Legend has it that after the relief of Kimberley during the Boer War, General French (who was at that stage still a Field Marshall) celebrated by cracking open a bottle of red wine and sharing it with his new comrade, Paul Kruger, President of the Transvaal Republic.

Sound a bit unlikely? Definitely. In fact, Kruger was a staunch hater of the British and there are no reports of French and Kruger ever actually meeting – over the barrel of a gun or otherwise. But when, a little more than 100 years later, I sit sipping red wine with their great-great-grandsons, who are now best friends and business partners, it doesn’t seem like such an implausible idea.

Stefan Gerber (from the Kruger line) and Alex Milner (from the English) are two jolly young wine-makers who met while studying at Stellenbosch. They shared the same philosophies about life and wine and, in their second year, started making wine from a small block on Alex’s family farm, Natte Valleij.

Six years later, a few harvesting and wine-making jobs and various (separate) trips around the world, they decided to collaborate on something that not only articulated their avant-garde approach to marketing, but also their shared history.

Today they are the proud brains behind Boer & Brit, an innovative wine label where the unconventional becomes the conventional. Or as they proudly say, a wine that ‘expresses the ideal that although our forefathers died as enemies 116 years ago, today we are the best of friends’.

Stefan and Alex are true terroirists: they find the best grapes, the best wines based on the terroir of the area, and then create their unique products by blending them.

And unique they definitely are. With names like Gezina, Suikerbossie and Bob’s Your Uncle, and illustrated labels that are a quirky take on early 20^th century portraiture, they’ve injected the local wine industry with more than a bit of attitude.

Not that they’re really that fussed about the general industry. ‘You’re as good as how sustainable you are,’ quips Stefan. ‘You need to ask yourself: is this a pleasant glass of wine? Do I enjoy drinking it? Then I’ll have it, regardless of the brand or label.’

Alex elaborates on their philosophy: ‘We only produce wines that we and our families drink and are proud of.’

Their families can well be very proud. Today their range is sold at selected restaurants and wine stores across the country and exported to a handful of countries in Europe, Africa and the East. The range includes two reds under the Boer & Brit label: The Field Marshall (a Mediterranean styled blend of Tinta, Amarela, Carrignan and Syrah) and The General (a vigorous Bordeaux blend – without any Cabernet Sauvignon). Their Suikerbossie label has three food- and pocket-friendly descendants: a fruity white blend, a smooth red and a delightful MCC. The latter is made from Chardonnay with a trace of Pinotage and has hints of slow-baked Granny Smith apples, spice, lemon rind and peach. Simply delectable.

One of their latest, and most innovative, additions is Bob’s Your Uncle. The sturdy 550ml brown beer bottle (the equivalent of two large wine glasses) has a crown cape and holds a Cabernet/Merlot blend. It’s aimed at chipping away at the beer market – and it’s selling for a mere twenty bob!

‘It’s beer for the thinking person, really,’ says Alex smugly.

Bob’s Your Uncle is the most recent in a very long list of plans. Bob’s ‘white brew’ is coming soon, as is a few other family members, other merchandise and events. Says Stefan: ‘It’s about having fun. The moment we’re no longer having fun, we’ll stop.’

For the moment, Stefan and Alex are having way too much fun. In fact, they’re a little like a very happily married couple. They interrupt each other, poke fun, complete each other’s sentences, or sometimes just beam proudly when the other is passionately arguing a point. It’s clear that the vigour and valour of their forefathers are still present. Oom Paul and General French would have been proud. And, who knows, maybe they are finally sharing a glass of wine.

* Boer & Brit wines are available at Melissa’s, &Union, Bizerca, Societi Bistro in Cape Town, and in a few other select outlets. For more information, visit www.boerandbrit.com or their tasting room at Natte Valleij Farm outside Stellenbosch. 

By Anelde Greeff