BOLAND CELLAR… what it took to become a legendary wine brand!
The word Boland is the name for one of South Africa’s most beautiful regional areas and international tourist destinations including well-known towns such as Paarl, Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Wellington, Tulbagh and Worcester – all within about an hour’s drive from mother city Cape Town.
However, since the 1940’s the word Boland also took on a new and very definite meaning as the proud name for a specific co-operative winery for farmers in the Paarl area. Since the early years the co-operative and its members have been leading the way in planting premium grape cultivars for top-quality wine-making production. A handful of pioneering founders worked together under difficult circumstances and took bold steps to lay the foundation for the establishment – even unknowingly initially – of the name Boland to become one of South Africa’s most respected national and international wine brands.
If you’re one of the many Afrikaans-speaking South Africans living or working globally you may even have some fond recollections of the word Boland when hearing popular songs from yesteryear such as “My hart verlang na die Boland/My heart yearns for the Boland” or the unilingual “Waterblommetjies in die Boland” telling about one of the Cape’s specially cultivated small water flowers and the sought-after traditional meals prepared from it.
Excerpts from the legendary stories of the transition and development of the history of the proud brand name Boland, as it is known globally today to the international wine trade, the critical wine media and fundi’s and numerous wine lovers in many countries of the world, will be told in a series of blogs to be posted in the months to come!
If YOU have some comments or can add to the story or legend of the Boland wine brand or even your enjoyment of Boland’s wines, please share it with us. You may as a surprise through a monthly lucky-draw find yourself as the winner of 6 bottles of Boland’s acclaimed wines delivered to your doorstep. Please always supply your electronic contact details when communicating with us. #VanToekatotNou
