VILLIERA SWITCHES FROM PAARL TO STELLENBOSCH

Published: 23 July, 2008

Villiera, one of South Africa's best-known wineries, has made history by moving from WO Paarl to Stellenbosch. Our estate straddles the Stellenbosch-Paarl boundary,' said Jeff Grier, winemaker and joint-owner of the family-run winery. Yet when the regulations were introduced in the 1970s, Villiera's wines were deemed to be WO Paarl.' Ever since the Grier family invested in additional vineyards in the 1980s, 70% of Villiera's vines have been situated in Stellenbosch. However, rather than change Villiera's WO, the Demarcation Board redesignated the Stellenbosch vines as WO Paarl. The recent endorsement came just as the Stellenbosch Wine Route is to be re-organised. Climatically, Koelenhof, where Villiera is based, is more similar to Stellenbosch than Paarl,' said Grier. The wines we produce are closer in style to Stellenbosch wines. It's cooler here and that's why we can produce a style of Sauvignon Blanc you'd be hard pushed to make in Paarl.'

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