It’s led to an exciting family vineyard venture in the south of France, now also home to Jean Louis Denois. In 2006 he helped the Griers find a small vineyard in Roussillon. 'It’s a beautiful area near Perpignan not far off the Mediterranean coastline: rugged, unspoilt, very promising for reds.
We got it with 22 hectares of syrah (shiraz), grenache, carignan and macabeu between 40 and 80 years old, and we've added a few hectares of chardonnay.'
The Griers also bought a small cellar in the nearby village of Saint-Paul de Fenouillet. Jeff shuttles to and fro for blending and harvesting of the two Domaine Grier ranges: the traditional, classic terroir-driven Côtes du Roussillon Villages and the more modern Franco-Cape take for the Vin de Pays. Young Frenchman Raphael Graugnard is employed as a marketing winemaker.
The couple are regularly reminded of Domaine Grier by a trompe l'oeil rendition on their veranda wall of the third-century Roman aqueduct that is a landmark of the Fenouillet area. And Lynne enjoys conversational French classes with 'a delightful but very diverse' group of women. 'It's like a book club-come supper club, all in French!'
But as her pragmatic husband points out: 'Domaine Grier is not all romance. It's economies of scale: Villiera can only provide for so many people and Domaine Grier, by extending our Villiera operation, will hopefully accommodate and open doors for the next generation.'
This includes son Matthew, a Stellenbosch University commerce graduate studying international business in Holland. 'He's also done a vintage at Domaine Grier,' says his dad proudly. This despite a head injury sustained as a pedestrian in a car accident as a student that left him with no sense of smell, thus affecting his taste and his career choice. 'He has adapted by identifying and evaluating wine on texture and weight on the palate; it's amazing.'
Daughter Kim has recently graduated as a chartered accountant. Then there's Xander Grier (son of Jeff's cousin David) who studied food science but has been mentored by his uncle in the Villiera cellar and subsequently picked up more practical experience in California and Australia.
'Hopefully, there will be room for all of them in some or other capacity, if they want it,' muses Jeff. Villiera is a rare model of sustainable farming on every level, built up by a remarkable family.
Pork fillet kebabs recipe by Jeff Grier paired with Villiera Traditional Barrel Fermented Chenin Blanc or Domaine Grier Grenache....
Marmite is the secret ingredient in this beef fillet recipe by Jeff Grier paired with Villiera Monro or the CWG Villiera Mother Earth red bl...