Arabella structure

In August 2005 the farm land of Excelsior was divided between the brothers Stephen and Freddie de Wet...

In August 2005 the farm land of Excelsior was divided between the brothers Stephen and Freddie de Wet. In this division Freddie received the Excelsior name and the cellar. Stephen received half the vineyards including all the Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier and more than half the land.

Stephen had been in charge of wine making and marketing at Excelsior and formed a partnership with his son Jamie, who had done bottling and dispatch, to build a cellar and develop a new name. They chose the name Arabella as a word play on the beautiful Arabian horses of which they are so fond.

In December 2005 they received permission from the Department of Environmental Affairs to commence building their new cellar and tasting room. The cellar has just been completed and the tasting room will hopefully be open to the public by the end of the year.

Arabella is a registered Estate with the wine and spirits board.

The 2006 vintage was made at outside cellars under our supervision.

As it would be our first vintage from Arabella, we were most anxious to do everything properly. Great care was taken of applying the right amount of water to the vineyards and of crop and canopy management. We at Arabella are really excited about the results.

In order to have continuity, small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Shiraz we bought in from the 2005 vintage to pair with our own whites. (Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier). We really believe that we have some exciting wines to show.

To assist with the marketing, Stephen and Jamie appointed daughter and sister Nicky de Wet. Arabella is now a complete family business in which every member is passionately involved.

It is the family's desire to establish the Arabella brand by giving our customers the very best quality at the very best price possible. But just good quality is not enough - we want our customers to have a special experience when drinking Arabella wines.

---