Luca and Ingrid Bein are newcomers outside Stellenbosch but making already waves with an award-winning Merlot. On their maiden visit to South Africa, they fell in love with the abundant beauty of the Cape Winelands. Years later Luca and Ingrid Bein, both veterinary doctors in Switzerland, bought a plot deep in the heart of the Winelands, called Petrus Place. And it wasn't long after, that they shut up shop in Switzerland and put down their roots in the rich African soil for once and for all. With wine as an everlasting passion, they decided to go back to University, attending lectures at the renowned University of Stellenbosch, where both of them awarded BSc degrees in viticulture and oenology.

In 2002, they produced their first wine and called it “Bein Merlot”, but it could also be named “a wine born from passion”. Their Petrus Place vineyard comprises 2.2 hectares under Merlot vines. This small size allows a caring and responsible viticulture with attention to details, ideal for optimal expression of the terroir. It is situated on the cooler southern slopes of the Polkadraai Hills, and is blessed with deep and highly weathered granite soils. The climate is Mediterranean with dry, sunny summers. The proximity to the coast, with its beautiful direct view to the False Bay, ensures a constant breeze providing the necessary coolness and air humidity during the warm summer months - important for a slow and even ripening.

Their latest cellar was designed according the latest oenological standards; it is specifically tailored for the production of their handcrafted quality Merlot. Built in the typical Cape Dutch style, it fits perfectly into the existing landscape. The internal layout is designed for an optimal processing of fruit and wine, and the careful planning resulted in a cellar in which to work is a great pleasure. There are no fancy gadgets, though all the tools are of modern standard: temperature-controlled stainless steel fermenters for a smooth fermentation, a traditional though modern basket press for gentle juice extraction, and the air-conditioned barrel cellar and in their storage room they mature the young wine to perfection. Their “Bein Merlot” is a classic red wine of olfactory complexity and tasting elegance. Naturally limited to exclusive quantities, it expresses its true origin, best described as a nonconformist wine with optimum expression of the terroir.