Black Pearl Vineyards

Now this farm is what we’ve been talking about.

It’s a real family-run affair. Dad, Lancelot Nash bought the farm from an old friend back in 1995 as a place to retire to from New England. His daughter Mary-Lou Nash then came to visit following her own 2 year walkabout around Asia and teaching in Japan. There were Chenin Blanc vines on the property but no staff to harvest them so Mary-Lou pulled the two farm workers, their wives and her dad together with some friends and they managed to pick 3 tonnes of grapes. A bikini-clad Mary-Lou personally drove to the co-op to sell and from there the die was cast. Their own vineyards were planted with expert advice alongside the pristine renosterveld, and conservation remains key.

Today Mary-Lou is a Cape Winemaster (the first American one at that) and was a finalist for the 2006 Winemaker of the Year Awards. She’s completely self-taught. Everything is done by hand, only the female members of the family are involved in the actual wine-making.