Luddite has built a cult-like following over more than two decades, and for good reason. The wines are distinctive, full of personality and made with little interest in trends or technological shortcuts.
Niels and Penny Verburg released the first Luddite Shiraz from the 2000 vintage. Niels had confirmed his love for Shiraz while working a harvest in Australia, but it was time spent at a far less polished winery in Chile that helped shape his approach. The equipment was basic, but the quality of the fruit and the conviction behind the wines made a lasting impression.
That thinking still runs through Luddite. Good grapes, careful farming, natural fermentations and proper time in barrel matter more than a highly controlled cellar. Penny’s work is focused in the vineyards, while Niels and their daughter Alice make the wines.
The Verburgs’ Bot River vineyards sit on a hill with views across the valley. This is the source of the Luddite Chenin Blanc and the foundation of the flagship Shiraz. These wines are made in relatively small quantities and are given the time and handling needed to develop their particular texture and structure.
The Saboteur wines provide more room to work across the Cape South Coast. Fruit comes from the Luddite farm and selected vineyards in surrounding areas, with the blend changing according to the vintage. They are more immediately approachable than the flagship wines, but they are not simplified or lesser versions of Luddite. The same attention goes into the farming, individual fermentations and final blending.
Three new vintages have now arrived: Luddite Chenin Blanc 2025, ‘Saboteur’ White 2025 and ‘Saboteur’ Red 2023. We are also taking another look at the Luddite Shiraz 2022, a 96-point vintage that remains available.
THE WINES:
R2,800.00Original price was: R2,800.00.R2,660.00Current price is: R2,660.00.Add to basket
Luddite Mixed Case 2026
This six-bottle case includes the three new Luddite vintages and another look at the flagship Shiraz 2022.
2 × Luddite ‘Saboteur’ White 2025
A Chenin-led blend with Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc and a small white field-blend component. Fresh and textured, with peach, apple, pear, floral notes and a long mineral finish.
2 × Luddite ‘Saboteur’ Red 2023
Shiraz, Mourvèdre, Grenache Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon. Juicy red fruit, dark cherry, damson plum and spice, supported by soft tannins.
1 × Luddite Chenin Blanc 2025
Bot River Chenin from the House and Dog blocks on the Luddite farm. Twenty days on the skins give the wine texture and savoury detail, balanced by yellow plum, gooseberry and salty citrus.
1 × Luddite Shiraz 2022
The flagship Luddite wine, matured for two years in French oak. Dark fruit, fynbos, herbs and olive, with firm tannins and a long savoury finish. Rated 96 points by Christian Eedes.
The final blend is 69% Chenin Blanc, 14% Viognier, 12% Sauvignon Blanc and 5% white field blend. The fruit came from six vineyards across Bot River, Stanford and Elgin.
Each component was treated according to what it could add to the final wine. Skin contact on the Chenin Blanc and Viognier developed texture, structure and a light tannic grip. A portion of Chenin was fermented in tank to preserve freshness, while the Sauvignon Blanc was whole-bunch pressed and transferred directly to barrel without settling. The barrel components spent 11 months in old French oak with regular lees stirring.
Slightly fuller than the 2024, it shows peach, apple, pear and floral notes, with a textured centre, gooseberry freshness and a long mineral finish.
This is what ‘Saboteur’ White does particularly well: it is interesting enough to pay attention to, but it does not need to be saved for a formal occasion.
Chenin Blanc has become an important part of Luddite, although production remains small. The 2025 comes entirely from the House and Dog blocks on the Luddite farm in Bot River.
Flavour ripeness arrived at lower sugar levels than in previous years. This allowed the Verburgs to make a wine with considerable weight and texture at only 10.7% alcohol.
The grapes were crushed and destemmed before fermenting naturally in open containers. Once fermentation was complete, the wine remained on its skins until Niels’s nerves gave in after 20 days. It was then pressed directly into barrel with plenty of sediment, followed by regular lees stirring to build the palate.
The result is not a conventional, fruit-forward Chenin. It opens with yellow plum, honey blossom, apple and pear, followed by gooseberry, a slightly salty mineral character and a lean, lime-driven finish. Savoury and herbaceous notes add another layer as the wine opens in the glass.
