Once upon a time, in 1997, shortly after I discovered my love for Africa, my enthusiasm for the continent developed into a steady relationship at the Cape of Good Hope where I found the farm of my dreams. It was the former De Hoop wheat farm which stole my heart we planted vines on well rested soil, where vines had never grown before, and my vision had become a reality. Capaia Wine estate was finally my own. My wish was to restore the old farmhouse to its original style, which had fallen into a state of dilapidation. A gem of Victorian architecture whose predecessor on that site dates back to the year 1725 was restored. We then decided at the beginning of 2013 that a restaurant named after the dearest person in my life, my one and only daughter Mariella, would be opened. The beautiful building, which has kept its original Victorian features, has been transformed into an elegant restaurant with state of the art kitchen equipment where we strive to produce food that is of the highest quality along with our wines, which truly represent our believe of “Wine Above All” and only producing wine of excellence. Mariella’s brings you only the very best in what I strive for and it is with great pride that my dream is alive and on its way to new beginnings.