Like Greek goddesses, women dressed in flowing materials adorned with the most whimsical crowns contrasted with fierce femme fatales in structured architectural fashion pieces that looked like a work of modern art; all the while, the men, who were just as beautifully colorful as the women, sauntered to their lady of choice with an air of nonchalance that only a true Frenchman could pull off with success. One pocket of the room was chaotic and boisterous with what it seemed, could it be possible, yes, that movie star who is known to take up all the oxygen in the room and dominates all who bask in her glory, while other areas, tucked away with mysterious young women emanating a quiet power with a statuesque beauty as they gaze off into some other universe.
For a young man who had seen nothing but farms his whole life, this unbelievable dream-like existence left him in awe. Hannes Myburgh, a multi-generational South African farmer, was gobsmacked by this otherworldly paradise as he attended legendary fashion show parties in the 1970s. He came to Paris without money, living in a dilapidated building crammed with other young people from around the world. During this time, Hannes had many jobs, one of them being a clapper at fashion shows. He notes that back in those days, they would hire someone dressed in fashionable clothes to plant in the audience of fashion shows who would then be responsible for clapping when certain outfits came out on models, increasing the chance of those outfits being bought.
At one of these fantastical parties, he met someone associated with the outstanding estate Château Lafite Rothschild in Bordeaux, known as the epitome of grace and elegance. Because of the encounter, he ended up working a harvest at Lafite Rothschild, learning the ways they achieve such excellence in the vineyards and winery, then returned to his family farm, which had grown grapes and made wine since the early 1700s, with a new insight to their path forward.
Hannes Myburgh is the 8th-generation owner of Meerlust Estate, a winery and vineyard estate owned by the Myburgh family since 1756. They have played a considerable part in bringing recognition to high-quality wines in South Africa, especially the Stellenbosch region where they reside. The estate is only three miles from False Bay, which influences a cooling effect with winds counterbalancing hot summers, allowing for a longer growing season, enabling grapes to find an ideal balance between fruit ripeness, plenty of acidity and ripe tannins – creating a silky texture.
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