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Our Story

There is a golden thread that holds together the elements that make up the story of the House of Terblanche through Fate, Love and pure Chance.

There is a golden thread that holds together the elements that make up the story of the House of Terblanche through Fate, Love and pure Chance.

Petrie and Jaco are both originally from South Africa and studied at Stellenbosch University, situated in the heart of the Western Cape winelands of South Africa. One could argue that this should have been the start of our journey, but we never actually met each other until 20 years later while Petrie was living in San Francisco and Jaco in London, pursuing our professional careers in accounting and embryology. It was Fate that made our paths cross virtually and after more that a year of trying to be in the same place at the same time, we finally met each other half way, in New York.

Petrie was offered a position to work in Paris and we moved to France. It was Love that made us realise that our lives were destined to be together. We were legally married in the Mairie of the 7th arrondissement in Paris where we lived at the time and a year later we became the proud fathers of our beautiful twin girl and boy, Emma and Nico.

We talked about second careers for some time and our farm boy upbringing made us curious about the possibility of buying a piece of land in southern France. Never in our wildest dreams would we have imagined that a vineyard will come on the market, ticking all the right boxes and with which we totally fell in love with and in February 2022 we became the proud owners of Chateau Lestevenie.

It was clear that we needed an expert on the ground if we were to make a success out of Chateau Lestevenie. Recalling how we valued such an opportunity to develop our professional careers abroad after studying, we looked to recruit a fellow South African, who could also bring the knowledge and experience of working in the South African wine industry. Through a friend of a friend of a friend, we received a contact number – and it was pure Chance that lead us to our vineyard manager and wine maker, Ramon Stoltz. Ramon has a degree in vineyard and wine science as well as a degree in… When we made contact with Ramon, he had been working on a vineyard for the last 5 years, just over an hour’s drive from Chateau Lestevenie.

We continue to make the same award winning style of wines that Chateau Lestevenie is known for but as a younger generation with many new ideas and a lot of energy, we will put down our own mark and establish the brand of the House of Terblanche

Our Label

The Terblanche forefathers were part of the Huguenots who fled from France in the 17th century to start a new life in the southern part of Africa. More than 300 years later, we made our way back to France to start our new life on the white limestone soils “terre blanche” of Chateau Lestevenie.

The T represents the Terblanche family and its French heritage, and the vine, growing from the earth where it is deeply rooted in faith and excellent terroir. But it also represents a scale, the balance in life depicting our artistic side on the left and our professional and academic careers on the right.

When our life is in balance, we can produce the award winning wines of the House of Terblanche.

EXPLORE OUR VINEYARD​

Discover Our Events​

Step into a world of extraordinary experiences at Château Lestevenie. Our events range from intimate wine tastings and educational vineyard tours to seasonal celebrations that the whole family can enjoy. Don’t miss the chance to create unforgettable memories—click below to explore our upcoming events and secure your spot today.

EXPLORE OUR VINEYARD​

Discover Our Events​

Step into a world of extraordinary experiences at Château Lestevenie. Our events range from intimate wine tastings and educational vineyard tours to seasonal celebrations that the whole family can enjoy. Don’t miss the chance to create unforgettable memories—click below to explore our upcoming events and secure your spot today.