Jacques Viljoen & Greg Guy: Boschendal, South Africa's 340-Year-Old Wine Farm

Boschendal celebrated 340 years of winemaking history last year, and its wines sell in more than 70 countries. According to Greg Guy, America is still the missing piece.

The South Africa Series opens in the Cape Winelands with Boschendal cellar master Jacques Viljoen and Greg Guy, who leads international sales for DGB. Jacques explains how the cool climate and shale soils of Elgin give Boschendal's Chardonnay its gunflint edge, and how nutrient-poor soils make the yeast work harder. Greg talks about Cap Classique as the category still growing while global wine sales slow, the South African brands that came and went in the US, and what younger drinkers want from a label. And Jacques compares Cabernet Franc to a Springbok wing making a clean break.

Jacques Viljoen has been cellar master at Boschendal since 2018, after 16 years as winemaker at Zevenwacht and vintages in Burgundy, the Northern Rhône, Bordeaux and Vouvray. DGB has owned the Boschendal wine business since 2005. The estate sits in the Drakenstein Valley between Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, on land first granted to French Huguenot Jean le Long in 1685.

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KEYWORDS:
Boschendal, Boschendal wines, Jacques Viljoen, Greg Guy, DGB, South African wine, South Africa wine, Cape Winelands, Franschhoek, Stellenbosch, Elgin, Elgin Chardonnay, Elgin Pinot Noir, Cap Classique, MCC, South African sparkling wine, Cabernet Franc, Helderberg, cool climate Chardonnay, Bokkeveld shale, Springboks, Rainbow Nation, wine podcast, Wine Centric Show, Matt Weiss, South Africa Series