Stephen de Wet

"If I had my life over, I would ask for nothing more than to be involved with my two passions - as I am now - wine and horses.

My greatest pleasure has been to start Arabella, my winery, from scratch in 2006. With the help of my children Nicky and Jamie, it's turned into a real family business where everyone is completely dedicated.

My family owned a wine farm and cellar when I was growing up, and at the age of 17, before I went off to the army, my mother put me to work in the cellar. I absolutely loved it - and my mother arranged for me to do a one year student course at Geisenheim (the home of a well-known research and education centre in oenology and viticulture). So winemaking was something I knew I wanted to do from a young age...

I love the creativity involved in being a winemaker. Although the weather can play a role, every step taken, from the vineyard, through to the cellar, to the bottling, will affect the outcome of the wine. It's vital to have a very clear idea of what the outcome should be, and the steps needed in the process, to achieve the desired result.

Are we a green winery? Yes, very. All our waste water is used to irrigate our pastures, no detergents are used, and grape skins and stalks are converted into compost and used in the vineyard."