Cavalli Estate
Wine, cuisine & experiences in the heart of the Cape Winelands
{ Scroll }
01. Context
Cavalli Estate is a 110-hectare wine estate in the Helderberg, Stellenbosch — one of South Africa’s most prestigious wine regions. It’s more than a winery: it’s a destination that brings together a Green Star-rated restaurant, an equestrian centre, indigenous gardens designed by Keith Kirsten, an art gallery, a boutique, and soon, a hotel.
02. Challenge
The previous site, built eight years ago, had outgrown its structure and no longer reflected the scale or ambition of the brand. The challenge was to distil a complex ecosystem of experiences (wine, dining, equestrian, events, online shop) into a coherent digital narrative. To help users quickly understand what Cavalli is and enjoy its full ecosystem. Without overwhelming, without losing anything essential, and with an online shop that felt part of the experience rather than a separate destination.
03. Approach
We rebuilt the content architecture from what they already had, keeping what worked and removing what didn’t. What were previously fragmented pages became a clean structure where each section serves as a gateway to a different facet of the estate. Experiences are grouped by category with filters and cross-referenced across sections, reinforcing the idea of Cavalli as a single destination. The wine shop was visually integrated as part of the journey — not a jump to another site.
Where vineyards meet mountains, horses graze among indigenous gardens, the kitchen draws from its own soil and every glass of wine tells the story of the land it comes from — Cavalli is not a place you visit, it’s a place that stays with you.
04. Design
The visual direction builds on Cavalli’s existing identity and elevates it. A display serif typeface with character, a warm palette of earth tones and creams that breathes the Helderberg, and a generous use of photography as narrative vehicle. Each section alternates reading rhythms — editorial blocks, full-bleed compositions, product grids — to maintain visual tension without overwhelming.
05. Creative Concept
The arch is the graphic element that defines the wine section. Inspired by the gables of Cape Dutch architecture — the visual language that has defined Stellenbosch wine estates for over three centuries — it works as a threshold: an invitation to step into Cavalli’s world of wine. It appears as a hero frame, a product window, a container for wine cards. A form rooted in the place that frames the product without needing to explain it.
06. User Experience
Navigation was radically simplified compared to the previous site. Dropdowns organised by section give direct access to any part of the estate. Experiences work as cards in a filterable grid with detail in modal — bookings one click away. E-commerce integrates through a slide-in cart and checkout that maintain the site’s aesthetic, making buying wine part of the experience rather than an isolated transaction.
Did you like what
you saw?
you saw?
Maybe you need
to see more
to see more
Digital brand adaptation
Strategy Content