Fairview, Paarl Viognier

Fairview is a true pioneer, credited with bringing Mediterranean varieties to the Cape under the visionary leadership of Charles Back. Between his estates, Fairview and Spice Route, Charles has helped drive a quality revolution throughout South Africa's wine industry. His work includes championing varieties better suited to the Cape’s warm and dry climate, lesser-known regions, earlier picking dates, soil assessments and the restoration of old vines. This impact was recognised in 2014 when Charles was presented with the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ by the International Wine Challenge at just 58.

Fairview is one of the oldest properties in South Africa, with vines first planted in 1699. It was bought by Charles Back’s grandfather in 1937, with Charles joining in 1978. Yet, despite its history, under Charles’ direction, Fairview has always been forward-thinking, innovating in the vineyard, cellar, and local community. A philosophy based on social commitment, sustainability, conservation, and empowerment sits at the core of their business. They also have a committee comprised of elected farm workers, who ensure equal opportunities by investing in education and training. While all its production is certified Fairtrade, Charles doesn’t advertise this, preferring to sell his wines on their quality.

The Fairview estate is located in Paarl, 50 kilometres from Cape Town. While Paarl has a warm climate, Fairview’s sites are situated on the southern slopes of Paarl Mountain, meaning they are open all the way to the coast, benefiting from cooling sea breezes and a higher elevation. Combined with diverse soils, this produces fresh, precise wines.

In response to global warming, Charles has recently ventured into lesser-known regions, such as Darling, to further elevate the Fairview wines. Located just eight kilometres from the Atlantic Ocean, Darling is a cool coastal area with decomposed granite soils that have exceptional water-retention capacity. In Charles’s words: “it makes for a very special area”. Here, Sauvignon Blanc thrives and produces a fresh, crisp expression with tropical aromatics and excellent depth. Their Chenin Blanc is sourced from bush vines in Darling and south-facing vineyards on Paarl Mountain. It is vibrant and refreshing, complemented by a creamy texture achieved through barrel fermentation. The ‘Lanner Hill’ Syrah is the latest addition to our list, sourced from a single vineyard in Darling. Overlooking the Atlantic, this site produces wines akin to the Northern Rhône, with notes of black pepper, rosemary, and fine-grained tannins. Its maiden release, the 2021 vintage, was named Tim Atkin’s ‘Red Wine Discovery of the Year’ in 2024.

Winemaker Anthony de Jager continues to advance the wines. By making small improvements in the vineyard, such as opening the canopies to allow more sunlight on the grapes, Anthony is getting full ripeness at an earlier stage in Fairview’s red grapes. In turn, this means earlier picking, creating red wines with more vibrancy and freshness. The Pinotage and Shiraz both benefit from this approach and get better and better with every new vintage.