La Bri Wine Estate

About La Bri Wine Estate

Safely nestled in the Franschhoek Valley, La Bri is derived from the French word for ‘shelter' or ‘refuge'. Robin Hamilton bought the Farm in 1997. At that time, their Wines were being made from La Bri grapes at the Franschhoek Wine Co-Operative. La Bri, given to the De Villiers family in 1694, is one of the original nine farms given to the Huguenots. De Villiers went on to build Boschendal's Manor House. The original grant of the farm is the oldest Huguenot-allocated farm in Franschhoek.

Each of La Bri's wines is linked to a specific flower and the characteristics of the wine are symbolized by the particular flower on the label, alluding to the relationship between wine and fynbos. Some of the wines and the flowers on their labels include: Chardonnay Clivia miniata - Yellow Clivia, Viognier Ixia viridiflora - Green Ixia , Affinity Geissorhiza radians - Wine Cup , Shiraz Viognier Herbae - Herbs, Merlot Amaryllis belladonna - March Lily and Cabernet Sauvignon Watsonia alba - White Watsonia.

The team built their own cellar, but kept the old tasting room with its old machinery to include a cycle tour of the farm. There are bicycles on the farm for guests wanting to ride down to the river with their picnic baskets and an herb garden with strawberries and granadillas which you can pick from.

To view more wine estates in the region see Franschhoek Wine Estates or see South Africa Wine Estates for a general overview and links to other wine producing regions.