Alongside our award-winning wines, the Bouchard Finlayson estate is home to an olive grove that each year produces a small quantity of extra virgin olive oil. In addition, an innovative bee-keeping project within the estate conservancy produces uniquely scented fynbos honey.
Both the estate’s olive oil and honey are served to guests staying at the global properties in The Red Carnation Hotel Collection, as well as aboard the ships of Uniworld River Cruises. A limited quantity may be made available for sale at cellar door, when stocks allow.
Visitors to Bouchard Finlayson may be surprised to discover the extensive olive groves that frame the entrance to the estate, with more than 1000 trees planted across three specific cultivars. With its strong fruity notes and powerful finish, Frantoio is the classic olive of Tuscany, and is exceptionally well suited to the mild Mediterranean climate of the Hemel-en-Aarde valley. Coratina hails from the southern Italian region of Puglia, contributing peppery notes to the olive oil blend, while Mission olives are renowned for their flexibility as table olives or for pressing into oil. Planted on the shallow soils of the Hemel-en-Aarde, in the cool maritime terroir that shapes our vineyards, our olive trees produce limited quantities of high-quality fruit. After harvest this ‘field blend’ of classic cultivars is pressed, filtered and bottled at a local olive press.
More than 75% of the Bouchard Finlayson estate is set aside as a conservancy dedicated to preserving the indigenous fynbos vegetation of the Cape Floral Kingdom. Hidden within this 100 hectares of pristine fynbos is a network of beehives, hosting tens of thousands of threatened African honeybees.
The hives are maintained and harvested by a local bee-keeping family, with the collected honey – dark, rich and fragrant thanks to the diversity of fynbos – offering an unforgettable taste of this timeless landscape.
