Cloverfield Private Cellar

Cloverfield Private Cellar / Cloverfield Estate: Marais family on the R317

Cloverfield (styled Cloverfield Estate on the official site and Cloverfield Private Cellar on many route listings) is a Marais family wine farm on the R317 outside Robertson. The site opens with an age gate, then a visitor-facing home that stresses wine tasting, an emporium, picnics, dog-friendly farm walks, birdwatching, fishing at the dam, occasional fun/colour runs, and event hire—more outdoor farm product than a single tasting-bar stop.

Pieter Marais acquired the land from neighbour Duncan Barry in 1917; the family’s first vintage is dated 1945. Today brothers Cobus (winemaking) and Henry (marketing) carry the brand; the four-leaf clover crest ties to Liz Caine Marais’s Irish lineage after the 1978 marriage to Pietie Marais.

Terroir & grapes

Official About copy places roughly 110 hectares under vine between the Langeberg to the north and the Breede River to the south, with lime-rich soils and alluvial ground along the river. Varieties named on the estate pages include Chardonnay, Shiraz, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Colombar, Pinot Gris, Cinsaut, and Merlot (route lists sometimes add others—treat the About page as primary). Cloverfield also markets table grapes (Sweet Globe, Sweet Celebration, Sweet Joy, Crimson, Scarlotta, Red Globe) for local and export channels—distinct from the wine emporium but part of the farm’s agricultural identity.

Shop bottles listed on the live WooCommerce shop include Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, wooded Chardonnay, Shiraz, Shamrock Red, and Tabouraux—prices change; use the shop for current rand figures.

What to do on a visit (official activity list)

From the home page “What we offer” block:

• Wine tasting — wines for tasting and purchase
• Emporium — snacks, gifts, home and garden items, coffee, preserves, décor alongside wine
• Picnic — snacks from the emporium with wine on the farm
• Doggy farm walks — dogs welcome on leisurely farm walks
• Farm runs/walks — trails for fitness and nature
• Bird watching — picnic-and-bird day positioning
• Fishing at the dam and special-event / kids’ party hire are also described in the welcome copy

This is a working farm with leisure space—not a restaurant with a published à la carte kitchen. Do not invent platter menus or restaurant service beyond the emporium/picnic framing.

Hours & tasting fee (resolve Saturday by phone)

Official cloverfield.co.za HTML does not publish a clean Mon–Sat hours block on the fetched home/about pages. Tertiary sources diverge:

• Robertson Tourism: Mon–Fri 09:00–16:00; Saturdays & public holidays by arrangement for groups larger than 6; tasting fee R50 pp
• SA-Venues: Mon–Fri 09:00–17:00; Sat & general PH 11:00–16:00
• Wined: Mon–Fri 08:00–17:00; PH listed; thin tasting detail

Research rule: treat Saturday as unconfirmed without a phone call to +27 23 626 4118. Prefer email info@cloverfield.co.za or sales@cloverfield.co.za for groups. The R50 fee is tourism-published, not a dedicated tariff card on the fetched official HTML—confirm when you book.

Contacts & social

How Cloverfield fits a Robertson itinerary

Use Cloverfield when you want space—walks, dogs, picnic, emporium browsing—plus a private-cellar tasting, rather than a fine-dining cellar door. Pair with Bon Courage or De Wetshof on the same R317 loop only if you have phoned ahead for Saturday or group timing. International agents and wholesalers are explicitly invited on the site; leisure visitors should still start with tasting-room email/phone.

The Huguenot-rooted Marais story on the About page is heritage framing, not a walk-in museum tour—ask staff what farm experiences are active on your day (runs and colour runs are occasional, not daily).

FAQ

Is it Cloverfield Estate or Private Cellar?

Both names appear: Cloverfield Estate on the official site title/branding; Private Cellar on Wined and some route copy. Same Marais farm on the R317.

Is there a restaurant?

No full restaurant is claimed on official pages. Expect emporium snacks and self-directed picnics, not a plated restaurant product.

Can I bring my dog?

Yes—doggy farm walks are an official offering. Keep dogs under control on a working farm; ask staff about tasting-room dog rules on arrival.

Saturday tasting?

Phone ahead. Tourism says arrangement for groups >6; other directories disagree. Do not assume walk-in Saturday hours from SA-Venues alone.

Research flags

Official activity list strong; published tasting tariff rests on Robertson Tourism (R50) not a dedicated cloverfield tariff block. Saturday hours conflict across tourism / SA-Venues / map listings—call. Instagram/YouTube full URLs not verified—null. Email corrected to info@ (sales@ also live). Do NOT merge master CSV.