A visit to Franschhoek won’t be complete without a stopover at La Bri

Boasting a state-of-the-art 120 tonne boutique wine cellar and tasting room, La Bri is where you will find signature styled wines from a passionate owner, a knowledgeable viticulturist and a creative winemaker. This formidable team aims to share its wonderful products with fellow wine lovers who will enjoy, share and cherish their efforts.

La Bri uses estate grapes exclusively to produce handcrafted wines, made for everyday enjoyment, comprising four single cultivar wines and two blends, based on the traditional French Bordeaux and Rhone winemaking practices.

The tasting room is open to the public and operates six days a week.

Viewings of the cellar are by appointment or a self-walk tour is available, and a door-to-door delivery service is offered.

One cannot mention La Bri, without referring to the past, as the property is an essential piece of the South African wine history and culture.

According to the Franschhoek Museum, the original grant of La Bri is the oldest Huguenot-allocated farm in the Franschhoek Valley.

It was the first of nine farms granted to members of the main group of Huguenots who sought sanctuary in the Cape in 1688.

The name ‘La Bri’ is probably derived from the French for ‘the refuge’, a perfect name for this property, as it is safely nestled in the imposing amphitheatre of the Franschhoek valley.

Although originally granted to Jacob de Villiers, his son, Jacques, settled on the farm in 1694.

He became a very successful farmer and later bought Boschendal from his brother Abraham’s estate. In 1712, Jacques received title of La Bri, and, over time, the farm was split into three, with homesteads built on two of them. In 1744, after several owners had come and gone, Pieter Eduard Haumann bought the farm that today is La Bri.

The manor house was probably built around then, although in a much smaller form. But, in all likelihood, the house, as it currently stands, was built in 1862, when it was enlarged to its present H-shape. It still has a severe gable with straight sides, typical of the last phases of Cape Dutch architecture.

In 1997 a new era dawned for La Bri.

From 2000 onwards vineyards were gradually replanted, a new cellar was built, and the labels were redesigned. The eye catching labels feature indigenous Cape flowers and herbs, playing on the symbiotic relationship between wine and fynbos,  so apparent in the Cape.

Each La Bri wine has its own Cape flower on the label (with the exception of the Shiraz Viognier which appropriately features herbs)

Herewith a list of the wines, and the flowers adorning the labels:

• Chardonnay Clivia miniata – Yellow Clivia
• Viognier Ixia viridiflora - Green Ixia
• Affinity Geissorhiza radians - Wine Cup
• Shiraz Viognier Herbae – Herbs
• Merlot Amaryllis belladonna - March Lily
• Cabernet Sauvignon Watsonia alba - White Watsonia