Altydgedacht
Alcohol in Cape Town

Altydgedacht Estate is a family farm where long standing traditions and modern methods blend to create wines of quality and character.
Altydgedacht is one of the historic farms established on the fertile slopes of the Tygerberg and has been in the Parker family since 1852.

Established in 1698, Altydgedacht Estate is one of the oldest wine farms in South Africa. The farm boasts an unbroken wine making tradition exceeding two centuries and six generations of Parkers as custodians of the fine Durbanville terroir. From the white washed walls to the three hundred year old cellar, the farm has managed to maintain its original charm and character. Our tasting room offers a personalized wine tasting experience set in a 300 year old cellar. Sample our award winning wines of distinctive character and strong varietal flavour, typical of the Durbanville area. Our delicious home- made meals are served under the trees or in the barrel room and accompanied by our excellent wines. Long standing traditions blend with modern methods to create wines of quality and character. Our story begins on the outskirts of the Cape in the late 1600s, a time when lion and rhinoceros still roamed freely over the land and a Dutch colony was in its infancy. The spots are thought to be from termite mounds that give plants in that soil a different colour. Governor van der Stel was impressed by the fertile and water rich soil of the Tygerberg, and allocated the farm for agriculture. Elsje was instrumental in the construction of the cellar in 1702, which is still in use to this day and initiated an unbroken wine making tradition. She was the hard working matriarch of Altydgedacht and her name would be forever entrenched in South African history, with the town Elsies River named after her. After Elsjes’ death, the farm passed through the hands of many owners. However, one thing remained the same, a deep love for the land of De Tygerbergen. The Parker family have been custodians of the estate since 1852, a legacy spanning six generations. George Francis Parker, then aged 19, arrived at the Cape with his family in 1819, with one of the many groups of settlers sent by the English government to the Cape and the Australian colonies. George remained at the Cape to become a merchant and later to acquire the farm, while the rest of the family settled in Australia. His perseverance laid the foundation for a new era for the farm and a 150 year old ownership. The Parkers have maintained and developed Altydgedacht and George’s great, great grandsons, John and Oliver continue the unbroken family tradition.