Naked Lady Wines

Naked Lady Wines was purchased by Mike and Diane Quaife in 2013 to complete their dream of owning and producing their own wine.

Their vines were planted in 2000, The Cabernet and Chardonnay ideal for a cool climate. A whirlwind introduction via YouTube, some invaluable advice from the previous owners and a fantastic winemaker has led Diane and Mike to producing some award winning fine cool climate wines.

At the vineyard they offer wine tasting, lunch platters and pizzas, and have guest accommodation in their home.

Amaryllis belladonna, known as Naked Ladies or Belladonnas. They’re South African bulbs that come from the western side of the Cape, Naked Ladies get their name from the habit of flowering before the foliage in autumn. They send up sturdy spikes of flowers (either pink or white) which have a delicate apricot aroma. As far as hardy goes, these guys are the ultimate survivors. When you plant them, you plant them fairly high so that only their necks out of the ground – this is because they actually like to bake and they need the heat to flower well.

They’ll grow without any soil preparation and they’ll flower without supplementary watering – in fact if watered, they probably won’t flower. They can be a bit temperamental when first planted however and you may not get flowers for the first couple of years. So why are they called Naked Lady Wines? Because, the Naked Lady Lily grows abundantly throughout the vineyard.