Anglo’s 300-year Old Wine Farm Faces Fire Threat, Bus. Day Says

Feb. 24 (Bloomberg) -- Anglo American Plc’s Vergelegen wine estate near Somerset West east of Cape Town is under threat from a brush fire, Business Day said, citing fire-fighting officials.

The estate, which means ‘a place far away’ in Dutch, was probably founded in 1685 by Simon van der Stel of the Dutch East India company and its gardens include Chinese camphor trees planted in 1706, making them the oldest documented trees in southern Africa, according to its Web site. The property has been used during official visits by British royalty and former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

Vergelegen produces a range of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Merlot wines, the Web site says.

The Knorhoek and Lourensford wine estates are also under threat, according to the Johannesburg-based newspaper.