4 September 2026 · De Vier Restaurant, Stellenbosch
Some evenings stay with you long after the last glass is empty.
On Friday, September 4th, forty wine lovers gathered at De Vier Restaurant in the heart of Stellenbosch for the inaugural Hidden Gems — an evening dedicated to the South African wines that don’t shout, made by the winemakers who prefer it that way.
The format was simple. Three winemakers. A six-course meal. Wines poured by the people who made them, in a room that felt exactly as a wine evening should — warm, unhurried and alive with conversation.
The Winemakers
Natasha Williams · Lelie van Saron
Natasha Williams arrived with two wines from her Upper Hemel-en-Aarde range — and a story that stopped the room.
Her Chardonnay — whole bunch pressed, aged in a combination of concrete and oak — arrived in the glass with dried honey, sea spray and orange pith on the nose, textured and precise on the palate. Her Syrah, fermented with 40% whole clusters, followed with white pepper, violet and cherry blossom — fresh, vibrant and unmistakably hers.
Raised in a household where wine played no part, Natasha found her way to Stellenbosch University and never looked back. Her wines carry that same quiet determination — made with a gentle hand and an instinct that is entirely self-taught.
Hagen Viljoen · Ennui Wines
Hagen Viljoen and his wife Nicola built a life around wine — vintages across three continents, a growing family, a career that looked complete from the outside. And yet something was missing. Ennui Wines was their answer.
He poured two wines on the night. The Golden Thread Chenin Blanc 2024 — grown on vines planted in 1981 on a southwest-facing slope overlooking False Bay — arrived with apricot, ginger and citrus on the nose, and a pronounced saline minerality on the finish that lingered long after the glass was empty. Only 730 bottles were made.
His Silver Lining Grenache Noir 2025 followed — harvested from two Piekenierskloof vineyards, one block planted in 1967. Wild strawberry, cranberry and white pepper. Fresh, mineral, chalky. Only 812 bottles in existence.
Carl Scholtz · Solo Wines
After 36 years at the top of South African winemaking — including a celebrated tenure as Cellarmaster at Hartenberg Estate — Carl Scholtz could have rested on a remarkable legacy. Instead, he founded Solo Wines. His most personal chapter yet.
He poured two wines: the Solo Merlot, refined and freshly fruited from elevated clay-rich soils; and the Solo Cabernet Sauvignon — powerful, layered and built to last. Each one a direct expression of 36 years of accumulated instinct, poured without ego or performance.
The Evening
The six-course meal, crafted by the De Vier kitchen, moved through the wines with quiet precision — each course arriving at exactly the right moment, each pairing chosen to let the wine speak rather than compete.
But what made the evening was the conversation. By the time the final pour arrived, guests were deep in conversation with the winemakers themselves — asking questions, sharing notes, swapping bottles. The room felt less like an event and more like an extended table among friends who happened to share very good taste.
This is what vint. exists to create.
