Fons Aaldering, well known Dutch businessman and entrepreneur in the luxury food industry, hankered to own a wine farm. Already owning a delightful home in Spain he thought it appropriate to look for suitable land both in Spain and neighbouring France. After a while he realised that as a foreigner he was not able to buy premium vineyard land as they were “reserved” for the local community. Having heard so much about South Africa’s successful wine industry, he convinced his wife that they should visit the Cape with the possibility of purchasing a wine farm! In 2004 the Aalderings became the proud owners of a farm in the Devon Valley region on the fringe of Stellenbosch. “I cannot explain it, but I have always had an affinity for South Africa, a feeling of belonging, of coming home. I am not caught up in the dream of creating the picture perfect wine farm. Our focus is firstly on producing great wines. The frills will come later. At this point every decision we make is with our long term goal in mind – to become one of the top ten premium brands in South Africa within the next decade,” said Fons.