Baronet Sir De Villiers Graaff was in Venise-en-Québec on June 6. The man who is recognized as one of the most prestigious wine producers in South Africa was received at the La Cache restaurant on Lake Champlain. A gourmet dinner pairing his wines with the restaurant’s dishes had been planned. This was his first official visit to Quebec.
A baronet is a person who holds a title of British nobility. Sir de Villiers Graaff is the fourth baronet in his family, his great-grandfather having been created a baronet by King George V in 1911. Since then, the eldest member of the family has taken the title.
Sir De Villiers Graaf’s plane landed in Montreal on June 6. The man made a stop in Venise-en-Québec, but the next day, he had a big event in the metropolis. “I’m in Montreal to sell wine from my estate The Grendal, but also to sell South African wine in general. I’m here with a group of 12 South African wine producers. We’re on an international marketing trip together as a collective. I think we have more impact as a group than as individual producers,” he explains.
During his stay, he met with wine professionals and presented his products to the Quebec public. The event was organized in collaboration with the Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ). The collective he is a part of is called Premium Independent Wineries of South Africa (PIWOSA).
In Quebec, its agency is called IVSP – Private Importation of Exceptional Wines and it is located in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.
Vignoble
The 53-year-old lives in South Africa and runs De Grendal Wines, a 400-hectare estate located in the mountains near Cape Town. The land is surrounded by an area that is highly protected by South Africa and UNESCO, since it is home to unique flowers. The winegrowers cannot use insecticides and work organically. The company is also self-sufficient in electricity thanks to the many solar panels.
As the area is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, it receives very violent air currents, called the Cape doctor. These winds can be very destructive, but they are beneficial for the vines, as they carry away moisture. In addition to the wine-growing activities, the estate has several animals and fruit trees.
Course
“My great-grandfather bought the farm in 1890, but the farm was established in 1720. There were many owners before him. When he took over the farm in 1890, there were no vines. So for his generation and the next generation which is my grandfather, they farmed sheep, cattle and dairy cows. Then my father took over in 2000 and was the first to plant vines,” says the baronet.
Sir De Villiers Graff joined the farm in 2011 and became owner in 2015, when his father died.
The farmer also runs a foundation to help young people with addiction problems. He also opened the famous De Grendal restaurant in 2012 and has launched several empowerment projects.
Political ambitions
Sir De Villiers Graff comes from a family heavily involved in politics. His great-grandfather, grandfather and father were all MPs. His grandfather led the parliamentary opposition to apartheid for 21 years.
Asked about his political ambitions, the fourth-generation baronet said he would like to make the leap into politics, but did not know when.
“I tell myself every 10 years that I will go into politics. At first, I told myself that I was going to go in my thirties and when I was in my thirties, I told myself that it would be in my forties. Here, I am in my fifties and I tell myself that it will perhaps be at 60. I keep putting it off,” he says with a laugh.
