New milestone for farm ‘from the sky’

While allegations of deteriorating farmer-worker relations in the Western Cape continue to make headlines, award-winning Cape winery Delaire forges ahead with a major expansion project that has kicked off with the construction of workers’ cottages that are now the envy of the district.

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While allegations of deteriorating farmer-worker relations in the Western Cape continue to make headlines, award-winning Cape winery Delaire forges ahead with a major expansion project that has kicked off with the construction of workers’ cottages that are now the envy of the district. Stephan Hofstätter reports.

Cape wine estate Delaire must rate as one of South Africa’s most scenic wineries. Situated on the crest of Helshoogte Mountain pass between Franschhoek and Stellenbosch, it overlooks Banhoek Valley, framed by the majestic peaks of Simonsberg and the Groot Drakenstein.

An altitude of 300m to 500m above sea level, along with rich deep soils and good water-holding capacity, makes it ideal for creating complex wines because of a long, slow ripening season. The view prompted celebrity wine writer John Platter, who bought the 44ha farm (22ha under vine) known as Avontuur in 1982, to rename it Delaire, which means “from the sky”.

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Constructing a piece of heaven on earth
Platter sold Delaire in 1987 and, after another change of ownership, it was bought in 2003 by Swiss jewellery merchant Laurence Graff. On 5 March 2007 the estate closed its doors to the public, and demolition of the restaurant, wine tasting room, winery and old labourers’ quarters began.

This marks the second phase in a two-year renovation process involving an investment of tens of millions of rands that will include a new 200-seater restaurant (replacing an 85-seater), a new winery with dramatically enlarged cellar space, and a 12-suite boutique hotel. Winery manager Jaco van der Westhuizen expects a dramatic improvement in wine quality in the long term. “It’s rare to get this kind of investment in new equipment,” he says. “We’ll be able to keep the tanks as clean as possible, keep the good-quality fruit in, and have very good temperature control. The results won’t be apparent immediately, but in time there will be a noticeable difference.” glass wall will separate the dining area from the winery, affording diners and wine tasters a view of the storage cellar below and fermentation vats and winemaking activities above. Before demolition got underway, Delaire completed the first phase of the project – building new workers’ cottages.

Some years back the estate’s permanent labour force had been given the option to stay on the farm or be allocated houses in a nearby township. About half stayed, thereby foregoing the chance to own their homes.
When Graff decided to rebuild the winery he thought it only fair that their ramshackle accommodation was upgraded.

‘Kick-ass’ accommodation
“We built them kick-ass little houses – something they can be proud of,” Jaco says. “This has gone a long way to improving their mood and demeanour, making them valuable team players.” There are three single-bedroom units housing the singles, and three double-bedroom units housing families. They are powered by solar panels, which means neither the estate nor the workers need cough up for electricity. Each cottage sports gleaming tiles, a fridge and stove, and roofed verandas with built-in braais where the workers can take in the same view admired by diners on the planned deck restaurant. Betwel Sobhuza and his wife Sylvia had moved into their cottage two days before Farmer’s Weekly visited the estate. “Oh, it’s spectacular!” exclaims Sylvia. “We never thought they’d build us such nice houses.

This house has a stoep, braai place and tiles – the old place didn’t have any of that.” Like the other workers living here, the Sobhuzas came to the Cape from the former Transkei in the 1990s, looking for work. They earn almost double the minimum wage even after a nominal rental and services fee has been deducted from their wages, but money remains tight. “It’s hard to make it to the end of the month, especially with two kids to raise,” Betwel says. “But we live alright here and it’s good to work on this farm.” A visit to their old home they’d just moved out of and scheduled to be demolished provides a stark illustration of just how much their living conditions have improved. The sagging ceiling leaked, forcing them to put pots out to catch the drops every time it rained. The linoleum is peeling from the floors, the outside walls are cracked and inside the plaster is crumbling. “We all feel a lot happier working here now,” Betwel says. “There aren’t any houses for workers like this around here.”

Investing in people
Jaco says investing in people is a key philosophy of Laurence Graff. He has spearheaded efforts to get corporates to donate money on training facilities in other countries he operates in, such as Botswana, and Jaco doesn’t discount the possibility that this could be replicated in the winelands. “He’s a big contributor to charities involving children,” Jaco says. “We need to get people in a better position and give them the tools to stay there.” For now the focus will remain on getting the farm infrastructure right. “Give us two or three years. Then we’ll start chasing other dreams.” |fw