Supporting the Cape Leopard’s Trust is our way of giving back to the nature that gives us our wines. Through this project, we sponsor three of these beautiful and sadly endangered creatures, namely Johan, Ouma Maatjie and Lisa. The spotted trio inhabit the Cederburg, a mountainous region about three hours from Cape Town.

Heading up the project are our resident “Cat Whisperers”, Quinton and Nicole Martins, scientist and conservationist extraordinaires. From expeditions in the Namibian deserts to the forests of Gabon, and working for a handful of international conservation ecological bodies, this couple have dedicated their lives to the environment.

Conservation is similar to winemaking in that while you have to be patient for the fruits of your labour, when they eventually arrive, the elation makes up for the pain. After four agonising months, the team witnessed their latest coup – the unmotivated trapping and fitting of a GPS collar to Johan.

Fondly known as “big boy”– due to his exceptionally large 39kgs – the aim of the collar is to help facilitate the tracking of the leopards and in the process, to gather priceless information about their behaviour. Fascinatingly enough, data received from the collar has shown that Johan habitates a region of over 600 square kilometers.

Future plans include the arrival of a shipment of collars that fit the female cats. Happy tracking