Vilafonte is the first American and South African joint wine-making venture. This ground-breaking red wine project is a partnership between a respected group of wine specialists from South Africa (Mike Ratcliffe) and the United States (Zelma Long and Dr. Phil Freese). The name Vilafonte is derived from the primary soil type of the 100-acre estate. Recorded as one of the oldest soil types in the world (somewhere between 750 000 and 1.5mil years old), this character forms the foundation of these wines The age of the soil is important as it is deeply evolved and has been stripped of much of its inherent capacity, that encourages smaller vines, lower yields and highly concentrated fruit.