In winemaking terms, South Africa gets bracketed with the New World, but they`ve been making wine here for longer than in many places in the so-called ‘Old World’. Meerlust Estate has been in the hands of the Myburgh family since 1756, and they`ve been making wine pretty much since then. While they used to make only single varietal wines, a ‘rubicon’ was crossed in 1980 with the first vintage of their Bordeaux blend, almost a first for South Africa. It hadn`t come from nowhere. Meerlust means "love of the sea", and the south-facing vineyards of Meerlust Estate are only a few kilometers away from False Bay; Atlantic breezes and evening mists cool the vines. Nor is it only the prevailing maritime climate that marks a similarity to Bordeaux, as the soils on the estate are a blend of clay and granitic gravel. Owner Nico Myburgh had spotted these resemblances when holidaying in Bordeaux; and so was born the Meerlust Rubicon. And like good claret, while you can certainly enjoy the Rubicon young, it rewards cellar aging; as current owner Hannes Myburgh (the 8th generation) told us when he visited recently, ‘it`s at 10 years that Rubicon really starts to reward you’.

Meerlust has won a string of awards, but perhaps their greatest achievment is the Meelust Foundation which provides for the 75 Meerlust families that work on the estate. An after school facility, a primary healthcare facility including counselling service, adult education, literacy, and computer classes, staff training in social development, a library program,and music classes. This is a winery with a conscience and a determination to raise not only the quality of their wines, but their workers` lives. (NT 09/05/18)