An employee-owned Franschhoek wine boutique where the people who farm and make the wine actually own the brand — a rare tasting where the give-back is the whole point, and some of the best wine we drank in the winelands.
- —A small, owner-run tasting boutique in Franschhoek pouring Great Heart — a brand 100% owned by the vineyard, cellar and winery staff who make it (a Mullineux & Leeu project).
- —It makes the cut because the ethics aren’t a label add-on — and the wine genuinely holds up: some of the best we had in the whole valley.
- —Book ahead (tastings are intimate), and try the Swartland Chenin Blanc and the Syrah-based Red Blend.
What is it?
Great Heart started in 2020, when Chris and Andrea Mullineux — of the cult Swartland producer Mullineux & Leeu — wanted to do more than pay their team well. So they built a separate brand that is fully owned by the staff who farm the vines and work the cellar. Employees who’ve been with the winery two years become shareholders. The wine is grown in sustainably farmed Swartland vineyards, made using the Mullineux & Leeu infrastructure, and the profits flow back to the people whose hands are on it. The label — an African wagtail, a bird that in local tradition symbolizes help — says the quiet part out loud. You taste it at the Great Heart Wine Boutique in Franschhoek, a small, personal room.
Why go?
Because this is what “luxury is where you put it” actually looks like — you can spend a Franschhoek afternoon at a grand estate, or spend a little at a tiny boutique where your money lands in the pockets of the people who grew the grapes. And the wine more than earns it: the Chenin is textured and saline in that unmistakable Swartland way, the Red Blend is fresh, spicy and stony. Honestly, it was some of the best wine we drank in the whole winelands — good enough that we shipped bottles home to friends and family for the holidays, which turned out to be one of the most personal gifts we gave. It’s the stop we felt best about afterward.
Featured in: Cape Town, the Honest Version → · The Five-Star Math (Cape Town) →
- Where: Great Heart Wine Boutique, Franschhoek — confirm exact address.
- Tasting / cost: Around R110 (~$6) for five wines; intimate format — reservations essential. Confirm current. (USD is approximate.)
- Hours: Daily, roughly 11am–5pm — confirm on the site.
- Site: greatheartwines.com
- Pair with: The wider Franschhoek wine route — easiest car-free via the Wine Tram.
