Landskroon’s family history runs as rich and deep as their beautiful wines. Most recent awards include their Paul de Villiers Merlot 2012 which was rated one of the Top 100 South African Wines of 2015. The awards help consumers with a friendly, simple approach, enabling vineyards to position their winning wines with clarity and integrity.
The awards list runs long, with Landskroon’s Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 ranked first out of twenty wines at the Wine of The Month Panel Tastings 2015. Bronze medals were awarded for the Landskroon Chardonnay 2015 at the Paarl Wine Challenge 2015 and the Platters Wine Guide voted four stars for the following: Landskroon Paul de Villiers Merlot 2012, Landskroon Paul de Villiers Shiraz 2012, Landskroon Paul de Villiers Cabernet Sauvignon 2012, and Landskroon Cape Vintage 2011.
This level of success is nothing new for Landskroon and it should come as no surprise then, that the extraordinary family-owned wine farm goes back five generations, to the year 1689, when three de Villiers brothers arrived in the Cape from their hometown of Niort, France, after an arduous ocean journey from Holland that lasted almost half a year.
A historical letter from The Chamber of Delft, addressed to Simon van der Stel, Governor of the Cape, commended the three brothers to his care, praising their stamina and sound knowledge of viticulture. They soon settled in the Franschhoek Valley and started making wine. Brother Jacques acquired the farm Boschendal, farming there for 100 years. The family moved later, in 1874 to the Agter Paarl to the farm Weltevreden which is part of Landskroon.
Family descendant Huguette de Villiers comments: “Four family members now manage the estate as a private entity, owned by the Trusts of Paul and Hugo de Villiers which consists of myself and my sister Madelief and our cousins, brothers’ Paul and Hugo,. Paul is the cellar master, and Hugo manages the vineyards. Madelief oversees finances and I attend to the marketing of Landskroon.”
“My late father, also named Paul, and late Uncle Hugo, inherited the farm in 1963 from my grandfather, Paul the third. My dad was the winemaker and looked after the vineyards, while Hugo was the herdsman. Jersey cow farming was my granddad’s hobby and the milk was sold in half gallon cans and delivered daily to customers in the area. The stud, which had grown into one of the most well known in South Africa, was eventually sold in 1992 to concentrate on grape growing and winemaking.”
Paul’s wine-making success is certainly not due only to his family lineage. He holds diplomas in Viticulture, Animal Husbandry and Cellar Technology, with practical harvest experience at Perdeberg - particularly in the white wine cellar where the then-winemaker, Joseph Huskisson, imparted valuable lessons in the making of white wine. His father, undoubtedly more of a red wine and port expert, taught him about the finer art of making red wine and port.
The first wine he produced was a Landskroon Pinotage 1980 from the first grapes harvested once he had started on the farm. On his own winemaking philosophy, Paul advises to keep it simple. Shiraz is his favourite grape variety and believes that the Landskroon climate and soil is ideally suited for the making of Shiraz.
Comments Paul: “Our area, the south western slopes of Paarl Mountain, is more suited for growing red grapes with less fertile soils and hot summers. Over the years we have continued planting red varieties and replacing old unproductive vineyards regularly.”
The watch word at Landskroon is quality and value for money. Comments Paul: “There is nothing better than drinking the final product and thinking about what went into making a great wine – from the vine to the bottle!
Paul’s own achievement on the Port scene (now called Cape Vintage) is well known. His 1997 Port earned him the coveted title of Diners Club South African Winemaker of the Year in 2000. He has won almost every major award for Port including Veritas Double Golds, SAA Port Trophy winners, Air France Classic Wine Trophy and SA Young Wine Champion.
In recognition of Paul the fourth’s achievements at Landskroon and his initiation of the planting of noble reds on the estate, a range of Paul de Villiers wines was launched in 2000. It includes a Shiraz, a Cabernet Sauvignon and Paul de Villiers Reserve – a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc & Merlot. These wines have all already achieved several accolades.
Landskroon's products are currently available throughout the Republic of South Africa and are exported to North America, Europe, the Far East and several African countries totalling more than 26 countries worldwide. All wines are produced, matured and bottled in cellars at Landskroon.
Landskroon can be contacted on +27 (0)21 863-1039 or email huguette@landskroonwines.com
Contact dei Gratia on +27 21 701-3716 for further press information or email