Vergelegen
Bamboes Bay, South Africa

Vergelegen, meaning “situated far away”, was granted to the Governor of the Cape, Willem Adriaan Van der Stel, in 1700 and the property has had a long and fascinating history since that time. Vergelegen is thought to have originated in 1685 when the High Commissioner of the Dutch East India Company instructed Commander Simon van der Stel to relocate the company's outpost in the Hottentots Holland. The company had bought the grounds in 1672 from the chiefs of the tribe that owned it. Simon van der Stel personally saw to the proportional planning of this new outpost with its posthouse, wheat store, cowsheds, orchards, vegetable gardens, wheat store and ditches, according to the "rules of mathematics and architecture". It is thought to have remained an outpost until 1 February 1700 when the 342 ha of freehold land were granted to William Adriaan van der Stel, the new governor of the Cape. Willem Adriaan was the son of Governor Simon van der Stel who founded the famous Groot Constantia Estate in the Cape. On his retirement his son became Governor and also the owner of Vergelegen. He planted vines and, after six years, had half a million vine stocks.

Willem Adriaan Van der Stel, was a man of divergent interests who transformed the uncultivated land into a veritable paradise. He planted vines, camphor trees and oaks, laid out fruit orchards and orange groves, and introduced cattle and sheep.

During its long history Vergelegen has developed a unique culture. It is embodied in physical properties, in its people and in the more aesthetic traditions down over the last 300 years. The property still gives pleasure to its numerous visitors with its layout, including the historic camphor trees, South Africa's oldest Oak Tree and octagonal garden, the stately homestead and the fertile valley where fine wines are grown.

Today, it is one of those rare places where the visitor can begin a progressive discovery into a world that harmonises the past and present; where an air of dreaminess pervades; and where synergy between man and his bountiful environment is accomplished.

Throughout its history celebrities of international renown have frequently visited Vergelegen. Over the last decade Vergelegen has been honoured by the visits of the full Executive Committee of the ANC, Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh, and in March 1998 by Nelson Mandela and Bill Clinton with their First Ladies.

Vergelegen was recently awarded the Fairbairn Capital Trophy for the most Successful Producer at the 2006 Fairbairn Capital Trophy Wine Show. Vergelegen is also the first Biodiversity and Wine Intitiative Champion which is an intiative for the restoration of local flora (fynbos).

The vineyards at Vergelegen range in altitude from 140 metres above sea level to 310 metres with slopes facing North to North-West and South to South-East. Temperatures monitored at three automatic and six manually read stations indicate a two degree Celsius difference between the lower slopes and the higher plateau and south facing slopes.

The climate is mild due to the proximity of False Bay (six kilometres away) and generally falls within the lower Region 111 by Degree-Days classification.

Twenty-one soil types have been identified on Vergelegen and these generally have a very high clay content. Vines have been planted on Clovelly, Glenrosa and Pinedene with cultivars and rootstock selected to best match each soil type. Planting density varies from 2 666 to 5000 vines per hectare depending on soil, varietal and rootstock. All the vines are trained vertically onto hedge trellis.

The current plantings are Cabernet Sauvignon (33.34 ha), Merlot (23.19 ha), Cabernet Franc (5.89), Shiraz (5.83), Sauvignon Blanc (14.33 ha), Semillon (9.36 ha) and Chardonnay (14.87 ha).