From Grandpa’s Cellar Corks to Your Glass of Authentic South African Flavor
Over sixty years ago, the owner’s grandfather planted the first grapevine amid Table Mountain’s morning mists—its vines still carry the texture of South Africa’s sea breezes, touched by his calloused palms.We hold fast to his tradition of hand-sorting grapes, and nurture the vitality of the Cape Floral Kingdom, letting every drop cradle a local winemaker’s gentle devotion to this land.This isn’t just a bottle of wine’s story—it’s a timeless taste woven between us, South Africa, and you.
Our History
In 1937, Hennie Retief senior’s father bought him the farm Goudmyn F in the Robertson Valley. The name was passed on from a previous owner who paid a vast amount of money for the land (his neighbours teased him asking whether he thought he had bought a gold mine – goudmyn in Afrikaans). The farm was subdivided (A, B, C etc) to give each of his 9 children a piece of the original farm. Hennie Retief ended up acquiring portion F of Goudmyn.
The Story Behind Van Loveren’s Name
In 1939, Hennie married Ashton teacher Jean van Zyl. Superstitious, she disliked the farm’s original name Goudmyn F (associating "F" with "fools and failures," later adding "friendship and flowers") and persuaded Hennie to rename it Van Loveren. The tribute to her ancestor Christiena van Loveren—who arrived in South Africa in 1699, founded the Van Zyl lineage, and brought a Philippine mahogany trousseau chest passed down through generations—was inspired by the chest Jean bought from her aunt for 45 pounds. Today, it’s proudly displayed in Van Loveren’s tasting room.
Three Sips of Strelitzia-Kissed Cape Paradise
Named for South Africa’s national flower—the Strelitzia (Bird of Paradise)—CraneFlower bottles a Cape Mountain day in three wines: Dawn mists bring Rosé, blushing like the Strelitzia’s petals with soft, free-spirited sweetness; midday sun yields Sweet White, creamy and calm as a terrace breeze; dusk’s glow infuses Sweet Red, rich and warm as the Cape sunset. Each glass holds a tiny, reachable slice of South Africa—tucked in the Strelitzia’s bloom.
