In 2015, we released our now very popular Bloemcool range, which has been a best-seller via our Master Tasting Room and Wine Club ever since.

The concept of Bloemcool is relatively simple: Charles and the winemaking team wanted to introduce a new avenue to bottle smaller quantities of exceptional varieties and blends that would otherwise get ‘lost’ i.e. blended away into alternative ranges. The name Bloemcool was selected to honour the Fairview farm’s original name, Bloemkoolfontein, with Charles, in his typical fashion, updating the name from ‘kool’ to ‘cool’.

Yet perhaps what has been received just as well as the wine itself has been the packaging. And that is not that surprising, because Charles and the team put a lot of thought into this concept from the start.

“I wanted to ensure we make something that reflects the integrity of the brand, and encourages wine to become part of a more holistic approach to life. It is not just a glass of wine – one must put consideration into who made this wine, and what will happen to the components that make up the wine well after the bottle is finished.”

It is this sort of thinking that led to the creation of the award-winning Bloemcool labels, which have been embedded with cauliflower seeds. Why? Firstly, ‘Bloemkoolfontein’ means ‘cauliflower fountain’ in Afrikaans, and so the cauliflower seeds are a reference to the farm’s heritage. Secondly, the vision is to remove the label once you’ve finished enjoying your favourite bottle of Bloemcool, place it onto some moist cottonwool on a sunny, well-ventilated windowpane, and watch some natural magic happen. Over a few weeks, some of the sprouts in the label should bud, leaving you with the opportunity to harvest your very own ‘bloemcool’!

From the start, our labels have been designed by the cool folks at Growing Paper, located near Malmesbury. When we approached owners Roxanne and Nileta, they were very excited to make our concept come to life, and we have been collaborating ever since. The Bloemcool range won a Silver Award in the 2018 Wine Label Design Awards.

Here are some snapshots from the Bloemcool paper making process at the Growing Paper headquarters:

The post A Bloomin’ Cool Label | Bloemcool appeared first on Fairview.

In 2015, I met Diane de Villiers – a super smart and successful businesswoman with as much drive and passion for her business, that she reminded me of me! Her business – Daily Dish – was ingenious, offering delicious pre-packaged dinner boxes delivered straight to your door. After learning about her pioneering initiative that started in 2013, I knew I wanted to get involved and partner with her and her incredible team – and so that’s exactly what I did!

The reason I did this is because Daily Dish’s offering, just like Fairview, is centred around bringing you only the highest quality, fresh, seasonal, local, and sustainably produced food. If you’re a working mother or convenience junkie looking to find an easy way to put delicious, freshly prepared food on your table every day but simply don’t have the time to head to the grocery shops – then Daily Dish has you covered.

I’ve watched from the sidelines as Daily Dish has risen to success year-on-year, gathering a committed following of regular ‘subscribers’ that love having an answer to the sometimes dreaded question of ‘what’s for dinner?’ every night.

Diane and her team have become experts at selecting suitable recipes from their inventory of 3,500 dishes, matching and pairing them to your weekly box and ensuring that the fresh and dry produce are delivered straight to your door or office in a nifty, refrigerated box that keeps your food cold for up to 24 hours (I’ve tested it – it works!). Another reason I am proud to be collaborating with the Daily Dish team is that they endeavour to continually innovate and accommodate. For example, one can select from 6 different dinner box options depending on your dietary requirements. This includes everything from a Classic Box, to Family, Banting, Vegan, Goodie and Pork-Free Box (ideal for me!).

As Fairview works our way towards being more sustainable, we are able to offer the Daily Dish subscribers our wide variety of artisanal cheeses, olive oil, breads and deli products. Some of Fairview’s experimental wines which are not widely available to the general public will also occasionally be included in the boxes. In the coming months, we will be working with Diane and her team more closely. I recommend you head to their website – www.dailydish.co.za – and sign up to their newsletters to look out for some exciting specials, and naturally, keep up to date with our extended family.

For now – we look forward to helping you share amazing home-cooked dishes with people you care about.

– Charles Back

VISIT DISH DISH: www.dailydish.co.za

The post Our Friends at Daily Dish appeared first on Fairview.

