The Society's Chenin Blanc, Stellenbosch 2022

Villiera is a large, family-owned estate on the borders of the Paarl and Stellenbosch wine regions in South Africa. The estate takes its name from the Villiers family who were former property owners. Since 1983, Villiera has been run by the Grier family; cousins Simon and Jeff Grier are in charge of viticulture and winemaking respectively and have steadily raised the quality of the wines. Cathy Grier Brewer, Jeff’s sister, is in charge of sales and marketing and is a regular visitor to Society tastings.

The 180 hectares of vineyards are split into roughly 40% red and 60% white grapes, with different varieties being planted as consumer tastes change. There are trials for the conversion to organic viticulture as well as plans to improve the drip irrigation system, but the farm has already been insecticide free since the early 2000s, and uses a flock of Peking duck as natural pest control. The cellars and winery were first built in the 1940s but they have expanded dramatically since the Griers took over in the 1980s.

The family quietly gives a large percentage of its land over to conservation as part of the Biodiversity and Wine Initiative as well as planting thousands of indigenous trees and maintaining a wildlife sanctuary on site. In partnership with The Pebbles Project – a charity which helps children with special needs, which has had a base on the farm for some years – Villiera also launched its own crèche in 2013.

Overall the Grier family’s approach is one of understatement as exemplified by their Down to Earth house wines which are accessible blends of ripe fruit with distinct varietal character. The mantra here is ‘turn the ordinary into an occasion’ which the Griers certainly manage to deliver through extraordinary wines at unremarkable prices. They make a wide range of wines across a broad price spectrum, including some of the Cape’s most popular bubbly.