‘Saboteur’ Red is always led by Shiraz, with the supporting varieties changing according to the vintage. The 2023 blend is 55% Shiraz, 20% Mourvèdre, 20% Grenache Noir and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.
The fruit came from three Bot River vineyards, including the Luddite farm. The Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache Noir and Mourvèdre were fermented in small open containers, with stalks used in some batches to bring freshness to the darker fruit. The Shiraz was fermented separately in stainless steel with regular pump-overs.
All four components were pressed directly into barrel and matured separately for 12 months before blending. Sixteen per cent new French oak was used.
Dark cherry, damson plum, cinnamon and allspice lead into juicy red fruit and a fresher sour-cherry note. The tannins are soft enough to make the wine approachable now, while the spice, structure and savoury detail give it more than simple immediate appeal.
The Luddite Shiraz 2022 is not part of the new release, but it deserves another look.
Shiraz was the beginning of Luddite and remains the wine most closely associated with Niels Verburg. The 2022 is based on fruit from the Old and Young blocks on the farm, picked over five days as each section reached the flavour Niels wanted.
Fermentation took place in stainless-steel tanks. Temperatures were kept cooler to retain fruit and extend the time on the skins, allowing the wine to develop structure without losing freshness. After malolactic fermentation, it spent two years in French oak. Small portions of Mourvèdre, Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache Noir from the Luddite vineyards were included in the final blend to fill out the mid-palate and add freshness.
It is recognisably Luddite: dark plum, mulberry, wildflowers, fynbos and mixed herbs, followed by firm tannins and a long, savoury finish with olive and a slight saltiness.
Christian Eedes awarded the wine 96 points, noting the balance between its concentrated fruit, vibrant acidity and crunchy tannins. It has the depth expected from Luddite Shiraz, but the 2022 is particularly well judged and detailed.
Three New Luddite Vintages and Another Look at the Shiraz 2022
Luddite has built a cult-like following over more than two decades, and for good reason. The wines are distinctive, full of personality and made with little interest in trends or technological shortcuts.
Niels and Penny Verburg released the first Luddite Shiraz from the 2000 vintage. Niels had confirmed his love for Shiraz while working a harvest in Australia, but it was time spent at a far less polished winery in Chile that helped shape his approach. The equipment was basic, but the quality of the fruit and the conviction behind the wines made a lasting impression.
That thinking still runs through Luddite. Good grapes, careful farming, natural fermentations and proper time in barrel matter more than a highly controlled cellar. Penny’s work is focused in the vineyards, while Niels and their daughter Alice make the wines.
The Verburgs’ Bot River vineyards sit on a hill with views across the valley. This is the source of the Luddite Chenin Blanc and the foundation of the flagship Shiraz. These wines are made in relatively small quantities and are given the time and handling needed to develop their particular texture and structure.
The Saboteur wines provide more room to work across the Cape South Coast. Fruit comes from the Luddite farm and selected vineyards in surrounding areas, with the blend changing according to the vintage. They are more immediately approachable than the flagship wines, but they are not simplified or lesser versions of Luddite. The same attention goes into the farming, individual fermentations and final blending.
Three new vintages have now arrived: Luddite Chenin Blanc 2025, ‘Saboteur’ White 2025 and ‘Saboteur’ Red 2023. We are also taking another look at the Luddite Shiraz 2022, a 96-point vintage that remains available.
THE WINES:
R2,800.00Original price was: R2,800.00.R2,660.00Current price is: R2,660.00.Add to basketLuddite Mixed Case 2026
This six-bottle case includes the three new Luddite vintages and another look at the flagship Shiraz 2022.
2 × Luddite ‘Saboteur’ White 2025
A Chenin-led blend with Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc and a small white field-blend component. Fresh and textured, with peach, apple, pear, floral notes and a long mineral finish.
2 × Luddite ‘Saboteur’ Red 2023
Shiraz, Mourvèdre, Grenache Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon. Juicy red fruit, dark cherry, damson plum and spice, supported by soft tannins.
1 × Luddite Chenin Blanc 2025
Bot River Chenin from the House and Dog blocks on the Luddite farm. Twenty days on the skins give the wine texture and savoury detail, balanced by yellow plum, gooseberry and salty citrus.
