5 Minutes with... Sam Raats of Raats Family Wines in Stellenbosch

The estate's second generation on why the Polkadraai Hills suits Cabernet Franc, what the Loire taught him, and a most Afrikaans way of describing the grape.

Jul 21, 2026

In 2000, Bruwer Raats set out to make world-class Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc from the then relatively unknown, cooler, western part of Stellenbosch known as the Polkadraai Hills. At the time, virtually no one was making single varietal Cabernet Franc. It was relegated to a supporting variety in blends, as is often the case in many regions around the world. Bruwer believed the grape was capable of much more, and that the Polkadraai Hills had the terroir to coax out the elegant, characterful expressions he was after.

Today, Sam Raats, Bruwer’s son, is working alongside his father with the same relentless enthusiasm for Cabernet Franc and a deep desire to make exceptional, terroir-driven wines. During my visit to South Africa in December of last year, Sam and I toured the family’s most important Cabernet Franc parcels and discussed how each vineyard shapes the wine it becomes. Afterwards, I sat down with Sam1 for a brief conversation about his love of the Polkadraai Hills, the Loire Valley, and the grape that his family helped put front and center on South Africa’s wine map.

CFC: You spend a lot of time in the vineyards here, and your Cabernet Franc’s identity is the Polkadraai Hills. What makes Polkadraai so special for Cabernet Franc?

SR: I think Cabernet Franc thrives with a cooler climate and environment, and that’s what Polkadraai has. We’re sitting here at five o’clock in the afternoon, and it’s cool. As much as it is warm, it’s cool. Polkadraai’s ability to produce versatile, quality Cabernet Franc really comes back to that.

CFC: We’re drinking a Charles Joguet Chinon Rosé right now. You’ve worked a couple harvests at Domaine Charles Joguet and spent a bit of time in the Loire. What is something South African winemakers could take away from spending time with the vignerons there, whether that be in the vineyard or the cellar?

SR: One of the biggest things I learned when I was there, we actually just mentioned it out on the vineyard, is the site-specific research being done. At Domaine Charles Joguet, they’re working with different vineyards scattered around Chinon, and instead of focusing singularly on one area, they discover the whole area they’re working with: the climatic changes, the soils, the weather patterns. Those little nuances I learned in the Loire - really understanding your vineyard to the max - are something that inspired me to want to understand that here as well.

CFC: That’s such a key takeaway. Great Cabernet Franc really does start in the vineyard. Now, I’ve tasted a lot of Cabernet Francs from across Stellenbosch this week. Can you name one from outside Polkadraai that you’ve tasted recently that spoke to you?

SR: We tasted together the Oldenburg Vineyards Cabernet Franc from the Banghoek Valley. I didn’t know they could produce a Cabernet Franc like that up there. For me, Oldenburg’s Cabernet Franc was top-notch.

CFC: Final question, describe Cabernet Franc in three words for you.

SR: Three words is tough. But if I had to - versatile is probably top. Then historic — that also feels important for Cabernet Franc. And lekker. It’s just lekker. It’s a lekker grape, it’s a lekker wine.

CFC: For those who don’t speak Afrikaans, what is the translation of “lekker”?

SR: Lekker can mean a variety of things, but in this sense, it just means it’s good, it’s top, there’s nothing wrong with it. I’ll tell you this wine is lekker, you don’t have to think about it. It’s delicious! You can’t do better than it. So, Cabernet Franc is lekker.

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