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The Allesverloren Legacy

The excellence of Allesverloren wine is rooted in a love of the land and its vineyards. Few families have served as its custodian and been fortunate to pass intimate knowledge from generation to generation. Early records are unclear, so Allesverloren’s history dates to between 1696 and 1704, when the governor of the Cape bequeathed it to a widow, Cloete.  This courageous woman was among the first settles to venture into the inhospitable region now famous as the Swartland. These early people had limited means, with only the most rudimentary agricultural equipment and necessities to support themselves.

All is Lost

The very name Allesverloren reflects the provenance of its wines. It hails from a single transformative incident to purchase tools or attend church, the family at Allesverloren 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 they found their house razed to the ground and the farm destroyed.

“All is lost”, they believed. And so, the Dutch form of these words – Allesverloren – waw embraced as a reminder and inspiration. By 1806, Allesverloren’s owners had harvested the estate's first wine grapes. And, over 150 years ago, this mantle was passed on to the Malan family. Its land holdings have increased to 227 hectares and its wines continue to earn international acclaim.

The Malan Dynasty

Allesverloren’s wine heritage was truly set on its way with the arrival of the Malan dynasty and Daniël Francois Malan, in 1872, when he bought the land, it was predominantly being used to cultivate wheat. But it was the vineyards that captured his heart and soon, his wines were in great demand.

Daniël first produced a fortified wine, which developed into the estate’s flagship port-style wine that thrives to this day as Allesverloren Cape Vintage. It was the Malans of Allesverloren who pioneered Portuguese varieties in South Africa; and, who helped galvanise local wineries towards international acclaim of Swartland as a pioneering wine region. Today, under the tutelage of fifth generation farmer and cellarmaster Danie Malan,  Allesverloren wine remains as sought after as when first established.

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