FAMILY
FAMILY... Condensed History of South African wine
1659 First wine in the Cape
1693 Fairview farm founded on Paarl Mountain
1925 Pinotage hybrid crossed by Prof. Perold
1947 – 1994 Apartheid sanctions
1974 Fairview bottles first estate wine after KWV monopoly.
1978 Charles Back II makes his first vintage
1981 Construction of the Fairview Goat Tower (Cheese production 1975)
1992 Sanctions lifted on SA Wine industry
1997 Charles discovers the potential in the Swartland and starts Spice Route Influence and creations by Charles Back Across the board
WINES : Cheesery : Spice Route Fairview Estate : Destination: Tasting room 600 ha across 5 estates First farm cheese producer in SA Restaurant Restaurant and 5 brands : with 750 Goats and Tasting room Bakery Fairview, Paarl Jersey cows Craft brewery Award-winning deli Goats do Roam, Paarl Bean-to-bar La Capra, Paarl chocolate roastery Spice Route, Swartland Distillery Land‘s End, Elim Etc.
A family-owned operation. innovative, cutting edge; Charles is a pioneer in Rhone varieties and a role model for the SA wine industry.
Charles is very focused on the environment & the people surrounding us. 5 wineries | 5 unique vineyard sites
WARMER Climates : Paarl 280 ha : Grenache, Viognier, Syrah etc. (Spice Route) Swartland 115ha : Syrah, Chenin, Mourvedre etc. Stellenbosch 35 ha : Cabernet and Merlot.
COOLER Climates : Darling 145 ha : Sauvignon, Chenin, Syrah Elim 12ha : Sauvignon and Syrah Pioneer in SA with Single vineyard wines And with Rhone varieties
Mother-block Sauvignon blanc Mother-block Tempranillo
Mother-block Petite Sirah Mother-block Carignan Mother-block Mourvedre
Mother-block Viognier
Indigenous ferments Skin-macerated whites
Largest plantings of Grenache, Mourvedre, Tempranillo, Petite Sirah…
Barbera, Nebbiolo, Tannat, Roussanne, Marsanne, Grenache blanc… From Tim Atkin’s SA Report 2013
Like South Africa itself, the wine industry is not without its problems, not least the poverty of many of the people who toil in vineyards for low wages, but it is also a force for change.
As Charles Back of Fairview, one of the Cape’s leading wine entrepreneurs, puts it:
“Living in South Africa gives a bigger meaning to what we do. Wine isn’t just about the bottom line; there’s a social dimension, too.” Wholistic sustainability
• Those around us: Fairtrade accreditation, local project development, community outreach etc.
• The environment around us: Biodiversity, integrated agriculture etc.
• The future : Empowerment and shareholding Fairview Wines shareholders : Charles Back, Anthony de Jager, Paulette, Suzanne Venter, Leroy Rogers, Arwie Davies, Donald Mouton Spice Route Wine Company shareholders : Charles Back, Charl du Plessis, Mareo van Eck, Licia Solomons, Frederick Truter. Sustainability & empowerment
Member of IPW (Integrated Production of Wine, a voluntary environmental sustainability scheme established by the South African wine industry in 1998)
Member of Biodiversity in Wine (BWI): 67 ha of conservation area at Fairview
Integrity & Sustainability Seal in South Africa
FAIR-TRADE : Member of WIETA - a non-profit voluntary organization which actively promotes ethical trade in the wine industry value chain through training, technical assessment and audits to assess members’ compliance with its code of good practice.
Every part of the company is certified fair-trade, although only the Goats do Roam labels will carry the logo. Vineyards at Fairview
Unique locations : Single Vineyards FOCUS : Beacon Shiraz
Experimental/cutting edge : Winemaker’s selection FOCUS : Caldera, Nurok
Fairview Single origin, single variety FOCUS : Sauvignon blanc, Pinotage
Goats do Roam Rhone-style Blends
La Capra Single Variety, blended origin, younger vines FOCUS : Chenin, Pinotage Sauvignon, Cabernet Tim Atkin MW on the Swartland :
“Every revolution needs a spark, a catalyst that changes things forever.
[…] Without it [Charles Back's discovery], the Swartland would still be regarded as a rural backwater, better known for wheat fields than vineyards. Instead, it is one of the most dynamic regions in the southern hemisphere.”