History Of Calais Wine Estate

In 1687, farmlands in the Berg River valley were distributed amongst settlers arriving to the newly explored shores. Amongst them was one Jean Manjie – a French Huguenot. Establishing his 450 Ha farm in 1692 – which made it one of the oldest in the region, he named it “Calais” after his hometown in northern France. His enterprise, which was producing only select wines was very successful. However, in the mid-XVIII century the demand for the land in the area was so high, that it turned out to be more profitable to split the land into more manageable 100 Ha plots and sell it to the new arrivals.

From those days Calais farm kept its size of 50 Ha. Every owner since has maintained a tradition of producing only highest quality wines of  French Bordeaux style as well as small quantities of Cape style wines.

The present owners have recently acquired a neighboring farm Klein Valley, which was originally part of Calais farm to reintegrate into the estate.

Acquiring Klein Valley farm, along with its boutique winery – the first of it’s kind in the Dal Josafat Valley has marked a transformation of Calais Farm into Calais Wine Estate – an enterprise that is involved in every step of wine production – from picking and harvesting of the grapes to delivering the wine to the discerning customer.

Currently, Calais Wine Estate produces a variety of wines: Merlot, Shiraz, Pinotage, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Riesling, as well as a proprietary Applause blend (cabernet sauvignon/shiraz). Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc varietals were planted in 2007 to be harvested in 2010. A few hectares of Petit Verdot varietals were also planted in 2008.

The planned expansions to the estate include a country-style restaurant and luxury accomodation, as well as self-catering cottages.