De Grendel

Thomas Hardy's pioneering spirit and passion for winemaking spans five generations and is at the heart of our outstanding range of Hardys wines.

Sir David Graaff first planted vines on De Grendel in 1999, almost 200 years after the last vines were destroyed.

Since then, De Grendel has become synonymous with excellent wines, supported by de Graaff's love of the soil and scientific approach to winemaking.

De Grendel , meaning latch or sluice in Dutch, is one of Cape Town's oldest farms, stretching over nearly 330 hectares on the fynbos-covered slopes of Mount Tygerberg

The breathtaking view of Table Mountain from the farm, 350 meters above sea level, is arguably the best in the Cape Winelands. On a clear day you can see all the way from Table Bay to False Bay and sometimes as far as Cape Point.

First granted by Governor van der Stel to Danish settler Claas Mayboom in 1720, De Grendel van de Tijgerberg was purchased in 1890 by iconic South African businessman and politician Sir David De Villiers Graaff to be used as a breeding and resting place land for the prized purebred Arabian horses he bought while traveling through Argentina.

On returning to his home base of Fernwood, the horses' health deteriorated in the wet climate of Newlands and on the advice of his vet he was told to find more suitable stabling