Achim’s life drew people in, rich with imagination, mischief and a deep instinct for beauty. To him, wine was never merely a product. “Wine is memory,” he believed, and his life’s work was devoted to creating moments worth remembering.
His journey began as a young cellar master at Boschendal, where he helped pioneer South African wine by producing the country’s second Cap Classique and its first Chardonnay Pinot Noir blend. From the beginning, he understood wine as an art form and the land as a storyteller.
That belief led him to Franschhoek, beneath the Middagkrans mountain, where—with the steadfast support of his wife and partner of more than 56 years, Hildegard von Arnim—he founded Haute Cabrière. Together they built an estate rooted in tradition, family and purpose.
Here, Achim created…
