A Unique Wine Estate

Where wheatfields extend to the heavy mass of the Kasteelberg, Approximately 100 kilometres northeast of Cape Town, lies the Allesverloren estate - renowned for its distinctive red wines.

It is the oldest wine estate in the Swartland Wine of Origin district.

The history of the estate dates back to between 1696 and 1704, when the governor of the Cape left it to a certain widow named Cloete. This courageous woman was one of the first settlers who ventured into the inhospitable Swartland region. The early settlers were simple people, with only the most limited agricultural equipment and basic necessities to support themselves.

In order to purchase tools or attend church, they had to undertake a long and arduous wagon journey along primitive roads to Stellenbosch. It was on their return from one such journey in 1704 that the settlers found their house burnt to the ground and the farm destroyed. Hence the estate's sad name, “Allesverloren”, which means “all is lost”.

However, with curious irony, the fate of Allesverloren has since been an unusually happy one. By 1806, Allesverloren's owners had already harvested the estate's first wines, and since the estate passed into the hands of the Malan family in 1872, Allesverloren has gone from strength to strength. The estate has increased to 227 hectares and is still making wines of renown.