The name Welgemeend is synonymous with the Hofmeyr family who started the vineyard in 1974. Originally the farm at Klapmuts was called Monte Video. The original deed signed by Simon van der Stel on 10 September 1692 hangs proudly on the tasting room wall. It was renamed by the well known wine connoisseur after the last working vineyard in the Cape Town city boundaries which was owned by the Hofmeyr family.
Billy Hofmeyer arranged the vineyard according to traditional plantings in areas of France, replacing some of the older vines with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec. Subsequent plantings were of Pinotage, Grenache and Shiraz to produce a Rhône-styled blend with a South African slant. The original vines were not trellised and grown as bush vines. Low yielding, the emphasis was on quality, not quantity. Today the total area under vines is only 11.6 hectares with many of the original vines still in production.
Billy’s tasting skills were renowned and his goal for Welgemeend was to create classic South African equivalents of the traditional wines of Bordeaux and Châteauneuf-du-Pape and in 1979 South Africa’s very first Bordeaux blend was released by the Hofmeyrs. The wine was rated 5 stars by Platters and had a 11,2% alcohol. The Hofmeyrs were one of the first wineries in the co-operative dominated late 1970’s who produced and bottled their quality wines and were open to the public. Billy Hofmeyr continued to practice land surveying until 1987 while Ursula, his wife, maintained the farm and vineyards. Billy’s daughter Louise took over the winemaking with her first vintage being 1992 and the legacy of Welgemeend’s outstanding quality wines continued. The cellar has unusual equipment such as railway boilers converted into wine storage tanks, and the original barrel-press in still used today. The graciousness and warmth with which the Hofmeyers welcomed guests is unsurpassed in the wine industry and the lengthy discussions and visits in the tasting room are remembered by many.
The first wines bottled were Amadé a Shiraz, Grenache and Pinotage blend, and Welgemeend , a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot Petit Verdot and Malbec. Both have won numerous awards over the years. The Welgemeend is now know as the Estate Reserve and later blends that were added are the Douelle, a mostly Malbec based Bordeaux-style blend and Soopieshoogte, named after the original road linking Cape Town and Paarl.
More recently, Welgemeend was bought by a small group of businessmen, and the new talented winemaker Lizette Steyn- James was brought in to continue the traditional wine – making approach and maintain the restraint and austerity of the Welgemeend legacy. This, one of the first boutique wineries in South Africa has started a new chapter, the heart of which will grow on the Hofmeyr legacy.