On December 1st, 1687, the ship Voorschoten departed Rotterdam. Huddled, ill and afraid amongst the commodities on board was the first precious cargo of French refugees… Starting out in rudimentary mud shelters in desperate poverty, and with the Bible as their only solace, the brave early settlers in the Drakenstein built up a measure of prosperity through their relentless toil and, through intermarriage and together with the peoples already inhabiting the land, fathered many generations of South Africans, Knowing what it has taken to create this beautiful region, we can begin to appreciate the fierce pride of the generations of farming families and the diverse communities who live here today. Having fused their Dutch-Germanic-Khoi-Malayo-Polynesian-Portuguese tongues into one language proudly named Afrikaans, ‘because it was created in Afrika’, their heritage is as rich and vibrant as the terroirs and micro-climates wherein they produce their fine wines. Author J.Browne & D.Burger. 282 x 216mm, 216 pages, hardcover.
