OAK VALLEY | PIETER VISSER | ELGIN / WALKER BAY | SOUTH AFRICAN WINE

Oak Valley
Elgin / Walker Bay, South Africa

The 1 786-ha Oak Valley Estate was founded in 1898 by Sir Antonie Viljoen, and has been owned by his family ever since. A medical doctor who graduated from Edinburgh University in Scotland, Sir Antonie was also a Senator in the Cape Parliament and was knighted in 1916 for his efforts to bring together Boer and Brit in the bitter aftermath of the Boer War.

Amongst his many and varied farming activities, Sir Antonie was the first to establish commercial plantings of apples and pears in the Elgin Valley; today the Elgin/Villiersdorp axis contributes over 50% of the total South African apple production. Today the Elgin Valley is renowned for its apples and pears, its greenhouse cut flowers, its rose growing, and, increasingly, for the production of high quality cool climate wines.

At the turn of the century Sir Antonie commenced with the planting of vineyards on Oak Valley, at the same time as commercial fruit orchards were being developed. Varieties grown included Semillon, Cinsaut and Palamino. The wine growing activity culminated in the building of a cellar on the farm in 1908.

The will of Sir Antonie Viljoen bequeathed the Oak Valley property to the eldest surviving son in perpetuity, as was the custom in Victorian times. His will also stipulated that an inheritor should alter his surname to Viljoen as he had 3 daughters and no male heir.

Anthony Rawbone-Viljoen’s grandfather, George Rawbone, who married the eldest Viljoen daughter Hannah, had to decide whether to continue farming his family farm Broadlands at Sir Lowry's Pass or to relocate to Oak Valley. He took the decision to move to Oak Valley and in 1943, when his wife Hannah died the farm was left to Anthony’s father, James Rawbone who was required to change his name to Viljoen in terms of the provisions of Sir Antonie's will. The stipulation was challenged in court, and the judge ruled that a compromise, whereby the name Rawbone could be joined to Viljoen as long as the name Viljoen was the last name.

Water was an essential prerequisite for the development of Oak Valley to its full potential, and James Rawbone invested heavily in dam construction with two large dams being constructed on the property during the '50's and '60's. The first, Burtondale Dam, was the largest private dam with a concrete spillway in South Africa. This was followed by an investment in the '70's to secure a 10% share in the privately funded Eikenhof dam, which today provides water for most of the Elgin Valley.

The provision of adequate water provided the impetus for a rapid expansion of fruit production.

In the modern era an experimental vineyard was established on Oak Valley in 1985 in collaboration with Nietvoorbij. The purpose was to determine the adaptability of certain grape cultivars to Elgin growing conditions. At that time it was not known whether specific cultivars could be grown in the cool climate of the Elgin Valley. To benchmark this trial, experimental wines were made at the research station over the first four vintages. The varietals planted included Pinot Noir, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Gewurtztraminer, Weisser Riesling and Schonburger. The success of this trial gave rise to the establishment of commercial vineyards on Oak Valley from 1992 onwards.

The terroir at Oak Valley is eminently suited to the production of distinctive cool climate wines. A feature of the terrain is a sequence of rolling hills set in undulating countryside. As a result, a wide diversity of slopes is available for vineyard establishment.

The soils are Table Mountain sandstone (TMS) and are made up of medium textured gravel with a structured clay layer set on weathered Bokkeveld shale. The lower mountain slopes have been targeted for future vineyard development as these offer the coolest sites, with the added advantage of a southern sloping topography.