Plaisir de Merle Wine Estate

About Plaisir de Merle Wine Estate

Fleeing religious persecution in France, The Frenchman, Charles Marais and his family was granted land by Simon van der Stel in 1693 and named it after their home town Le Plessis Marly. His grandson, Jacob Marais built the Manor House in 1764, which is one of the earliest displays of Cape Dutch architecture and developed the estate into one of the greatest in the region.

Wine maker Niel Bester has been developing Plasir de Merle wines since 1993 and a new cellar was built in that year which is surrounded by a quaint moat and a replica of a 1730 watermill. Niel believes in gently working with the grapes to bring out the feel of the fruit and all its goodness without interfering and controlling the process too much. The Plasir de Merle range consists of a Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and a Merlot and other special release wines such as a Shiraz and Grand Plasir which are available on a limited basis from the cellar only.

When it comes to wine tastings in the Tasting Centre which was once a old barn dating back to 1823, you can choose from a delicious pairings with sundried tomatoes, biltong and more, an exclusive tasting where you can sample their rare, single varietals or join a Blind tasting where you could be the winner of a bottle if you guess the varietal correctly.

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.