Bosman Family Vineyards

The Bosman family has been farming in the Bovlei valley of Wellington since 1810, but the roots go deeper still. The very first Bosman to arrive at the Cape of Good Hope was Hermanus Lambertus Bosman in 1707, who became the 'sieketrooster' -- caregiver -- for the Drakenstein community. That founding act of service has echoed through eight generations, shaping a family that measures success not just in bottles sold but in the wellbeing of the people and land in their care.

The Lelienfontein Estate, the family's home farm on Hexberg Road in Wellington, produced wine continuously until 1957, when the Bosmans turned their focus to their vine nursery -- which would become one of the largest and most respected in South Africa, supplying grapevine material to wine farms across the Cape. For five decades, the family grew vines for others to vinify.

In 2007, the eighth generation returned to winemaking. Petrus Bosman partnered with winemaker Corlea Fourie to renovate the 260-year-old cellar on Lelienfontein and release the first wines under the Bosman Family Vineyards label. It was a homecoming of sorts -- the family that had kept South Africa's vine nursery alive was finally making wine from its own vineyards again.

Corlea Fourie leads an all-women winemaking team of three, producing an impressive range that draws from the Bovlei's warm, sheltered terroir and from vineyards in the cooler Hemel-en-Aarde Valley near Hermanus. The Generation 8 range -- named for the current generation -- offers single-varietal wines that thrive in Wellington: Chenin Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, and a Cinsaut Rose. The Adama range, named after the workers' trust, blends red and white selections from across the estate. And at the pinnacle, the single-vineyard Optenhorst Chenin Blanc has become arguably the most famous wine in the portfolio -- a profound expression of old bush vines and Wellington clay soils.

In 2008, a landmark joint venture between Bosman Family Vineyards and the Adama Workers Trust became the largest Black Economic Empowerment deal in the South African wine industry, with eligible workers receiving co-ownership of 430 hectares of farming land. The Adama range of wines is a direct expression of this partnership -- every bottle sold supports the trust and the community it serves.

The tasting room on Lelienfontein offers flights ranging from R100 to R200 per person, with a French-inspired restaurant serving lunch alongside cellar tours and vineyard walks. The estate is family-friendly, welcoming children of all ages. It is closed on Fridays and Sundays, a nod to the family's rhythms, and opens Tuesday through Thursday 09:00-17:00, Monday and Saturday 10:00-16:00.

Bosman Family Vineyards is proof that heritage and innovation are not opposites. Eight generations of vine growing, a world-class nursery, an all-women cellar team, a transformative empowerment deal, and wines that honour the Bovlei's unique terroir -- it is a story that could only be written in Wellington.