Our Story: why we make wine in the sustainable way we do

Elim Vineyards where grapes for Dawn Patrol are grown

Our grapes are carefully sourced from farmers who are passionate about cultivating soil in a sustainable manner.

For the benefit of current vintages and future generations, our farmers have adopted a biological approach to farming. This equilibrium between soil and plant results in harmoniously balanced wines that celebrate the fruits of land and labour. Their delicate, holistic process of nurturing healthy soils with sufficient nutrients and micro-organisms produces our healthy vines, great wines and eventual stoke-of-sip.

Most of our grapes are sourced from the Swartland region. This fertile area is distinguished from other wine production locales by its hot, dry summers and cold, wet winters. The incredible soil diversity includes granite, shale, clay and slate, which lends distinctive structure and diversity to our wines.

We source the remainder of our grapes from where our two beautiful oceans meet — the Cape South Coast. In this unique setting, prevailing winds provide cooler ripening seasons that produce elegant, structured wines rich in minerality. Here, grape growing goes hand-in-hand with protecting the indigenous floral kingdom.

Our aim is to create beautifully balanced wines reflecting their unique origins. 

 

Making Dawn Patrol Wine

Winemaking

Our job is made easy by the exacting work of our farmers and the superb grapes they grow. We tread lightly with our wines; we ferment naturally and we ensure minimal intervention from our side (whether that’s because we want more time to surf is a story for another time).

Our wines are IPW-certified

We follow sustainable practices during the winemaking process. This ensures our winecraft has minimal impact on the environment. We comply with the international wine industry environmental sustainability criteria, including the 'Global Wine Sector Environmental Sustainability Principles' and the 'Guidelines for Sustainable Viti-Viniculture: Production, Processing and Packaging of Products'.

 

Dawn Patrol at Jeffrey's Bay

Healthy Earth, healthy ocean, healthy hearts: Dawn Patrol

Dawn Patrol Wines is dedicated to protecting the ocean environment: from the marine wildlife beneath its waves, to the pristine beaches lapped by its tides. 'Dawn Patrol' is a tradition that sees surfers getting up before sunrise to search the coast(s) for the perfect swell. Being in the backline as the sun comes up is hard to explain. For surfers, the stoke of the ‘dawnie’ is sacred. It has the power to inspire and uplift.

But if we don’t take care of our oceans, we lose this source of upliftment and all that the marine environment contains.

 

Live consciously. Support local.

For every bottle purchased, Dawn Patrol Wines gives a percentage of our profits back to the ocean and local communities through Ocean Pledge and Surfpop.  By turning awareness into action, Ocean Pledge is dedicated to reducing single-use plastics. Surfpop creates upliftment and long-lasting opportunities for children and youth from disadvantaged communities. 

 

Surfing at Dawn

Amplify the stoke of surf and sustainability 

Join our Amplify programme to become an ambassador for sustainability and community upliftment. As a member of the Amplify programme, you can help spread the word by selling our wines to your friends, family and peers.  

There is an extra incentive — we pledge to pay you 15% of the total wine sales you make in any given month.