STELLAR WINERY

About Stellar Winery
Stellar Organic Winery is situated in the Lower Olifants River Valley in a semi-arid area known as Namaqualand, named after the nomadic Nama people who were its original inhabitants. The magnificent cosmic displays in the night sky give the winery its name.

Stellar’s reputation is built on innovative winemaking, eco-friendly farming and production and fair trading. The first vintage from organically-grown grapes was released in 2001 and since then the cellar’s output has grown to over 2 million bottles a year. Stellar Organics is the no.1 organic wine brand in the UK and our products are an Ethical Consumer Best Buy.

Twelve independent farms supply the winery with organic, fair trade grapes, making up the Stellar Winery Multi-Estate. The farms are situated in the Lower Olifants River Valley, from Trawal in the south through to Koekenaap, close to the mouth of the Olifants River on the Atlantic coast. The cultivars grown are: Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Muscat d’Alexandrie, Colombar, Semillon, Viognier, Cabernet Sauvignon, Ruby Cabernet, Shiraz, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Pinotage and red and white Muscadel.

Brands
Stellar products are sold in the United Kingdom, Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Sweden, Denmark, Canada, Italy, the United States and South Africa.

The main Stellar wine brands are Stellar Organics, Live-a-Little, Stellar Organics No-Added-Sulphur, Heaven on Earth and Stellar Reserve. We have also developed a number of parallel brands for our various markets abroad. These include Moonlight Organics, Sunshine Organics, Natural Star, African Star, Running Duck, Ithemba and Firefly.

Stellar supplies own-brand wine to a number of large retailers worldwide, including Sainsburys in the UK, La Place in The Netherlands and Woolworths in South Africa.

What is Organic and what is organic wine?
Organic refers to a system of farming that maintains and replenishes the fertility of the soil. The grapes are grown without the use of chemical pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, or fertilizers. Only compost and organic materials are used, with indigenous vegetation for mulching.

Weeds and pests are controlled using environmentally sound practices that sustain the health of our planet and ultimately our own well being. In the cellar the maximum allowable quantity of sulphur dioxide is half that of the maximum permitted for conventional wines and chemicals are forbidden.

Organic wines are wines produced from organically-grown grapes. A small quantity of sulphur dioxide preservative is permitted in these wines.

In addition to its standard organic product, Stellar also produces a range of organic wines made without added sulphur dioxide to cater for those with a sensitivity to this substance.

Stellar Winery is certified by Control Union Certifications, an organic inspection company supervised by the Dutch Accreditation Council RvA, which ensures that EU criteria for organic agriculture and production are strictly adhered to. Stellar products are also approved by the USDA/NOP. Our Organic Certification number is: CU 021 094

No-sulphur-added wines
These are wines produced without the addition of sulphur dioxide at any stage of the winemaking process.

Sulphur dioxide is one of the oldest known food additives and has been used in wine since ancient times when sulphur was burnt before sealing the wine in the barrels. It also develops naturally in wine as part of the fermentation process.

However it is also added as a preservative to prevent oxidation of the wine and at the grape-crushing stage as a cleansing agent to kill unwanted bacteria and wild yeasts.

Modern production techniques and equipment make the use of sulphur dioxide less critical than in the past. Standards of hygiene in cellars are much improved and the widespread use of stainless steel makes cleaning much easier. With the selection of healthy, good quality fruit at optimum ripeness in the vineyard, there is little need to use large amounts of sulphur dioxide at the start of the winemaking process.

In 2004 the first no-added-sulphur wines hit the market and have been a runaway success. Stellar is the global leader in the production of these wines, which are much sought-after in markets at home and abroad.

Fair trading
All the farms and the winery have fair trade structures. Fair trade premiums and community improvement projects are managed by workers who serve on the fair trade committees. The workers have a 26% share in the winery as well as in other economic interests as beneficiaries of the Stellar Empowerment Trust. Community projects in the areas of home improvements, health, education and sport and recreation have been successfully implemented and will in future be managed by the Stellar Foundation, a non-profit organisation.