Why it matters
The producer
Hannes Storm spent 13 years as winemaker at Hamilton Russell, completing 12 vintages before he and Nathalia began Storm Wines. Their own range began with Pinot Noir and now includes Chardonnay, using Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley and Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge to show how the same grapes change between shale and granite sites.
Storm Wines started with two Pinot Noir plantings in 2008, one in Hemel-en-Aarde Valley and one in Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. Those vineyards became Vrede and Ignis, and a later Ridge site completed a Pinot Noir set across all three Hemel-en-Aarde appellations. Chardonnay followed the same Vrede-and-Ridge pattern, turning the range into a focused comparison of place: Valley shale, Upper Valley granite, and the cooler Ridge shale site.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Hemel-en-Aarde lies behind Hermanus, about 120 kilometres from Cape Town, where Atlantic influence, the Southeaster and the cool Benguela Current temper the growing season. Pinot Noir can therefore hold acidity while ripening its red and dark fruit, and Chardonnay can keep citrus and herbal lift beneath creamier, oak-shaped texture.
Vrede grows on low-vigour, stony, clay-rich Bokkeveld shale in Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, on a steep northeast-facing slope planted in 2008. Ridge occupies similarly clay-rich Bokkeveld shale higher on the cool eastern side of Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge. Ignis, also planted in 2008, sits on a northern Upper Valley slope where round pebbles cover decomposed granite; its name refers to granite’s fire-formed origin. These are not interchangeable parcels: the shale sites supply firmer shape and darker savoury notes, while Ignis is associated with lighter-bodied Pinot and powdery tannin.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
The work is deliberately site-led: low-vigour soils and carefully managed vineyards provide concentrated fruit without relying on a broad, ripe house style. In the cellar, minimal intervention, native fermentation where documented and older French oak keep Pinot Noir’s fruit, earth and tannin in view. Ridge Chardonnay also spends part of its élevage in clay amphora, adding a creamy, savoury texture while the Ridge site’s acidity carries the finish.
Wines to know
The range in view
Vrede Pinot Noir and Vrede Chardonnay come from the Valley’s shale slope; Ignis Pinot Noir is the granite-grown Upper Valley wine; Ridge Pinot Noir and Ridge Chardonnay come from the higher Ridge shale. Ignis Pinot Noir 2022 brings red cherry, wild strawberry, fynbos and spice with zesty acidity and a lighter body. The Chardonnay pair broadens the range: Vrede 2023 combines peach, lemon, orange, vanilla and spice, while Ridge 2023 moves toward blossom, citrus, pineapple, herbs and nuts, with a creamy palate and savoury close.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
Begin with Vrede Pinot Noir 2022. It comes from Storm’s first Valley planting, a steep northeast-facing shale slope planted in 2008, and it puts the project’s central contrast into one glass: dark cherry fruit and earth, spice rather than obvious oak, bright acidity and firm tannin. At 13.5% alcohol, it has enough body for the tannin to feel built into the wine rather than drying at the edges. The long, dry finish makes it a useful first look at what the Vrede site contributes to Storm’s Pinot Noir.