Tucked away in a corner, at the end of a dirt road leading out of Wellington in the Boland, you will find the rustic, unassuming organic estate, Upland. You could be forgiven for thinking you were in Tuscany, as apart from the Hawekwa mountain range, which cradles the estate, there is a similar wonderfully rustic and timeless feel to this part of the world.

Upland - the name comes from the English for Boland - is a small QCS certified fruit and wine farm that has been producing world class organic Brandy, Grappa, Port and Cabernet Sauvignon for over a decade. Upland's organic Grappa won the 'World's Best Grappa' at the Guldkorken International Competition in Stockholm and its list of international and local awards is impressive.

What makes Upland unique is the dedication of its owners. For the past eleven years, Dr Edmund Oettlé and his wife, Elsie, have faithfully implemented organic farming techniques. As Edmund says, for him, 'Organic is primarily philosophical as opposed to agricultural.' Organic farming needs to be economically viable and sustainable in the long term and therefore making use of natural fertilizers and pest control is not a quick-fix solution, but rather a slow, sustainable process.

The Upland motto plays on the words 'our products don't 'Cost the Earth' and the Oettlé's believe whole-heartedly in the need to be good stewards of the resources which Upland has been blessed with.

The farming techniques they employ have resulted in a vast improvement and richness in the soil, which is reflected in the robustness of their wines.