Seven Oaks

The background to how we came about is a fascinating story of local and new history: Oom Fanie Le Roux, 86 years old at the time, told us that there used to be only four farms in the area between the Breede and Wagenbooms rivers. One of these was Witteelse Boom, 1434 Morgan, and had only grazing rights from the Dutch East India Company. Our origins date back to 1813 when Sir John Cradock announced that farms could be subdivided. Many subdivisions of Witelsboom, as the farm became known, then took place.

Our farm belonged to Oom Fanie’s father, Stephanus Christoffel Le Roux, in 1887. Oom Fanie later inherited the farm. It was known as Amore (meaning Love) by the Italian prisoners of war who worked on the land during World War II. Oom Fanie remembers there being five oak trees behind the farmhouse. One of the trees was cut down in 1947, a vast tree with a 6 feet diameter trunk and close to 100 years old (at least 92 tree rings could be counted).

Patrick bought the farm at an auction in 2003. Jacqui was not in approval of Patrick going to yet another auction, nor was she again present. Having tasted half of the wine in the valley the night before, Patrick had to break his good news to an unimpressed Jacqui, who enquired what exactly there is on the farm. He told her, “There are seven oak trees in the drive, my darling”.  An excellent name for a wine farm, she thought and said,” I’ll forgive you for now if I can name the Farm Seven Oaks”. When Jacqui arrived for the first time two months later, she counted only six oaks! Patrick had to make a plan, and a seventh oak was hastily planted. Look when you arrive, and you will see the smaller seventh oak in the drive and close to their main entrance.Hence the Seven Oaks Logo has six large and one little oak tree to depict and commemorate the name and the story.