Along the R44 between Somerset West and Stellenbosch lies Avontuur Estate, a scenic wine and stud farm. Amongst the vineyards and paddocks lies a charming restaurant filled with delicious food and friendly staff. Unlike other farms in the region, Avontuur Estate makes you feel at home, as the estate is rooted in family.
Nestled away on the slopes of the Helderberg, lies Avontuur Estate. With its award-winning wines and spectacular view overlooking False Bay and Table Mountain, Avontuur Estate has become a fan favourite for many in the region. This stud and wine farm continues to thrive under the leadership of the Taberer family, that has owned the farm for almost four decades.
From Zim to the Boland
According to Philip Taberer, owner and director of Avontuur Estate, the farm was acquired by his father, Tony Taberer, in 1983. “My father was looking to move out of Zimbabwe as signs of demise were imminent,” he says. With his love for horses and horse racing, Tony Taberer wanted a place in the Western Cape where he could move his horses to, says Taberer.
Through the help of his in-laws, Tony Taberer found Avontuur Estate and began building the infrastructure that currently exists today, he explains. All was good on the farm, as Avontuur was slowly growing into a family network, until the unfortunate passing of Tony Taberer in 2007.
Following his death, the farm was taken over by Tony Taberer’s two sons, Michael and Philip Taberer. Under the leadership of the two sons, Avontuur remained a family-run stud and wine farm that continues to develop, especially within the wine industry.
“We started the restaurant 20 years ago, it’s been a long journey,” says Zunia Boucher-Myers, founder and co-owner of Avontuur Estate restaurant. PHOTO: Kesia Abrahams
On cloud wine
Avontuur Estate produces a variety of wines however, the farm’s strengths are its reds and specific whites. According to Jan van Rooyen, winemaker at Avontuur Estate, the location of the farm is really good for the production of certain red varieties, which is their flagship wine.
“[Helderberg] is a really good location for red grapes and we also have some pockets on the estate that is best suited for sauvignon blanc and chardonnay,” says Van Rooyen. In addition, Avontuur had recently gone through some developments of creating a specific site for pinotage.
“It’s actually now certified as a single vineyard, which makes it even more exclusive,” he says. Although Avontuur is a wine estate, it offers more than just wine.
“Our major production is red then we have limited sites and production of whites as well,” says Jan van Rooyen, winemaker at Avontuur Estate. EMBEDDED LINK: Avontuur Estate
Man’s best steed
Owing to the Taberer family’s love of horses, one of the unique selling points of Avontuur is the abundance of thoroughbred horses that are scattered across the estate.
“[Tony Taberer] always had a love for horses so he always wanted to start a stud farm,” explains Roxanne Neubert, fiancé of Philip Taberer. Visitors are able to do walking stud tours of the horses and can meet the foals in the paddock, says Neubert.
“It really creates a much different atmosphere compared to other farms,” says Van Rooyen. Another unique aspect of Avontuur is that all the wines are named after their most successful horses, says Neubert. Even with the horses, the sense of family hood feels prevalent as each year, approximately 35 foals are born on the farm.
“The foals stay here until they are a year old, then they get sold at the Cape Premier Yearling Sale,” explains Neubert. Furthermore, the presence of the horses on the farms means that the legacy of Tony Taberer remains. This legacy, however, goes across the farm, into the Avontuur Estate restaurant.
Avontuur Estate’s tasting room can occupy 20 visitors. PHOTO: Kesia Abrahams
To wine and to dine
Nearly 20 years ago, Zunia Boucher-Myers and Melanie Paltoglou were approached by Tony Taberer to start a restaurant on Avontuur Estate.
“Originally, there were two ladies that would cook at home and bring the food in everyday and they would do a South African-style buffet, but [Taberer] wanted a restaurant,” says Zunia Boucher-Myers, co-owner and chef of Avontuur Estate restaurant. Boucher-Myers started by cooking the South African-style buffet but slowly started to phase out dishes.
Today, Avontuur Estate restaurant offers fine dining at reasonable prices, explains Neubert. The menu offers a diverse selection of starters, main courses and desserts, from smoked salmon roses to roast duckling, the most popular dish, and finally, deep-fried ice cream, says Boucher-Myers. Tony Taberer’s legacy can still be felt in the restaurant.
“It was an amazing experience to start here with someone who had such a vision,” explains Boucher-Myers. Taberer used to sit at Table 16 in Avontuur Estate restaurant and the restaurant had specific napkins made for him, she says. Although beautiful aromas fill the air of the restaurant, the true beauty is the friendliness of the staff.
“We are very lucky with the people we work with,” says Boucher-Myers. Currently, the longest employed staff member has been at the restaurant for 16 years and the shortest has been there for seven years, she says.
“We’ve kept our staff for years [because] we are very family-orientated,” she says. Under the leadership of the Taberer brothers, big changes are occurring at Avontuur Estate.
Avontuur Estate restaurant was the Bistro winner of the 2018 Eat Out Awards. PHOTO: Kesia Abrahams
The future and the family legacy
One of the biggest changes is the renovation of the wine cellar. “They are renovating the wine cellar to be a wedding venue,” says Neubert. The process is expected to be completed by December of this year. “The venue will also be for conferences and business meetings,” she says.
To accompany the wedding venue, the Taberer’s family home, the old manor house, is being renovated into a guest house, says Neubert. “The old manor house is being renovated so that if you have a wedding here, your guests can stay there,” she says. As the Taberer brothers make changes on the farm, the legacy of their father still remains.
“Mr Taberer was a great inspiration and a wonderful businessman,” explains Boucher-Myers, “as things have changed and people have come and gone, it’s been so interesting to be an observer.” It has been especially interesting to see how the farm has changed due to the new energy of the brothers, she says.
“The men that are leading this farm are a different generation and it is really lovely to be part of that,” she says.
Avontuur estate does a variety of wine pairing, including wine and fudge pairings, and wine and cake pop pairings. EMBEDDED LINK: Avontuur Estate