About the Winelands welcomes Charles Back, Owner and Winemaker Fairview Wine and Cheese, located in Paarl, South Africa. Charles, Fairview owner for 42 years, has a wealth of interesting and entertaining stories to tell. Do listen below:-
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About Charles Back
From lineage of great entrepreneurs, innovators and winemakers, Charles started working with his father, Cyril, in 1978 after he completed oenological training at Elsenburg and took full responsibility for the farm in 1995. Charles introduced Mediterranean grapes such as Viognier, Tempranillo, Sangiovese and Petite Sirah to the Cape and also began to make artisanal cheese, a business as prestigious and successful as the wine.
In 2014 Charles received the International Wine Challenge Lifetime Achievement and awarded the 1659 Wine Industry Medal of Honour for 2017, becoming the most awarded winemaker in South Africa.
About Fairview
Fairview is one of the few farms that own their own vineyards and land in Paarl, Darling, Swartland and Stellenbosch. As an advocate of social development in the Cape, Charles was one of a number of producers who campaigned for and implemented better conditions for farm workers. In 1997, he established the Fair Valley Worker’s Association, which gave his employees a chance to farm their own land.
WATCH – The Goats Do Roam at FAIRVIEW WINE AND CHEESE!
A Working Farm’s Philosophy
We love our land, and are committed to the preservation of the local environment. With the support of Cape Nature, we continually remove harmful alien vegetation present on the farm. Since 2010, we have proudly carried the Integrity & Sustainability seal that certifies our farming production is done in an environmentally friendly way, and we are members of the Integrated Production of Wine (IPW) and Biodiversity in Wine (BWI) initiatives. Our cheese factory was also proudly recognized by The Carbon Protocol of South Africa as the first Carbon Neutral Cheesery on the African continent.
The Wines
An extensive range, Fairview, Regional Revival, Single Vineyard, Flagship, Goats Do Roam, La Capra, and Bloemcool. These wine are available in stores internationally, at Fairview and of course, online. UNLOCK the cellar door, join the wine club and enjoy discounts, special bottlings, exclusive events, and door-to-door deliveries – JOIN HERE
Shop Online in South Africa, Europe, U.K. and USA ONLINE SHOP
The Cheese
The Fairview Cheesery produces a range of over 50 cow’s milk and goat’s milk artisanal cheeses, including white mould, blue mould, feta and cream cheese styles. From traditional cream cheeses such as Brie and Camembert to White and Blue Rock cheeses – All Fairview Cheese is made with non-animal rennet and are certified Halaal and Kosher.
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Visit Fairview
A warm welcome awaits visitors to the Fairview Cheese and Wine farm. There are numerous attractions to enjoy such as:-
- Goatshed Restaurant which serves farm-style comfort food, cheese and wine
- Tasting Room, one of the most popular Cape winelands destinations, building on a reputation that stretches back to the 1970′s
- Beryl Back Master Tasting for seated, tutored tastings in an exclusive, educational setting
- The Fairview Deli for condiments and old-fashioned jams to free-range farm eggs and artisanal breads. Over 50 Fairview cheeses are on offer and the newest edition is the farm reared, free-range meat.
The Goat Tower is a big attraction and delight for children and adults alike with an invitation to take a selfie with them, love them, meet their kid’s and eat their cheese. Watch them on the live cam here
Although the goats are loving their new found fame via the LIVE stream, they have requested that we give them a rest and respect their much needed privacy during evenings. For this reason the LIVE stream of the Goat Tower and Sky Bridge will only be available from 07h00 – 19h00 daily.
It’s time to UNCORK!
