TERROIR AND CLIMATE

De Rustica is situated in the valley of the Nels river in the Oudemuragie district of the Klein Karoo near the town of De Rust. The valley is contiguous to the protected Cape Nature Reserve that forms the picturesque Swartberg mountain chain.

The farm is on the lower slopes of the mountains starting at 325m and lifting to 675m. Our soils vary considerably from shallow sandy soils on the higher slopes to deeper alluvial soils at the bottom of the valley. We focus on select areas that are well-drained for planting and plant cultivars that flourish in each set of circumstances.

Higher orchards also have distinctly differentiated micro-climates to lower-lying ones, presenting opportunities to spread the harvest schedule, as well as optimise terroir-cultivar selection.

Although we are in the arid Klein Karoo biome, our mountain slopes allow De Rustica to enjoy higher average annual rainfall and cooling breezes that moderate excessive summer heat.

Clear skies, altitude and desert-like conditions result in a high daynight temperature range which is thought to stimulate healthy circulation in our trees and augment the flavour of our olives.

In winter these clear conditions cause low morning temperatures and frost, enabling our trees to rest during winter dormancy, and providing essential cold units for bud development.

Whereas in the past, snow was a defining feature of the Swartberg mountains during winter, nowadays it is only present for two to three weeks a year, raising the alarm on Climate change and global warming. Nonetheless to date, the cold units remain sufficient to induce the required restorative dormancy in our olive trees.