Fairview Wine and Cheese

The Fairview farm is on the south western slopes of the Paarl mountain range, approximately 60 km from Cape Town.

The current Fairview property was first designated as a farm by the then Governor of the Cape Simon van der Stel in 1693, with Steven Vervey the first official owner.

He settled in Paarl where he set up a butcher shop as well as selling farm produce from the local farmers.

In 1916 Charles Back purchased what would later become the Backsberg farm from David Louw and left the butchery behind to become a wine farmer.

After establishing himself and learning the trade, Charles Back purchased Fairview from Hugo in 1937, for the sum of 6500 pounds.

In 1974, Cyril broke away from the KWV; as a result, the first wines under the Fairview Estate label were bottled in this year.

Cyril's son, Charles, joined Fairview in 1978, after completing his winemaking studies at Elsenburg agricultural college.

In 1975 Cyril Back held South Africa's first public wine auction, with his entire 1975 production selling in under three hours.

Using the Gamay varietal, Fairview produced South Africa's first Beaujolais nouveau style wine in 1987 using the traditional carbonic maceration method.

Charle's proactive approach meant that when democracy came to South Africa and the markets opened, Fairview's wine style and quality was quickly recognised internationally.

Cheese production at Fairview started in 1980, when Cyril Back purchased a herd of Saanen milking goats and brought them to the farm.

Cyril employed the assistance of Michele Agostinelli to begin the Fairview Vineyard Cheesery, producing a small range of goats' milk cheeses for sale from the farm.