group of passionate winemakers flying up to Johannesburg to support the #bokke was next level. A scrumptious breakfast of boerewors rolls at #afriqueboutiquehotel excellently paired with brandy and coke set the scene. To make double sure that we would not get hungry at the game, lunch at the #troyvillehotel was the next stop🤣 A Portuguese feast with vinho verde on tap. Finally the big game at #ellisparkstadium - What a memorable experience 🥳🥳🍾🍾🤩 Big thanks to Duncan and Zani @savagewines for putting together this incredible odyssey 💪 by @silverthornwines

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2 months ago