South Africa
One can easily overlook the right hand turn just after the peak of the Helshoogte Road that runs from Stellenbosch to Franchhoek. But when you turn off right you enter a beautiful winding road that leads into Banghoek Valley named after an old bandits hideout. Today the bandits are gone but the south African puma can be seen here, if you are lucky
1978 Jacques Malan finally bought that piece of land that is now Rainbow’s End. Even as a young boy he wanted to be a farmer but farming didn’t exist in his family and so he became a civil engineer. But that childhood dream stayed with him and eventually he became owner of 42 hectares that would become Rainbow’s End.
Today the Malan family who’s roots trace back to the French Huguenots who entered South African literally with vines under their arms and started the South African Wine Industry.
Today Anton Malan son of Jacques has taken over the lead in the cellar, supported by his brother François who is responsible for the vines, Ingrid Malan who runs the tasting room and Sunel Malan a renown dietician.
Anton Malan made the first Rainbow’s End wine in 2002. Prior he worked in France at Oliver Laporte at Château Croix Beausejour in Montagne St.- Émilion. When Oliver visited Rainbows End soon after it was him that encouraged Jacques and Anton to forget that myth that you have to make huge investments starting a farm but told them to work with what was available. So they renovated an existing building installed a cellar installed and used the little stream that runs through the property as natural cooling during fermentation. Anton’s philosophy is to intervene as little as possible in the wine making process. Physical stress, be it through pumping or high pressure filtrage is avoided with a result of outstanding red wines.
