Paarl & Wellington

On December 1st, 1687, the ship Voorschoten departed Rotterdam. Huddled, ill and afraid amongst the commodities on board was the first precious cargo of French refugees.

Starting out in rudimentary mud shelters in desperate poverty, and with the Bible as their only solace, the brave early settlers in the Drakenstein built up a measure of prosperity through their relentless toil and through intermarriage, and together with the peoples already inhabiting the land, fathered many generations of South Africans. Knowing what it has taken to create this beautiful region, we can begin to appreciate the fierce pride of the generations of farming families and the diverse communities who live here today.

Having fused their Dutch-Germanic-Khoi-Maloyo-Polynesian-Portuguese tongues into one language proudly named Afrikaans, “because it was created in Afrika”, their heritage is as rich and vibrant as the terroirs and micro-climates wherein they produce their fine wines.

This well-presented full colour coffee table book in hardcover landscape format explores the wonders of the Drakenstein and Berg River Valleys of the Western Cape, rich in the history of the early settlers and its wine industry, the warm, friendly communities and myriad of characteristic wine estates, restaurants, shops, museums, artists and places of interest. The book features beautiful photography by South African photographer Jeremy Brown.