Tycoon Christo Wiese bought the historic Lanzerac estate in the Jonkershoek Valley in Stellenbosch in 1990 amid a highly publicised court battle. Having survived those birth pangs, the estate is thriving.
"When I bought the Lanzerac in 1990 it was in a shocking state," said Wiese, relaxing in the Lanzerac Hotel's lounge. "There was no farming activity at all and the vineyards were overgrown with weeds."
The buildings, including a manor house built in 1830, were run-down, with leaky roofs and damp. "They would not have lasted five years."
A decade later and the Lanzerac has been transformed into a five-star hotel of international standing - Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson's son chose to get married there last year - and an estate producing award winning wines - the chardonnay has won a gold Veritas and the cabernet sauvignon two international awards.
The estate began life as Schoongezicht in 1692 when Governor Simon van der Stel granted the land to Isaac Schryver of the Dutch East India Company. It passed through a succession of owners before Elizabeth English renamed it Lanzerac in 1922.
In 1958 under the ownership of hotelier David Rawdon the buildings were converted into a hotel and Wiese is among the thousands of Matie students of the 1960s who loved to visit the Lanzerac.
"I probably came here for the first time while I was a schoolboy at Paarl Boys' High. But I only got to know it in 1963 when I was a first year student - it was very popular."
Many of them may have dreamed of one day owning the estate but Wiese realised that dream.
"My family and I have lived in a small bungalow in Clifton since 1975. I always thought it would be a good idea to own a place in the country and it was my wife Caro who suggested we buy Lanzerac. She appreciated the sheer beauty of the place, especially if it could be rejuvenated."
Wiese, an advocate, was voted businessman of the year in 1997, has a glittering business history which includes having owned Monex, developers of Century City, and Boland Bank - in 1996 the Financial Mail estimated the Wiese family fortune at more than R1-billion.
He now focuses on his retail interests: "I still have Pep stores, Shoprite, Ackermans and businesses in the UK and Australia. About 3 000 stores."
However, Lanzerac is not some rich man's toy or sharp business deal. "Wine estates and hotels take a long time to be profitable. This was not a good business deal, it is more of a love. I am passionate about the place and it has given me lots of joy."
Wine was always made here
It is a joy he has been prepared to share. "Lanzerac really belongs to the people. It is part of the Cape's culture and holds memories for many from their student days. It is also popular for weddings and honeymoons and should be enjoyed by many more people than the owners."
Wine production on the estate had ceased in the early 1970s although wines with a Lanzerac label, under a deal negotiated with a previous owner, continued to be made by Stellenbosch Farmers Winery.
In 1959 Lanzerac became the first commercial producer of pinotage, a uniquely South African hybrid of pinot noir and hermitage (cinsaut) grapes, and Wiese wanted to re-establish the estate as a wine producer.
Pinotage may come back to farm
"When I bought the place I was not sure I would continue with the hotel but I was very sure I was going to develop it as a wine farm. The first wines were actually produced here in 1685 although the farm was granted only in 1692."
Today the estate produces a merlot, chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon. But what about restoring pinotage to the farm?
"I have not yet produced any pinotage grapes, so there has not been a problem. But I have a very relaxed relationship with SFW, and who knows, it may develop that we have pinotage back here one day. This is its home," says Wiese, who in his collection has a Lanzerac wine from the 1920s and a 1957 cabernet sauvignon.
Lighter wines too
It is not surprising then to hear that the only building he has added to the property is a cellar. "The rest was upgrading and renovating. I didn't really want to add bricks and mortar. I wanted to retain the character as a wine estate that happens to have a hotel on site."
Once the decision was made to produce wines, new vines were planted with the first wine produced under the watchful eye of consultant Jan "Boland" Coetzee in a friend's cellar in 1995 and the first wine was produced in 1997.
The estate also produces lighter wines under the De Forellen label. "Forel is Afrikaans for trout and the label has this name because the first trout farm in operation in this area started on part of what is now the Lanzerac estate, in the 1930s, I think," Wiese said.
There is a dry red bearing the name of Wiese's daughter Clare, while the pinot blanc, which won a silver Veritas award, is named after the other daughter, Christina.
So are there any plans to sell the estate? "I have had several offers. But when I told my son Jacob about the offers he said 'How could you sell 309 years of history?'"