The team started at the grape ‘drop off’ point, where our cellar team selects the best quality fruit to be de-stemmed and crushed. This all has to happen rather speedily after picking so that the grapes don’t rot or start fermenting in their skins. Someone asks: “How do wine growers decide when to pick the grapes?”.

Stephanie answers:  “In essence – it’s all about striking the right balance between science and intuition. While most harvests in a region tend to happen within the same general time frame, there will be differences depending on the particular grape varietal and how long it takes to ripen, as well as the kind of wine one wishes to create.”

Next, the team bumbles along to see the press, where we get to try freshly pressed Grenache juice. Still fresh, the Grenache juice is still quite frothy and sweet, as it still needs to undergo fermentation, during which time the sugar in the grapes will turn into alcohol.

Finally, we stop by the fermenting Pinotage in our large wooden fourdres. At this point, we are almost half way through the harvest and have finished most of the white grapes (Sauvignon blanc, Chenin blanc, Grenache blanc etc) as well as the Pinotage. Stephanie explains:

“It has been a very challenging harvest so far, the grapes have ripened 14 days later than ‘normal’ and we have done our best to manage uneven ripening by doing multiple pickings in some of the blocks. The drought has resulted in a much smaller crop, particularly in our dryland vineyards in Darling and the Swartland. But we are very positive about the quality – the first Pinotage which has been pressed has intense colour and flavour”.

Our team huddled around the open vat, smelt the freshly-fermenting grapes, and couldn’t agree more – 2018 looks to be another exceptional harvest.

The post Harvest 2018 | A Cellar Tour with our Team appeared first on Fairview.

Recently, Flight Network included our tasting room in their ‘fool-proof’ guide to spending 72 hours in Cape Town! We’re so excited to find our Fairview Tasting Room among those on the bucket list destinations! .

According to Flight Network, which is Canada’s leading online international travel agency, travel experts scoured Cape Town for only the best destinations to fill a 3 day getaway with imagination and excitement. The Mother City offers so many wonders to its guests, but Flight Network narrowed down the list to make every second count. According to them Fairview will “sweep you off your feet every second you’re there”.

The writer spoke of our delectable atmosphere, infusing our guests with the exquisite wines for an afternoon of splendour. Our variety of wines are also expertly matched with cheeses to wine and dine the senses. Flight Network’s writer remarked on the friendly environment Fairview offers, perfect for everyone to bond over a delicious array. All travelers and guests who visit us at Fairview know we do things differently. Ingrained in our mission, we hope to achieve a natural, holistic lifestyle which is present in how we create our wines.

With our recognition as a must in a 72 hour Cape Town adventure, we are so excited to welcome new guests to our home. Come visit us for an afternoon of wine tasting led by our knowledgeable hosts and see exactly why our guests with be making more stops here!

Click here to read the full Flight Network article.

The post Our Fairview Tasting Room Recognized as a “Cape Town Necessity” appeared first on Fairview.

2018 marks the 20th vintage of Goats Do Roam. Have you ever heard the tale of how the brand came to be?

The idea of Goats do Roam first came about in the late 1990′s during a casual conversation between Fairview owner Charles Back and his UK importer at the time. Charles was looking to launch a blended wine within the Fairview range comprising farm’s key varietal, Shiraz and others such as Grenache and Carignan. After regaling the tale of his son’s antics with the goats from the Fairview tower, and chatting about the herd that roams around the Fairview property (and a few glasses of wine no doubt) the name ‘Goats do Roam’ popped up and the rest is history.

When Charles Back and his team first decided to go ahead with the Goats do Roam wines he was adamant about one thing – he did not want to sell wine based purely on the name and the label. He wanted people to buy the Goats do Roam wines again after they tasted them for the first time and to do that he needed to make sure that what was in the bottle got the consumers’ attention as much as what was on it. In fact, he really needed to (and continues to need to) over-deliver, as many viewed the ‘Goats’ as trying to sell wine based on the attention that the labels received. There are many wines with better looking labels that have come and gone in the time that ‘Goats’ has been around…

Charles Back says:

“When we had the idea to produce this wine we were in a little bit of a rush to get the label finalised. We had spoken to our UK importer and they were very keen to have the wine on their shelves. Anthony Lane designed the label but when it came back from the printer the colour was nothing like what was planned. But time was pressing so we had to send the order and the rather garish yellow has become characteristic!”

