Bellingham Wine estate

We are the official importers for Italy of Bellingham Wine Estate. The story of Bellingham Wine Estate begins in 1693, when Dutchman Gerrit Janz van Vuuren and his French Huguenot wife planted the first 1000 vines on the estate then known as Bellinchamp ("pretty fields"). In 1943 Bernard and Fredagh Podlashuk bought the farm, replanted the vineyards and traveled to France and Germany for extensive research on wine. Upon their return, they produced the first Western Cape rosé in 1949, followed by the Premier Grand Cru in 1951 and the first single-variety Shiraz in 1956. The 1980s and 1990s were dedicated to the development of the vineyards and the expansion of the cellar. Today, Bellingham Wine Estate remains firmly tied to its history of innovation, ingenuity and foresight, but with a close link to the 21st century, producing contemporary, structured wines with an unmistakable sense of place and style from the Western Cape in South Africa.

Bellingham's philosophy revolves around vineyard work. Only the finest grapes are sourced, and then accompanied from the vineyard to the bottle, preserving the natural characteristics of the individual grapes as much as possible. The Bernard series is the range of premium artisanal wines and is named after the co-founder, a nonconformist winemaker recognized for his bold vision who helped position South African wine on geographical maps.

Bellingham is also a proud member of the Old Vine Project, an organization that supports the documentation and conservation of Old Vineyard sites in South Africa.