Le Bonheur Wine Estate

This 163-hectare estate with the optimistic name of Le Bonheur ("Happiness") is situated along the slopes of the Klapmuts Hill in the northern reaches of the Simonsberg Mountain, in the Stellenbosch Wine of Origin district. Klapmuts is the old Dutch word for the 18th century cocked hat that folded away into the saddle back pocket and, indeed, when observed from a distance, the hill resembles such a hat.

History of the Estate

Le Bonheur - formerly known as Oude Weltevreden ("Well Satisfied") - was an important venue for travellers in the Cape, offering fresh spring water and an outspan area at the major junction of Cape Town, Paarl, Stellenbosch and Malmesbury.

The history of the estate dates back to the late 18th century when it was granted by Lord Charles Somerset to its first owner, Jacob Isak De Villiers. The De Villiers family was among the first 200 French Huguenots to arrive at the Cape in 1689 after a five-month journey on the ship, the Zion.