Alvi's Drift

Alvi is an abbreviation for Albertus Viljoen, the first name of the owner of this South-African winery in Worcester.He is the third generation following in his grandfather's footsteps in the wine business. Albertus Viljoen van de Merwe, a farmer from Worcester located two hours from Cape Town, had an estate on both sides of the Breede River, so he built a drift (meaning "bridge" in African) in 1928 for easy access. This bridge became known as Alvi's Drift and is now the name of the wines produced by Alvi van der Merwe.

Alvi's Drift boasts 420 hectares of vineyards growing 19 different grape varieties, making it the largest family-owned winery in South Africa. Only grapes from their own vineyards are used. The majority of the vineyards are situated on the gentle slopes of the Breede River banks, with the best ones having low-yielding vines. Natural compost sourced from the farm fertilises the vines. Today, Alvi van der Merwe, the grandson, is in charge of the vineyards and winery, while his brother Johan manages the other parts of the business, including dairy and cheese production.

The topline label is called 'Albertus Viljoen'.