Van Loveren is South Africa’s largest family-owned winery. The Van Loveren vineyards have been in the Retief family since 1937 when Hennie Retief Sr. bought some land in the Robertson area. Previously the property was part of a larger farm known as Goudmyn, the Afrikaans term meaning “Gold Mine” and a name that reflected the perceptions around the large sum paid for the original farm.

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The property was later sub-divided and Hennie started farming on Goudmyn portion “F”. His wife, Jean (her maiden name was Van Zyl), disliked the farm’s designation and said it stood, to her mind, for “fools and failures.” As a result she persuaded her husband to rename the farm. At first they contemplated calling it Roche Rouge, after the impressive red ridge of the Elandsberg Mountain that formed a backdrop to their home. Jean, a traditionalist, however convinced Hennie to name the farm after Christina van Loveren – an ancestor whose bridal chest was passed down for generations and remains on the farm to this day. Christina was married to the first Van Zyl to arrive in South Africa in 1699.