What is Lynx Wines known for?

Rhône-leaning reds — above all its Shiraz, the award-winning flagship, made entirely from estate-grown fruit. It's one of the smallest wine estates in Franschhoek, producing only a couple of thousand cases a year, which makes a visit feel personal rather than processed. Come for serious wine and an unpretentious welcome.

How did Lynx Wines get its name?

When Dieter and Diana Sellmeyer were deciding what to call the label, their farm workers came running to say they'd finally seen — not just tracked — the shy, nocturnal caracal 'lynx' that visited the property. The name stuck. It's a fitting emblem for a small, quietly excellent estate that rewards those who seek it out.

Lynx Wines

Franschhoek is full of grand names and grander gates. Lynx is the antidote — the valley's smallest estate, where an engineer traded his career for a vineyard, grubbed up the table grapes, and planted Rhône reds along the Wemmershoek River. What he grows now is an award-laden Shiraz and one of Franschhoek's warmest, least pretentious welcomes. Seek it out; that's rather the point.

The engineer who planted a vineyard

Here's the origin story worth knowing. Dieter Sellmeyer bought a table-grape farm on the edge of the valley in the late 1990s, walked away from engineering, and did the hard, unglamorous thing: pulled out the eating grapes and replanted for wine, bottling his first vintage in 2002. (Dates flagged for verification.)

The name came from the land itself. When Dieter and Diana Sellmeyer were casting about for a label, their workers came running one day to report they'd finally seen — not just tracked — the shy, nocturnal cat that prowled the farm. The Lynx was born. It's the perfect emblem for the place: small, elusive, and worth the patience it takes to find.

Small on purpose

Understand the scale before you visit, because it's the whole charm. This is one of the tiniest estates in Franschhoek, turning out only a couple of thousand cases a year. That means no coach parties, no numbered pouring stations, no sense of being processed — just a personal tasting at a working farm where the person across the counter might well have made the wine. In a valley that can feel like a luxury conveyor belt, Lynx feels like someone's home. Book ahead in high season, but expect calm.

This is the anti-château Franschhoek stop — small, personal, and all the better for it.

The wines: Rhône, and mostly red

The house is built on Rhône varieties, and the Shiraz is the flagship for good reason. Made entirely from estate-grown fruit, it's collected a stack of awards — a genuinely serious wine from a genuinely small cellar, structured and peppery and built to reward a few years in the rack. It's the bottle to lead with and the one to take home.

Above it sits The Lynx, the premium blend — the estate at full stretch, and the wine to lay down. There's usually a perfumed Viognier for the white drinkers, plus playful bottlings (look for "The French Connection") that show the estate doesn't take itself too seriously even when the wine is excellent. Franschhoek's reputation rests heavily on its Cap Classique and its Sémillon; Lynx makes the quieter case that the valley grows lovely warm-climate reds too.

Building the day

Lynx sits toward the Wemmershoek end of the valley, a little apart from the main-street bustle — which makes it a perfect first or last stop, a moment of quiet to bookend a day of bigger names. Pair it with a grand estate for the spectacle, then come here for the substance and the conversation. If you're planning the whole outing, our perfect day in Franschhoek and where-to-stay guides will slot it into a route.

What to buy

One bottle home? The Shiraz — the flagship, the award-winner, and the clearest taste of what this small estate does best. Step up to The Lynx blend if you want something to cellar, and grab the Viognier for a warm evening. Whatever you choose, you'll have bought from a genuine single-property estate — vine to bottle, all in one small, characterful place.