Goats do Roam was launched before the critter craze really hit the market and may be seen as one of the brands that pioneered this trend, but Back doesn’t really view the Goats as critter labels.  A lot of thought goes into the labels and there is a story attached to each.  They are more than just quirky illustrations.

The Goats do Roam wines first hit the UK scene in late 1999, selling in retailers including Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Somerfield, Majestic and many others, for a number of years. However, as the supermarket wine retail environment changed, Charles Back felt that this was no longer the appropriate channel for the Goats do Roam brand and he made the bold decision to pull his wines from the UK supermarket shelves. At the same time he had been focusing energy on the ‘emerging’ US market, after launching the ’99 vintage Goats do Roam Red there in 2001. The brand was well received in the USA, quickly becoming the top selling South African wine brand in the country, which Back flippantly writes off to “a big piece of a small pie” (South African wine accounts for around 2% of wine sold in the USA). This achievement has also assisted in attracting attention to the South African wines category.

The Goats were given a shot in the arm in August 2003 when the brand received coverage on CNN and BBC following a demonstration at the French embassy in Cape Town. The French had objected to the registration of ‘Goats do Roam’ in the US, saying that it was a direct play on the French appellation Côtes du Rhône. This was dismissed by Charles at the time as pure coincidence, alluding to the farm’s roaming herd of some 700 goats. A large group of placard-waving employees demonstrated in Cape Town, culminating in the presentation of a magnum of Goats do Roam Red and a rather symbolic bag of goat manure, labelled ‘Goats do Poo’! The exposure kick-started the brand in the USA and the threats of litigation fell silent.

Over the last twenty years, our vineyard plantings have matured to an extent that allows us to constantly improve the quality of fruit that is used in our Goats do Roam wines, and we look forward to continue to do so.

The post 20 Years of Goats Do Roam! appeared first on Fairview.

Firstly, the soil is cleared and plowed. After that, careful measurements are made in order to ensure that the rows of vines are as perfectly straight as can be. This allows for easier harvesting later on. As you can see, measuring out an entire block is quite a process in itself!

Donald Mouton, our farm manager, gave the Cinsault planting team a short lesson on the effect that differently dug holes have on grapevine root systems.

In some heavier soils, unless one digs a hole in just the right way, the roots can become constrained and aren’t able to grow in the way that they should. This impacts the ability of the plant to absorb nutrients from the soil, which in turn affects the health of the vines, and ultimately the taste and quality of the wine.

Finally, the new Cinsault vines are planted! After all of the digging and measuring, seeing a field full of the final product is a sight to behold. These vines are destined to become bush vines, and will only be able to be harvested in 2020.

We’re already looking forward to it!

The post Planting a New Vineyard | Cinsault appeared first on Fairview.

“Goats Do Roam has always been our playful, witty brand, and we wanted to offer something a little different to challenge perceptions about bag-in-box wine”, says Fairview owner Charles Back.

The new Goats Do Roam offering is unlike anything you would have seen on wine shelves. Inspired by a handbag, the design is aimed to be both practical, stylish and easy to carry. Keeping to the classic mustard yellow tone, the first Goats Do Roam handbag is a red blend offering.

Now admittedly, bag-in-box hasn’t always had the best reputation. Dismissively nicknamed ‘Chateau cardboard’ in Australia, the general perception is that the drink inside is plonk. Another arguement is why would you go for the bag-in-box option when there are shelves of traditionally bottled wines in every shop?

“For one, you get more wine for less—about four bottles worth in one box. This isn’t because the wine is of lower quality, but rather because boxed wines don’t have the same overhead when it comes to packaging, materials and shipping. The traditional bottling process is costly, and requires glass, corks, and foils. Those materials are heavy, making bottles more costly to ship. Plus, boxes are easy to carry, easy to stack, and take up less space when shipping,” says Goats Do Roam winemaker Anthony de Jager.

