Meerlust – family-owned for over 250 Years

Since 1756, Meerlust has been owned by the family Myburgh. Meanwhile, the family runs the estate in the eighth generation and plays a huge role in the ongoing success, together with the fantastic team around of cellarer Chris Williams. The name Meerlust means ‘the joy of the sea’, after all, the yard is just about five kilometres away from the False Bay. Many historical buildings on the site are a testament to the eventful history of the family and the whole land. Since 1987, the entire winery Meerlust is a national monument of South Africa. Numerous artists have used it for inspiration, such as the South African Jacob Hendrik Pierneef or the American author James Michener.

The repeated Crossing of the Rubicon

Especially because of its red wine Rubicon, Meerlust gained the reputation of being the icon of South African wine. It questioned all established ideas about wine from South Africa. During a trip to the French Bordeaux, Nico Myburgh, the father of today’s owner, realised that the terroir of the French area was very similar to his in Meerlust. But whilst until then only single-grape wines had been produced in South Africa, the Bordeaux wines flourished simply because of the various grapes that were perfectly balanced in a blend. After his return and some years of experimenting, Meerlust created not only one of the first South African blends, but the very best yet according to many gourmets. With this creation, Meerlust had turned the South African wine world upside down. As a sign for this revolutionary event, the only appropriate name was chosen for this red wine: Rubicon.

Perfect Terroir and numerous Awards

The terroir in Meerlust is very similar to the one in Bordeaux. Both have special climatic conditions that are defined by the cooling sea breeze and simultaneously sufficient sunlight. The soils are mainly a mixture of granite and clay. This terroir is just ideal for the cultivation of various grape varieties. Numerous awards for the Meerlust Rubicon and the other premium wines speak a clear language: due to its terroir and the passionate work of the family Myburgh and its team, Meerlust stands for high class wines on a high level.