Sriti Jha Instagram – Grande Provence Wine Estate wears her 325-year history with dignity. Nestled in the beautiful Franschhoek Valley in South Africa’s Western Cape, her lush vines spread across 47 acres. Rolling vistas frame the valley floor and heighten the drama of the rugged mountains beyond. Barely a one-hour drive from Cape Town, this is heartland South African Wine Country at its very finest. Over 325 years ago, French Protestant Pierre Joubert hid his bible in a loaf of bread and fled his home town of La Motte-d’Aigues in Provence to avoid religious persecution. In 1694, along with other Huguenots, he arrived in Olifantshoek (Elephants Corner; later to be renamed Franschhoek). Having married another passenger while aboard the Bergchina, (after his first wife died tragically on the same voyage) Pierre and his new wife, Isabeau Richarde, soon prospered on their farm, acquiring other local farms including Belingchamp, L’Ormarins, La Motte, and La Roche. In 1732, at age 67, Pierre died, leaving a legacy for generations to come of acres of vineyards and outstanding examples of Cape Dutch architecture, of which the most notable is the Manor House at Grande Provence Heritage Wine Estate. The next notable owner was Count Riccardo Agusta, after which two of the Estate’s wines were named. A keen nature conservationist and successful entrepreneur, Count Riccardo Agusta acquired Grande Provence in 1991, adding it to the family’s many and varied holdings. It was in April 2004 that the new owners, a consortium of Dutch and Belgian business people, purchased Grande Provence Estate, indulging their passion for fine food, superb wine, extraordinary hospitality and their love of Africa Source : grandeprovence.co.za