There are many more sensible reasons to buy bag-in-box, especially if you’re off on holiday, or to a festival, by car or train. This, along with the increased quality on offer, is presumably one of the causes for the recent 200% rise in sales reported by Amazon in August 2017. On our side, here are 5 reasons we believe bag-in-box is best:

5 Reasons Why Bag-in-Box is Better than Bottle: 

High Quality: Great value, with more affordable packaging – after all, why pay for more packaging when you can pay for more wine?

Environmental Impact: Wine in alternative, lighter packaging reduces the amount of carbon dioxide emitted during transportation. Also, cardboard requires a lot less energy to produce than glass, and both the cardboard and the plastic bags the wine is stored in are recyclable. If you’re a environmentally conscious drinker, boxed wine is the way to go!

Convenience: Sturdy, no rattle packaging that is easy to open and store

No Wastage: Thanks to no air or light accessing the packaging after opening, the wine stays wonderfully fresh for a minimum of 2 weeks, allowing you more time to enjoy the product and no wastage until the last drop. Think about it – boxed wine can last up to 2 weeks after opening, and will last even longer if refrigerated. An open bottle of wine lasts about a week tops before it goes sour!

Camping Buddy: The box makes a great fire starter and the bag a surprisingly comfy pillow

If you’re still not convinced, take Charles’s word:

“Boxed wine has a bad reptuation. While boxed wines have long been associated with poor quality, they’re just like traditional cork and bottled wines—there are good ones and there are bad ones. People just look down on it because it doesn’t come in a fancy bottle, and assume the contents are cheap. But a winemaker’s secret that few know is that, on occasion, we’ll sneak into the cellar to pick our favourite wines and if it is still in the tank or barrel, we’ll use a foil bag to collect some before we head off for the weekend. There’s nothing ‘bad’ about this, and in fact, its just as good or better than some bottled wine. Plus, it’s easy to transport, stays fresh longer, costs less, and is better for the environment!“

So this festive season, we encourage you all to think out of the box!

COMPETITION:
WIN with our NEW Goats Do Roam Handbag!

Think out of the box and get creative with Goats Do Roam! Re-think wine in a bag, and enjoy high-quality wine at an affordable price. Every month, we’ll be giving away a Goats Do Roam wine hamper, with a grand prize worth R5000!

TO ENTER:

1: Head to the most adventurous place you can think of

2: Once you’ve finished enjoying your wine, blow up the empty foil bag

3: Take a photo with our Goats Do Roam mascot located on the foil bag

4: Upload your photo to Instagram and tag @fairviewwineandcheese, or share it on your Facebook using the hashtag #playthegoat!

5: Go on, let your imagination roam far and wide!

The post Goat’s Do Roam Has A Brand New Bag … appeared first on Fairview.

The first Goats Do Roam vintage was 1999. To call it an instant success could be an understatement – within the space of a few short years, our tongue-in-cheek range became the best-selling South African wine brand internationally. It holds a close place in my heart and was actually one of South Africa’s first ‘critter’ brands. But importantly, it has never been a joke wine. My winemaking team and I have always endeavoured to ensure that the quality of the wine is consistently high, and to this end, I think we continue to reach our goal, winning several awards over the decades and continuing to find a spot on the shelves.

But time flies, and my herd asked for a wardrobe change. 20 years later, I decided to update the look and feel of our labels. While the iconic mustard-yellow of the Red Blend lives on, you’ll find the White and Rosé blends look very different, with a delicate new colour palate to boot. Designed by the talents at Jane Says Design, the inspiration for the label was to reflect the delicate smoothness of the wine while adding a bit of shine with the gold foil. We’ve got the nod from our goats – I hope we have it from you too?

Goats do Roam Festive Case

– Charles Back 

The post New Look for Goats Do Roam! appeared first on Fairview.

Let your kids get creative this Holiday at our Fairview Farm! We are excited to announce that we have Fern from Art4Kids presenting Kids Art Activities this holiday – EVERY DAY – up and till the 24 December (10.30 – 3pm). Find your way to the Barn Artist Gallery Studio for fun filled kids art entertainment!

To avoid any disappointments – Please make booking arrangements with  Fern@wishbone.co.za.
SMS your confirmation bookings to: 082 313 0712

Fern will be keeping the kids busy with the following art activities:

~ Stencil your own wooden art box to take home

~ Create a canvas Painting

~ Create 3 x  Art Spin Cards

Each art activity costs R100 & takes 40 to 60 minutes, age dependant.

