Cheese and Wine at Fairview Wine Estate
Fairview Wine Estate is a 300 hectare farm situated on the south-western slopes of Paarl Mountain in the Cape Winelands of South Africa. Visitors to the Fairview Wine Estate can look forward to strolling through the terraced gardens of the winery with the smell of lavender surrounding them and a beautiful view of the surroundings, including Cape Town’s majestic flat-topped Table Mountain in the distance. Of course, a highlight of a visit to this prosperous estate would be the wine – and what better accompaniment to wine could there be than cheese.
An old maturation cellar at Fairview Wine Estate has been transformed into an indoor/outdoor Mediterranean style restaurant called The Goatshed. A highlight of the menu is Fairview’s own goat’s milk and Jersey milk cheeses – many of which have earned international awards. An outstanding feature of Fairview Wine Estate is the Goat Tower situated in front of the winery. Fairview is home to a herd of 600 goats and this round tower with a staircase winding around the outside leading to a room at the top, is favored by many of the resident goats as the perfect place to soak up the abundant South African sunshine. The Goat Tower has also become somewhat of a landmark in the area as well as being featured on Fairview’s wine labels. These agile ruminants have even had a premium quality range of wines named in their honor – Goats do Roam.
The wine-making history of the farm goes back a very long way, with the first official tax records in 1699 reflecting barrels of wine on an inventory. The farm had originally been named Bloemkoolfontein, which literally translated means Cauliflower Fountain, and had a financial history of being declared insolvent no less than eight times. This was all turned around when Charles Back’s grandfather, a Lithuanian immigrant, bought the farm in 1937. As a self-taught winemaker, with ingenuity and perseverance, he was soon producing award-winning South African wines. Fairview Estate has remained in the Back family and continues to prosper, spurred on by Charles Back’s instinctive understanding of consumer tastes, innovative wine growing and ability to utilize good business opportunities.
Visitors to the winelands of the Western Cape in South Africa will not want to miss a visit to Fairview Wine Estate – just look out for the Goat Tower to guide you to great food accompanied by premium South African wine in a stress-free environment.
