South Africa · Darling

Testalonga

Swartland wines from Craig and Carla Hawkins, rooted in Chenin Blanc, organic vineyards and expressive low-intervention cellar work.

The producer

Testalonga began in the Swartland in 2008, when Craig and Carla Hawkins made a Chenin Blanc with four weeks of skin maceration. The project still centres on grapes, organically farmed vineyards and handling that lets Chenin show either bright fruit or firmer skin-derived texture.

Granite Paardeberg and sandstone Piketberg sites supply separate vineyard material, while Bandits Kloof has been planted with Mediterranean varieties since 2018. Mielie offers a more approachable starting point; Baby Bandito sits at medium body; El Bandito brings more structure. Across the range, wild fermentation, concrete, stainless steel and old oak support dry citrus, pear, floral notes, savoury grip and fresh acidity rather than overt new-oak flavour.

Known for

Swartland Chenin Blanc and Mediterranean-variety wines shaped by organic farming, skin contact and restrained use of old oak and concrete.

Notable facts

The story

The First Testalonga Wine

In 2008, Craig and Carla Hawkins started Testalonga with Chenin Blanc left on its skins for four weeks. Instead of separating the juice from the skins before fermentation as in a typical white wine, they let the grapes macerate together. The wine took colour and tannin from the skins, changing its body and texture from that of a straightforward pressed Chenin. This skin-macerated Chenin Blanc became the project’s first wine. The later range would include direct white wines and bottles handled in other ways, but the label began with this one four-week cellar decision.

From the atlas

Testalonga

At A Glance

Testalonga is Craig and Carla Hawkins’s Swartland project, begun in 2008 with a Chenin Blanc left on its skins for four weeks. That first orange-tinged experiment still points to the useful thread through the range: grapes from organically farmed sites, handling that lets skins and lees affect texture, and bottles that can be dry, savoury and firmly shaped rather than softened by new oak or additions.

The Producer

The Hawkinses make Testalonga in South Africa’s Swartland, working with Chenin Blanc as a central grape while planting Mediterranean varieties at Bandits Kloof. Their stated aim is wine made solely from grapes. In practice, that directs attention to vineyard fruit and fermentation: a Chenin can show citrus and pear, or gain grip and deeper colour when its skins stay with the juice.

Place

Swartland is the regional address on the label, but Testalonga’s fruit does not come from one uniform block. The Hawkinses have rented Paardeberg vineyards and Piketberg vineyards, then added Bandits Kloof plantings from 2018. Those separate sites allow Chenin Blanc and Mediterranean varieties to enter different cuvées, so a bottle can show its grape and handling without pretending every vineyard tastes alike.

Soil And Site

Eleven hectares of rented Paardeberg vines grow on granite, while four hectares in Piketberg sit on sandstone. Bandits Kloof is described through slate and sandstone soils, where the first vineyards were planted in 2018. These are physical distinctions rather than label decoration: different ground and separate vineyards provide the raw material for wines ranging from direct, fruit-led whites to skin-contact Chenin with more tannin and texture.

Story

Testalonga began with a decision that was visible in the first glass: Chenin Blanc was macerated on skins for four weeks. Craig and Carla Hawkins later began planting Bandits Kloof, a property that had not previously been planted to vines, with Mediterranean varieties as the focus. The project therefore moved from rented parcels of Chenin and other fruit toward a newer planted source, while keeping the same interest in grape material, skin contact and site-led bottlings.

Vineyards And Cellar

Every vineyard Craig Hawkins has farmed, owned or rented, has been organic from the outset, and winter cover crops are planted throughout the vineyards. Cover crops keep living growth between the rows in winter; the consequence in the winery is not a promised flavour, but fruit grown under a consistent farming approach before it is picked for dry wines.

Wild fermentation, gentle maceration and a mix of stainless steel, concrete tanks and old 400- or 500-litre oak barrels shape the cellar work. Stainless steel can keep a white wine’s citrus and apple notes direct; concrete and old oak can broaden its body without an obvious new-oak flavour. When skins remain with Chenin, they also bring colour, savoury notes and a light tannin grip that changes the finish.

Wines

The range is arranged as cuvée families rather than a formal ladder. Mielie is the more approachable line, Baby Bandito occupies a medium-bodied space, El Bandito carries more structure, and Bandits Kloof draws on the newer Mediterranean-variety plantings. That structure gives a useful choice between lighter fruit and more substantial texture, rather than asking every bottle to do the same job.

Mielie Testalonga Banditskloof comes from the newer vineyard direction, while Baby Bandito Keep on Punching keeps Chenin Blanc in view. The 2024 Keep on Punching listing includes Chenin Blanc and Grenache Blanc; the 2025 wine is documented as 100% Chenin Blanc from Bandits Kloof. Chenin Blanc de Maceration takes the grape toward skin-contact structure, where citrus and stone fruit can be joined by earthier, more savoury grip.

In The Glass

Across the documented Mielie and Chenin wines, look for green apple, white flowers, citrus, yellow pear, gooseberry and nectarine before the palate broadens. The fruit is not simply sweet: grilled lemon, herbs and beeswax point toward dry wine with a savoury edge. Acidity keeps the mouthfeel moving, while concrete ageing, old barrels or skin contact can add body and texture instead of a loud vanilla-oak finish.

Keep on Punching makes the contrast clear. In the white-wine direction, Chenin can carry citrus, pear and floral notes with dry acidity. In the macerated direction, time with skins adds colour and tannin, leaving a firmer, more textured finish. The result is not one fixed Testalonga taste, but a recognisable interest in fruit, grip and uncomplicated cellar materials.

A Bottle To Understand It

Start with Mielie Testalonga Banditskloof. It connects the newer Bandits Kloof vineyard project with the Mielie family’s more approachable role, while documented Mielie Green material shows concrete-tank ageing rather than a new-oak frame. Expect dry citrus, green apple and yellow pear, with floral notes, a rounded mid-palate and acidity that keeps the finish clean. It introduces the producer’s newer planted source before moving into the more tannic Chenin Blanc de Maceration or the fuller El Bandito wines.

Anecdote

In 2008, Craig and Carla Hawkins began Testalonga by making Chenin Blanc with four weeks of skin maceration. The juice did not go straight from pressed grapes to a conventional white-wine fermentation: it remained with the skins long enough to take on colour, texture and tannin. That wine was the first Testalonga release. Years later, when the Hawkinses began planting Bandits Kloof in 2018, they focused the new vineyards on Mediterranean grape varieties, but the original Chenin remained a concrete starting point for the label’s interest in what grape skins can bring to a dry wine.

Final Word

Testalonga is most clearly understood through the movement from site to handling: granite and sandstone vineyards, organically farmed rows, Chenin Blanc, then a choice between direct fruit, concrete-grown texture or skin-contact grip. Begin with Mielie, then follow Chenin into Keep on Punching or Chenin Blanc de Maceration.

Sources

Open Testalonga in the interactive map →