Under Oaks is an established family-owned wine estate, located in the picturesque Cape Winelands town of Paarl. Here we produce fine boutique wines and offer our guests real experiences in our homely tasting room, luxurious guest accommodation and popular pizzeria.
The estate is a working farm, steeped deep in old South African history dating back to 1695. The first vintage of Under Oaks wine was bottled in 2001. The historic cellar was renovated in 2014. Our finely crafted wines are sold exclusively from the farm but can also be delivered to your doorstep.
Our goal is to exceed our guest’s expectations – immense attention is given to the experiences we offer. Visit our tasting room to experience wine tastings and pairings. Our guest rooms are air conditioned, spacious and thoughtfully decorated. The rooms offer all the preferred modern day amenities with views that overlook the farm, dam and striking mountains beyond. And of course the food and service at the pizzeria is simply wonderful.
Our History
Ansela van Bengale was one of 11 slaves that arrived in the Cape between 1652 – 1657. She was originally from North East India but had been exiled to Batavia. Ship Captain, Pieter Kemp, sold her to Jan Van Riebeeck – for whom she worked as a domestic worker. In 1662 when he left the Cape, he sold her to Abraham Gebbema. In 1666 Ansela and her 3 children were of the first slaves set free.
In 1667 she became the second woman in eight years to receive a plot in Tafelvalley. Ansela and her son, Pieter, were christened in 1668. Her daughter, Anna de Koningh, married Oloff Bergh who was one of the wealthiest men in the Cape during that time. Amongst his properties was the farm, De Kuilen, a house in Heerengracht and the farm Groot Constantia, all of which Anna inherited. In 1668, Ansela she married Arnoldus Willem Basson. Between 1670-1695 they christened seven children and Ansela became the mother of the Basson family in South Africa. After Arnoldus died, Ansela inherited handsomely, including a farm in the Drakenstein area. In 1706 she acquired the farm Honswyk (now Under Oaks). In 2004 it was bought by the current owners.
Who we are today
The Britz family prefers to describe Under Oaks as “a place where everything is perfectly imperfect”! This is a family business and corporate is not part of the furniture. Here things are done slowly and in the old-fashioned way. We love to engage with our guests who often return as friends.
How our wines came about
It all began one day in 2001 when the 2 friends, Hans & Bertus, came together to chat and share stories about farming, winemaking and the like. On this day, Hans asked Bertus if he would be keen to make a little wine for him. They went along and picked the grapes and Bertus then made the first wine, a hearty Cabernet Sauvignon. Theresa was casually informed about this little adventure of theirs. One day Hans walked in the door, presented her with this beautiful nectar and asked if she wouldn’t mind taking on the marketing and sales thereof. So that’s where it started.
It wasn’t a plan – it simply evolved from two friends playing around with their love of wine!