Mother block vineyards are just like what they sound – the first vines to be grown in a region that give rise to the rest of the same variety’s vines in that region. At Fairview, we are very fortunate and proud to have the original mother block of Viognier, planted in 1997 by Charles Back.

Charles desire to bring the aromatic white variety to the Cape stemmed from a visit to France’s Rhône region in 1989. During his trip, he tried Viognier for the first time, and explains how he was immediately struck by the unique nature of the wine, with its intriguing balance of fragrance, deep fruit and austere structure.

“I knew at once that the terroir of the Cape would be well-suited to Viognier, and as we tasted the wines I was thinking about the soils and sites that I was fortunate enough to have found come across over the years,” shares Charles.

When he returned to South Africa, Charles carefully started the process of sourcing the vines to bring to South Africa – a lengthy, complicated and often laborious process. It’s not easy bringing a foreign vine to local soils! But being determined, by the early 1990’s, Fairview was harvesting fruit from our Viognier vineyards.

Today, our trellised Viognier vines grow on the slopes of Paarl Mountain, on decomposed granite soils. Despite the beating summer sun, the resilient grape results in full, ripe and healthy grapes, and after maturation in bottle, shows its well-loved subtle perfumed fruit and great mouthfeel with every vintage.

In 2017, we celebrated 10 years of bottling this varietal. Our Fairview winemakers enjoy sculpting this variety into various styles, including as a single variety (try our Fairview Viognier), as well as being the frontrunner in our unique Brut MCC, and a leading component of our celebrated Nurok white blend. It’s even featured in our Goats Do Roam White Blend and Goat Roti!

Viognier is very flexible, working in a wide variety of seafood, roasted or grilled chicken, pork, spicy flavors and Asian cuisine. A Malay curry with delicate spice and dried fruits is particularly delicious when paired with Viognier. This Mother’s Day, our recommendation is to grab yourself a bottle (or two) of our very own mother block wine, Fairview Viognier, and celebrate!

The post Our Mother Block | Viognier appeared first on Fairview.

It’s hard to believe that 2017 is swooshing by as swiftly as it has so far! As April comes to a close and May begins, we’re checking our calendars in disbelief. A date that one should always be prepared for is Mother’s Day, coming up steadily on Sunday, 14th May.

Since 1937, Fairview has been a family-run business, currently being nurtured by owner Charles Back. Charles always warmly reminisces on how Fairview has grown from strength to strength, explaining that it would not have been so if it wasn’t for his father Cyril and mother Beryl’s constant support, virtue and nurturing nature.

Cyril and Beryl Back were the lifeline of Fairview for many decades, from bottling independently and initiating the Cape’s first public wine auction in 1974, to starting a dairy herd in 1980. As Charles joined to work on the farm in 1978, it was thanks to his parents support that the farm has grown as it has. Whenever the name of Beryl is brought up around the farm, people who knew her respond with a smile and remember her so fondly. She was always there – first thing in the morning cutting cheese for a tasting to pouring wine in our Tasting Room and sharing her many stories. She was even a talented artist, and painted the mural at the Fairview entrance. Today, the garden in front of the Tasting Room is in memory of Charles’s parents, and the Master Tasting room is called the Beryl Back Tasting Room.

After Beryl’s passing, Charles made the La Beryl Blanc to honour his late mother, creating a traditional straw-dried sweet wine that is fragrant, succulent and with balanced finesse. A labour of love, the dessert wine has gone on to win multiple awards, including being in the Top 100 and receiving 5-star Platter ratings!

Why not include La Beryl Blanc as an extra sweet gift for your mom, this Sunday, Mother’s Day (14th May)?
FREE delivery on 12 wines or more!

Available online and at our Tasting Room for R200. Click to buy: https://www.fairview.co.za/product/fairview-la-beryl-blanc/

The Fairview Main Entrance garden, dedicated in loving memory to Cyril and Beryl back

Catching Beryl pouring Fairview wine for a tasting

The original mural at the Fairview entrance painted by Beryl

The Beryl Back Tasting Room

The post The Sweetest Mother’s Day Yet | La Beryl Blanc appeared first on Fairview.