Fern puts together her spin art speciality a fun art activity where you get to pour an array of paint onto a spinning card. After that you have the option to stencil a goat onto your art piece.

Fill up your holiday with some colourful art fun for the kids at Fairview. Enough time for kids to be creative & adults to grab a tasting.

Where to find ART4KIDS at Fairview:

Venture through the wine tasting room, turn left into the gallery showroom, venture through the Gallery glass doors, through the wine tasting garden & follow the granite garden stairs up to the Gallery studio.

Art4Kids with Fern where imagination meet the canvas.

The post Get Creative in our Kids Art Corner This December! appeared first on Fairview.

For family proprietors Charles and Raphael, Back is a not only their shared, historic surname but also the name of their newest venture together, a restaurant and deli called Back’s, opening this November along the bustling Main Street of Paarl.

The exciting new bistro-style eatery takes its cues from the art deco French background of Raphael, grounded by a traditional Cape twist from Paarl resident Charles, and is set to become the go-to day spot for locals and winelands visitors alike. Back’s promises to bring a carefully curated selection of options that cater with local flair to all visitors. The flavourful menu will include tapas-style platters made up of homemade pâtés, terrines and sauces to an array of delectable dishes including mouth-watering burgers, scrumptious salads and a range of nibbles such as triple-fried fries and South African classics such as slaphakskeentjies.

Once you’ve had your fill at the restaurant, there is a retail zone featuring a curated deli that offers a veritable cornucopia of delicatessen including Fairview and Spice Route wines available at cellar door prices, breads and cheeses and a selection of Spice Route Destination artisans such as DV Chocolates, CBC Beer and Wilderer Gin. Look out for the specially made Back’s products such as preserves, charcuteries, patisseries and free-range meat that’s all made within the area and not to be missed.

While Back’s offering is vast, their philosophy is very focused: keep it local. Everything in the restaurant and deli is sourced from either the Back’s farms or supports local artisans in the area, with the main goal being to be able to bring you free-range, organic produce that just tastes better. This trending offering of encouraging people to eat local or become “locavores” is the brainchild of dynamic owner and innovator, Charles Back, and his far-removed cousin and business partner, budding entrepreneur Raphael Back.

Charles explains:

 “The inspiration for Back’s came from my long lineage of farming history, with the fundamental basis of everything I do being integrity and quality. Together with my partner’s energy and international knowledge, we are focusing on making an entire range of high-quality products which deliver on both authenticity and value.”

Although the two come from different cultures – Charles was born and raised in the Cape Winelands and Raphael in the cultural hub of Paris – they share a combined passion for sustainable, healthy and wholesome produce and collaboration, which they wanted to express in the creation of Back’s.

After all, the Back family has a long lineage of farming in their family. When Charles Back I first landed on the shores of the Cape, his passion for farming and local produce led him to pursue various artisanal professions, from butcher to farmer. In 1937, he brought Fairview. As a third-generation family owner of Fairview, Charles Back II has continued this legacy, taking the learnings from his winemaking father Cyril to nurture the land. Adding ‘cheesemaker’ to the family repertoire, the Back family really are a collection of butchers, bakers, wine and cheesemakers!  In 2015, Raphael joined the clan, as a budding young entrepreneur, and soon directed the family offering online, creating ‘Maison Bak’, an online food delivery service that quickly flourished in the winelands region. Following the success of their partnership and promoting local produce, Charles and Raphael joined cohorts to create Back’s.

Raphael explains:

“We only sell the highest quality, natural and organic products. When you leave Back’s, we hope you leave feeling inspired to make even the smallest change towards a healthier, more harmonious existence with our land, our animals and our communities. If so, we know we’ve done our job.”

Back’s is scheduled to open on 3rd November 2017. Contact Back’s on hello@backs.co.za to make a dining reservation. If you would like more information about Back’s, please contact Raphael Back at 021 872 0697 or email at raphael@backs.co.za.

Opening Hours:
Mon – Fri: 7.30am – 10pm
Sat and Sun: 7.30am – 3pm

The post Back to Basics | New Back’s Restaurant & Deli appeared first on Fairview.