Our history begins in 1688 when the French Huguenots arrived in the cape. Taking up the Dutch East India Company’s offer of land, some of these Huguenots were situated in a land so remote that the Migrating Elephants were the first to cross the mountain.
From their early trek over the dangerous mountain of the Helshoogte Pass, (meaning Hell of a Height) and into a dark and scary valley now known as “Banhoek” they formed the town of Franschhoek, “Corner of France”.
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Delaire is situated on a slope that runs down from a mountain peak on the farm, named Botmaskop. This peak of the Helshoogte Pass was their lookout point for ships entering Cape Town Harbour. The Sentry would then signal the settlers in Franschhoek of the ships arrival and they would be able to cart their produce to the harbour. This look out point became known as “Botmans Kop” which refers to Boatman’s Head, (Lookout point for the boats). One of our flagship wines, a Cabernet Sauvignon, carries the Botmaskop name.
The French Settlers brought with them a sound knowledge of viticulture and the art of wine making. Delaire is situated at the crest of the Helshoogte Mountain Pass overlooking the stunning Banhoek Valley framed by the Simonsberg and Groot Drakenstein Mountain Ranges.
In 1982 John Platter, well known wine writer and maker, bought the farm, then known as Avontuur, from Cape Town architect, Gilbert Colyn. Looking at the magnificent view, John and Erica decided to rename the farm to Delaire, meaning “From the Sky”.
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Delaire changed ownership twice after John Platter sold the property in 1987. Laurence Graff, purveyor of fine jewels and owner of Graff Diamonds acquired the property in November 2003 and plans to develop the growth potential of every aspect of Delaire’s operations.
Utilizing Delaire’s high altitude position that enables the slow ripening of grapes, winemaker Gunter Schultz will produce terroir driven wines to showcase the best characteristics of each cultivar. Of the 38.6 hectares of rugged mountain slope, only 19.6 hectares are under vine and includes: Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
Delaire aims for red wines that are bold in structure, with soft tannins and elegance whilst our white wines must capture the freshness of the harvest. However, in order to pick at optimum ripeness here in Banhoek Valley a certain amount of courage is called for as we can have to wait for up to three weeks after our Stellenbosch neighbours have picked.
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