Black Oystercatcher, Company

Wine producer, Dirk Human, is the owner, winemaker and viticulturist of the Black Oystercatcher boutique wines. The Human Family has farmed successfully on the Moddervlei farm, where the Black Oystercatcher winery and restaurant are housed, for generations. The farm is situated between the small towns of Elim, Bredasdorp and Agulhas, in the Overberg region in South Africa. In 1998, Dirk and his family decided to live their dream - by planting vineyards on the property. Dirk's knowledge of the land with its sand plains, wetlands, extensive limestone and calcareous dunes enabled him to select the perfect location for the Black Oystercatcher's vineyards. In so doing, Dirk became one of the pioneers to establish vineyards in the maritime ward of Elim. By 2003, the first boutique wines were bottled. Dirk named the new wines after the rare Black Oystercatcher birds, which, like the grapes, thrive along the coastline around the cool tip of Africa, Today, only 30 000 bottles of Black Oystercatcher boutique wines are produced a year - making the wines truly exclusive. The Elim wine ward has also since become one of the most closely watched wine producing regions in the world. In 2008, Dirk again lived his dream, opening the Black Oystercatcher Restaurant. The restaurant follows Dirk's own motto: to live by the season. Dirk and his wife Sandra run the restaurant with an experienced chef and staff who bring a professional approach to the venue. Dirk's next goal? To bring the world to his doorstep in the Elim wine ward, and show them the uniqueness of this southern-most wine-producing region.