Seven Sisters: The Farm Workers' Daughters Who Own the Wine

How to Complete

3 steps curated by Wine Memories

1. 🍷 1

   Find the Wine That Made First Class History

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   Seven Sisters Vivian Sauvignon Blanc - the first Black-owned South African wine poured in American Airlines first class cabins

   Seven actual sisters. Their parents were evicted from a fishing village called Paternoster when Vivian (the oldest) was 18 - the family lost everything after 25 years. The seven Brutus sisters separated, scattered to live with relatives in pairs. Twenty years later, they reunited and built one of South Africa's most remarkable wine businesses. In 2005, they became one of the first 100% POC-owned wine farms in Stellenbosch. American Airlines put their Sauvignon Blanc in first-class. Walmart stocked them. Woolworths signed them exclusively. Seven Sisters tasting room on the R44 between Stellenbosch and Somerset West. Taste the 'Vivian' Sauvignon Blanc - named after Vivian Kleynhans, the sister who led the comeback. Each of the seven wines is named after one of the seven sisters. Ask the staff which sister they're named after - they'll tell you the full story of eviction, separation, and reunion. If the tasting room is closed, their wines are stocked at Woolworths stores across South Africa. Look for the label with seven faces.

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2. 📜 2

   Meet the Sister Who Changed Everything

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   The story of Vivian Kleynhans, self-taught wine entrepreneur who built a legacy from eviction

   Vivian Kleynhans (née Brutus) entered the wine industry as a self-taught entrepreneur when the South African wine world was 99.9% white-owned. No wine school. No family vineyards. Just seven sisters who refused to let their childhood eviction define them. They approached the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform. In 2009, they were awarded 8.7 hectares in Stellenbosch - their own land. In 2016, they launched their first premium wines from their own vineyards. At the Seven Sisters tasting room, ask about the founder's story. If Vivian or any of the sisters are at the estate (they sometimes are), ask her directly: 'What was it like going from eviction to owning land in Stellenbosch?' If they're not there, the tasting room staff know the story intimately. The estate website (sevensisters.co.za) has the full story under 'Our Story' - read it before or after visiting to understand the magnitude of what these seven women built.

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   Taste Freedom Wine

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   Post-1994 wine renaissance embodied in a single bottle

   Before 1994, a Black woman owning a wine farm in Stellenbosch was impossible. After 1994, it was merely implausible. Seven Sisters made it real. Each bottle is proof that South Africa's wine transformation is not a marketing story - it's happening in the vineyard, the cellar, and the tasting room. Seven Sisters tasting room. Book a tasting of 7 wines (the full Seven Sisters range) or 3 wines from the Brutus Family Reserve. The Village Table restaurant serves breakfast and lunch if you want to pair food with the wines. Outside seating on the stoep (covered porch) or down by the river - both gorgeous. Seven Sisters also does group tours and tastings - contact info@sevensisters.co.za or check their website for booking. They sometimes have special events celebrating the sisters' story.

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