Born and raised in Cape Town, Neville Dorrington originally started his career manufacturing luxury leather goods but chose to abandon Cape Town for some country living with his family in 1996.
Opting for the then unfashionable Tulbagh, he bought a property of 136 hectares, virgin land roamed by cattle, but never before cultivated. His idea to begin farming there was unorthodox, to say the least. Though advised to plant fruit, he was intent on making exceptional wine and set about planting 31ha of vineyard and has never looked back since then.
He is the viticulturist at Rijk's and a lover of soil and sea, sailing far and wide. His favourite Rijk's wine is The Master from Rijk's Estate.