A stay at the Excelsior Manor Guest House is more than a countryside retreat in one of South Africa’s famous wine regions. It is also an insight into generations of a local family.
It is impossible to get the most out of a stay at Excelsior without learning a little bit about the de Wet family. Excelsior Wine Estate, located in Ashton which is just down the road from Robertson, dates back to 1869 when the family bought the land. Current owner, Freddie de Wet, is the fourth generation landowner, and is able to recount numerous diverse uses of the land by previous generations, which includes growing citrus fruit, producing ostrich feathers for fashion houses, and breeding race horses. In fact, while there are no horses at Excelsior thesedays, this part of the family’s history is clearly still close to their hearts, with a number of wines named after some of the famous studs.
Nowadays, the 220 acre estate is a wine estate through and through and exports wines to 20 different countries. Impressively, Excelsior is also the biggest selling brand in the US wine market. While South Africa is mostly known for its white wines, Freddie believes that the country should be given more recognition for its reds, which make up 75% of what Excelsior produces. The merlot can even be found in Britain’s very own Waitrose supermarket.
Freddie is a big believer in the human touch to his vines. Excelsior’s staff live on-site and each individual is responsible for his own rows of vines, and grapes are handpicked when ripe. Not only does this make the quality of the wine better, it provides vitally-needed employment in the area and helps paint a more romantic picture of the wine-making process. Besides providing employment to 100 staff a week on average, the de Wet family’s commitment to the local area runs deeper. Profits from the vineyard have also been used to support remedial teachers in local schools, provide after school care and homework assistance and build a computer room with 24 computers.
Four years ago, the family decided to fix the old family home (where Freddie was born) and turn it into a guest house. The setting couldn’t be more perfect, with Excelsior’s vineyards rolling as far as the eye can see. The pristinely restored house, now a four star guest house, is the picture of olde worlde Victorian charm. The English countryside style of the property is as apparent in the interior as it is from the exterior, with feature pieces of traditional furniture throughout the property, alongside de Wet family portraits and antiques. Rooms are comfortable and attend to guests’ needs without detracting from the history of the building and property.
Excelsior Manor House guests are treated to some proper home cooking for dinner and breakfast. While breakfast has a cold buffet and innovatively skewered hot options made-to-order, dinner includes three courses of robust countryside meals using local ingredients. Not only do visitors to the guest house get to drink their favourite Excelsior wines before and during dinner, they are also welcome to do some wine tasting and even blend their own bottle of wine to take home. Other perks of the guest house include the swimming pool on the decking area to the back of the property, and use of a golf buggy to drive around the estate and get lost amidst the vines.
Unlike other wine estates that host guests in a sumptuous, polished and high-brow affair, Excelsior Manor Guest House is about family traditions and unpretentious countryside relaxation.
It is impossible to get the most out of a stay at Excelsior without learning a little bit about the de Wet family. Excelsior Wine Estate, located in Ashton which is just down the road from Robertson, dates back to 1869 when the family bought the land. Current owner, Freddie de Wet, is the fourth generation landowner, and is able to recount numerous diverse uses of the land by previous generations, which includes growing citrus fruit, producing ostrich feathers for fashion houses, and breeding race horses. In fact, while there are no horses at Excelsior thesedays, this part of the family’s history is clearly still close to their hearts, with a number of wines named after some of the famous studs.
Nowadays, the 220 acre estate is a wine estate through and through and exports wines to 20 different countries. Impressively, Excelsior is also the biggest selling brand in the US wine market. While South Africa is mostly known for its white wines, Freddie believes that the country should be given more recognition for its reds, which make up 75% of what Excelsior produces. The merlot can even be found in Britain’s very own Waitrose supermarket.
Freddie is a big believer in the human touch to his vines. Excelsior’s staff live on-site and each individual is responsible for his own rows of vines, and grapes are handpicked when ripe. Not only does this make the quality of the wine better, it provides vitally-needed employment in the area and helps paint a more romantic picture of the wine-making process. Besides providing employment to 100 staff a week on average, the de Wet family’s commitment to the local area runs deeper. Profits from the vineyard have also been used to support remedial teachers in local schools, provide after school care and homework assistance and build a computer room with 24 computers.
Four years ago, the family decided to fix the old family home (where Freddie was born) and turn it into a guest house. The setting couldn’t be more perfect, with Excelsior’s vineyards rolling as far as the eye can see. The pristinely restored house, now a four star guest house, is the picture of olde worlde Victorian charm. The English countryside style of the property is as apparent in the interior as it is from the exterior, with feature pieces of traditional furniture throughout the property, alongside de Wet family portraits and antiques. Rooms are comfortable and attend to guests’ needs without detracting from the history of the building and property.
Excelsior Manor House guests are treated to some proper home cooking for dinner and breakfast. While breakfast has a cold buffet and innovatively skewered hot options made-to-order, dinner includes three courses of robust countryside meals using local ingredients. Not only do visitors to the guest house get to drink their favourite Excelsior wines before and during dinner, they are also welcome to do some wine tasting and even blend their own bottle of wine to take home. Other perks of the guest house include the swimming pool on the decking area to the back of the property, and use of a golf buggy to drive around the estate and get lost amidst the vines.
Unlike other wine estates that host guests in a sumptuous, polished and high-brow affair, Excelsior Manor Guest House is about family traditions and unpretentious countryside relaxation.
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