Slent Farm  ~  Paarl, South Africa

Slent winery lies in Perdeberg, a sub region of Paarl, 60 km from Cape Town

The winery has 170 hectares with a separate mountain portion, 'High Slent'

The winery lies on the southern slope of the Perdeberg mountain, Horse Mountain named after large herds of zebra that once roamed this area

 

 
“The soul of South Africa lies here,” said Sailor Malan, the famous Acting Squadron Leader of The Royal Air Force, No.74 Squadron - Second World War, who lived on Slent for 9 years during his childhood.

Area of Natural Conservation

The whole of upper Perdeberg mountain has been declared a Conservancy Area, to maintain the pristine condition of flora and fauna. Caracal (lynx), Cape fox, bat-eared fox, Duiker, Grysbok, steenbok, Chacm (baboon), porcupine, otter & mongoose are seen and birdlife is prolific. All 400-odd farmers owning mountain land are voluntary members.

“In the higher reaches of the farm, which were too rocky and precipitous to be cultivated, there were still baboons. In hard seasons they had been known to raid the big fig tree at the back of the house. The boys’ dogs chased the baboons; the baboons chased the dogs, and all chased each other.....

............down towards the irrigated orchards of apricot, peach, and plum from which, with the vines, Willie thought to make his fortune. Where there are baboons there are leopards. But they kept hidden in the kloofs and the boys were never chased by them.”
(From an extract of Malan’s biography)


Slent is still as it was then. Baboons eating the shiraz grapes - dogs chasing them - and leopards living hidden away on Perdeberg mountain.