Van Loggerenberg: #2 Wine in the World, Made in a Rented Garage
Lukas van Loggerenberg's Graft Syrah was named the #2 wine in the world in 2025. He makes wine in a rented garage. No tasting room, no rolling estate, no Instagram. This is the anti-Delaire Graff. Email in advance -- you won't regret it.
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In the Vinous Top 100 Wines of 2025 list, whittled down from more than 35,000 reviews, Lukas van Loggerenberg's Graft Syrah 2024 scored 98 points and was named the #2 wine in the ENTIRE WORLD. Let that sink in. A winemaker who started in 2016 with a broken kneecap (two major knee surgeries during his first harvest), making wine in a rented shed in Devonvalley. No estate, no tasting room, just genius. The name 'Graft' comes from his grandfather's advice: 'if you want to make a success of something, you need to put in the hard yards and graft.' It also refers to the vine graft itself - two parts becoming a stronger whole. Van Loggerenberg doesn't own vineyards or have a public tasting room - he makes wine in rented space on Paarl Mountain. His wines are allocated through wine shops, restaurants, and industry events. Check with specialized wine merchants like Ex Animo, Justerini & Brooks, or Noble Grape for availability. Contact Van Loggerenberg directly through vanloggerenbergwines.com or email to ask about tasting opportunities or current stockists. If you find Graft Syrah anywhere - buy it. This is the wine that proves South African wine can compete at the absolute highest level, full stop. If you can't find Graft Syrah, ask for Geronimo Cinsault (94 points Tim Atkin - sinewy Italian-style tannins and a salty frisson) or Breton Cabernet Franc (Loire-inspired, 'a wine for purists').
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Lukas is perhaps most famous for his two dazzling Chenin Blancs: Kameraderie and Trust Your Gut. Trust Your Gut is a 61/39 blend from the Paardeberg (Swartland) and the Polkadraai Hills (Stellenbosch). It shows characteristics from both regions: the glossy yellow fruit and salinity from the decomposed granite soils of the Polkadraai, and the basil stem and mealy intensity from the Swartland. The wine is 'sappy, savoury and refined, partnering concentration with stony minerality, pear, pineapple and waxed lemon.' The name reflects his philosophy: everything in life is about trusting your instincts and sharing moments with friends. Same stockists/wine shops as Graft. If you find this wine, taste it alongside a Stellenbosch Chenin and a Swartland Chenin to understand what a blend of both regions can achieve. Ask the merchant: 'What does granite from Polkadraai bring versus shale from Swartland?' Watch them light up. Kameraderie Chenin Blanc is the other expression - 'engagingly taut, racy and sappy, with fennel and fynbos aromas, negligible oak influence, a backbone of steely acidity and enticing green apple and lemongrass flavours.'
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Lukas didn't grow up in wine. After graduating from Elsenburg College, he took an unconventional route - two harvests at a tiny winery in the Western Connecticut Highlands AVA (about as far from prestigious wine country as you can get). Then, in 2015, on a trip to the Loire Valley with his college roommate, he visited Domaine de la Chevalerie. In a dimly lit cellar, he tasted an old Cabernet Franc that rewired his brain. He quit his day job and started making wine. His debut vintage was 2016 - the year he broke his kneecap and had to undergo two major knee surgeries during harvest. Friends and family kept the cellar running. That smashed kneecap inspired the name of his rosé: Break a Leg. When you find Van Loggerenberg wines at a merchant or restaurant, ask about Lukas's story. Tim Atkin MW named him 2018 Young Winemaker of the Year (just two vintages in). In 2024, he was inducted into the Cape Winemakers Guild. In 2025, his wine was #2 in the world. This is the arc. If the merchant doesn't know the story, the Van Loggerenberg website and interviews with WOSA and Ex Animo cover it all. Read before you drink - soul matters.
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Lukas van Loggerenberg is the anti-estate. No rolling vineyards. No glass-walled cellar with infinity pool. No art collection. He makes wine in a rented shed, sources fruit from special parcels across the Western Cape, and focuses on old vine Chenin Blanc, Syrah, and Cabernet Franc. He picks early (for freshness), eschews additives except a whisper of sulphur, and uses minimal new oak. He's a self-confessed Loire Valley fanatic putting a distinctly South African spin on purity. This is garage wine at its finest - no estate, just conviction. Taste any Van Loggerenberg wine and compare it mentally to the big estates you've visited. Notice the restraint. The freshness. The lack of oak bomb. This is what happens when a winemaker doesn't have to impress tourists or sell lifestyle - just make exceptional wine. If you're visiting Delaire Graff or another luxury estate during your trip, taste Van Loggerenberg afterward. The contrast is the point. Both are world-class. One costs R1.6 billion to build. The other was made in a shed. Both scored 95+.