Fairview Oom Pagel Semillon 2009

As a young boy, I spent hours listening to the anecdotes of an old man who we affectionately called Oom Pagel (Uncle Pagel). He was a handsome man with a drooping moustache, a descendent of the Malay slaves brought to the Cape by the Dutch. I was fascinated by his stories which spanned a century of the life and times at Fairview. These stories instilled in me a love of the land and a respect for the people who worked it. Between all these stories, Oom Pagel still found time to grow champion vegetables. Oom Pagel’s 12 children were born at Fairview, and a number of his grand and great-grand children live and work with us today. Semillon was Oom Pagel’s favourite grape, so it is fitting that we honour him with this wine.
Charles Back Read more »

Fairview Caldera 2008

A Calderata is the traditional Catalan upright earthenware pot used for the preparation of deep, flavourful dishes. This wine is a perfect match for these, as well as the rustic flavours of Cape Mediterranean cooking. Read more »

Fairview The Beacon Shiraz 2006

At 33°44’ latitude 18°48’ longitude, the surveyor general’s trigonometric beacon 194 rises above a mound of ancient metamorphic shale. Formerly the bed of a primordial ocean, these shales were blasted into a mound by the heating actions of magma penetrating close to the earth’s surface. The Dreyer family has farmed in Paarl since 1705. Willie, the present generation Dreyer farmer, has an intimate knowledge of dry land farming. Unirrigated bush vines battle through large, flat, grey shale stone. The roots must claw their way deep beneath the rock in search of moisture and nutrients. Nature and the farmer work a double shift: the Glenrosa soils of Paarl encourage grape bunches with tiny berries; the vines are pruned to bear a small crop. The joint result is a wine of considerable concentration and distinction.
Charles Back Read more »

Fairview Eenzaamheid Shiraz 2009

In 1699 a certain Mr Dippenauw was granted an enormous farm by his employer, the Dutch East India Company. It is uncertain whether this was a reward for his industry or whether the bosses cast him into the wilderness because he’d married dangerously – a sister of Adam Tas, diarist of the early colonial Cape and political rebel (Tas was imprisoned by Governer Willem Adriaan van der Stel). What is known is that the newly-wed couple were so overwhelmed by the farm’s isolation from Cape Town that they named it “Eenzaamheid”, a Dutch word meaning solitude. Today Eenzaamheid is owned by Christo Briers-Louw, whose family has owned the land since 1775. Christo is a dedicated farmer, who has an intimate knowledge of the soils of Paarl. These gravelly, decomposed shale soils allow Shiraz to ripen without irrigation, producing wines of great expression and concentration.

This wine was previously called the Solitude Shiraz. Read more »

Fairview Jakkalsfontein Shiraz 2007

The Swartland (Black Land) region of the Cape gets its name from the indigenous veld “Rhinoceros Veld” which has a natural dark shade. This region has been farmed since the early 1700, by free burghers who were settled by the Dutch East India Company to provide supplies for the company’s ships sailing to the spice islands in the east. Wild animals often preyed on the burghers’ sheep, and competed for food and water. This provided an excuse to defy the administrators of the Cape, and start wine production in this region. The Jakkalsfontein vineyards are situated around a spring where, to this day, the eerie evening calls of black-backed jackals can be heard. Old unirrigated bush vines produce bunches of Shiraz grapes with small berries, resulting in a concentrated berry and spice laden wine with a long finish.
Charles Back Read more »

Fairview Pegleg Carignan 2009

The Basson family, who have farmed at Die Slot for three generations, were one of the first families to plant Carignan in South Africa. At 17 years of age, Cobus Basson was helping his father plant vines when a tractor overturned and rolled onto him, causing the loss of a leg. Being a man of great humour and spirit, he is affectionately known amongst local farmers as “Houtbeen” (Pegleg) Basson. Pegleg Carignan is a bold, spirited wine with enormous character and depth of flavour, oozing with the essence of soil and sunshine. Carignan has found its natural home in South Africa, producing a spicy and expressive wine. A great compliment to “Houtbeen” himself. Read more »

Fairview Primo Pinotage 2009

As Pinotage is South Africa’s very own grape, I have spent a large part of my life in pursuit of locations that express the uniqueness and show-stopping ability of this variety. During my travels I found many beautiful and unusual settings for Pinotage. I also met up with other Pinotage fanatics along the way. Our combined enthusiasm for what our country can best produce is reflected in Primo Pinotage. Charles Back Read more »

Fairview Cyril Back 2007

“This wine was made to honour my late father, Cyril Back, who introduced handcrafted winemaking at Fairview.” Charles Back Read more »