Thelema Mountain Vineyards

Thelema Mountain Vineyards was founded in 1983 by Gyles Webb, who left a career as an accountant in Durban to plant vines on the slopes of the Simonsberg above Stellenbosch. Webb's guiding philosophy holds that wine is made in the vineyard rather than the cellar, an approach that steered the estate toward site selection and canopy management rather than cellar intervention. By the mid-1990s, Thelema's wines were selling out within a month of release, and Webb became known internationally for bringing recognition to Stellenbosch's Cabernet Sauvignon in particular. In 2002, the Webb family expanded beyond their original farm, purchasing a second property in the cooler Elgin region to access different growing conditions for grapes that need a longer, cooler ripening period. The Stellenbosch estate sits on the mountain's slopes with views over the valley, and today combines its vineyard and cellar operations with a tasting room and a deli for visitors.