History and Heritage

When the Dutch East India Company established a refreshment station, providing fresh food and water to passing ships, at the Cape of Good Hope in 1652; they didn’t realise it would continue to provide refreshment of another kind for many years to come.

Viticulture was introduced in the Cape by Jan Van Riebeeck who successfully imported vines from France, the Rhineland and Spain in 1655.

Twenty years on, Governor Simon Van Der Stel, began to develop areas even further from Cape Town. He established the foundations of what was to become Stellenbosch – today one of the centres of the South African wine industry. His own estate of Constantia established in 1984 soon became famous. Kings and princes of Europe clamoured for the sublime "Vin de Constance", which was even praised in the novels of Austen and Dickens.

The Dutch Missionaries arrived in the fertile valley that had hills so high that they seemed to touch the sky connecting Heaven and Earth – they named it Hemel en Aarde. But the valley’s remoteness meant that in the early 1800s it was designated as a home for lepers and a hospital and medical residence were built there. After a period as a leper colony, the Hemel and Aarde land was granted to J. F. Loubert and J.D. K. Reitz in 1847 by Governor Sir Henry Pottinger and agricultural activities began.

In 1925 Professor Perold successfully created the Pinotage grape variety through cross-pollinating Pinot noir and Hermitage (Cinsaut) toge ther. This grape became the iconic grape of South Africa

It was only in 1976 that the Hemel en Aarde Valley in the Walker Bay region was discovered as an opportunity for viticulture and serious winemaking. Peter Finlayson was given the challenge of setting up Hamilton Russell winery and running the first modern winery in the Hemel- en-Aarde Valley. His success at this cellar became legendary, particularly with the Pinot noir grape, becoming known as the Pioneer for Pinot noir in South Africa.

Established in 1989, Bouchard Finlayson, the 125 hectare internationally acclaimed property has only 22 hectares under vine with the rest left wild as a conservancy of pristine indigenous Fynbos flora. The winery began as collaboration between Paul Bouchard, celebrated Burgundian winemaker, and locally awarded talent, Peter Finlayson. Together, they broke the soil, planted the vines and built the cellar that would become world-renowned as Bouchard Finlayson.

Collaboration has always been a part of the estate, which is today owned by the Tollman family of The Red Carnation Hotel Collection and collaboratively run by Victoria Tollman and Peter Finlayson.

Bouchard Finlayson has established a global reputation for its flagship wine, the Galpin Peak Pinot Noir, which has won numerous awards and accolades. Repeated vintages of this path-blazing wine continue to reflect a true celebration of Pinot: consistently endorsing the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley as the perfect place to grow this illusive grape. Other cultivars from the farm include Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Sangiovese, Chenin Blanc and Riesling as well as some newer varieties: Nebbiolo, Barbera and Mourvèdre – unusual in new-world wine growing regions but very well suited to the unique terroir.