1 × Luddite Shiraz 2022
The flagship Luddite wine, matured for two years in French oak. Dark fruit, fynbos, herbs and olive, with firm tannins and a long savoury finish. Rated 96 points by Christian Eedes.
R205.00Add to basket
Luddite ‘Saboteur’ White 2025
The 2025 marks the eleventh vintage of ‘Saboteur’ White. Chenin Blanc remains the base, supported by Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc, or Blanc Fumé as it appears in the blend. This year, a small portion of white field blend was added to give the mid-palate more weight.
The final blend is 69% Chenin Blanc, 14% Viognier, 12% Sauvignon Blanc and 5% white field blend. The fruit came from six vineyards across Bot River, Stanford and Elgin.
Each component was treated according to what it could add to the final wine. Skin contact on the Chenin Blanc and Viognier developed texture, structure and a light tannic grip. A portion of Chenin was fermented in tank to preserve freshness, while the Sauvignon Blanc was whole-bunch pressed and transferred directly to barrel without settling. The barrel components spent 11 months in old French oak with regular lees stirring.
Slightly fuller than the 2024, it shows peach, apple, pear and floral notes, with a textured centre, gooseberry freshness and a long mineral finish.
This is what ‘Saboteur’ White does particularly well: it is interesting enough to pay attention to, but it does not need to be saved for a formal occasion.
R730.00Add to basket
Luddite Chenin Blanc 2025
Chenin Blanc has become an important part of Luddite, although production remains small. The 2025 comes entirely from the House and Dog blocks on the Luddite farm in Bot River.
Flavour ripeness arrived at lower sugar levels than in previous years. This allowed the Verburgs to make a wine with considerable weight and texture at only 10.7% alcohol.
The grapes were crushed and destemmed before fermenting naturally in open containers. Once fermentation was complete, the wine remained on its skins until Niels’s nerves gave in after 20 days. It was then pressed directly into barrel with plenty of sediment, followed by regular lees stirring to build the palate.
The result is not a conventional, fruit-forward Chenin. It opens with yellow plum, honey blossom, apple and pear, followed by gooseberry, a slightly salty mineral character and a lean, lime-driven finish. Savoury and herbaceous notes add another layer as the wine opens in the glass.
Only 3,300 bottles were produced.
R310.00Add to basket
Luddite ‘Saboteur’ Red 2023
‘Saboteur’ Red is always led by Shiraz, with the supporting varieties changing according to the vintage. The 2023 blend is 55% Shiraz, 20% Mourvèdre, 20% Grenache Noir and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.
The fruit came from three Bot River vineyards, including the Luddite farm. The Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache Noir and Mourvèdre were fermented in small open containers, with stalks used in some batches to bring freshness to the darker fruit. The Shiraz was fermented separately in stainless steel with regular pump-overs.
All four components were pressed directly into barrel and matured separately for 12 months before blending. Sixteen per cent new French oak was used.
Dark cherry, damson plum, cinnamon and allspice lead into juicy red fruit and a fresher sour-cherry note. The tannins are soft enough to make the wine approachable now, while the spice, structure and savoury detail give it more than simple immediate appeal.
R1,040.00Add to basket
Another Look at Luddite Shiraz 2022
The Luddite Shiraz 2022 is not part of the new release, but it deserves another look.
Shiraz was the beginning of Luddite and remains the wine most closely associated with Niels Verburg. The 2022 is based on fruit from the Old and Young blocks on the farm, picked over five days as each section reached the flavour Niels wanted.
Fermentation took place in stainless-steel tanks. Temperatures were kept cooler to retain fruit and extend the time on the skins, allowing the wine to develop structure without losing freshness. After malolactic fermentation, it spent two years in French oak. Small portions of Mourvèdre, Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache Noir from the Luddite vineyards were included in the final blend to fill out the mid-palate and add freshness.
It is recognisably Luddite: dark plum, mulberry, wildflowers, fynbos and mixed herbs, followed by firm tannins and a long, savoury finish with olive and a slight saltiness.
Christian Eedes awarded the wine 96 points, noting the balance between its concentrated fruit, vibrant acidity and crunchy tannins. It has the depth expected from Luddite Shiraz, but the 2022 is particularly well judged and detailed.
READ MORE ABOUT LUDDITE WINES