Winery
It all began in Friuli, Northern Italy, in the 1920s where a wine merchant by the name of Vittorio Dalla Cia, acquired a small pot still and started the first Dalla Cia Distillery which grew into one of the biggest producers of Grappa in Italy. Vittorio’s son Giorgio moved to South Africa with his family in 1974. He devoted his experience as a distiller and knowledge as a qualified oenologist to the Meerlust Estate for 25 years pioneering the creation of Bordeaux style blends in South Africa, and starting up the first Grappa Distillery on a South African Wine Estate. In 2004, Giorgio’s son George convinced his father into retiring from the Estate and joining him in a new chapter of the Dalla Cia family business. In addition to producing six different wines and six varieties of Grappa, the Dalla Cia’s also run an Italian food and wine bar next door to the distillery; Pane e Vino.
Wine maker
The name Giorgio Dalla Cia will always be associated with the iconic Rubicon, one of the first Bordeaux style blends in South Africa which earned him many accolades and awards. It is therefore not surprising that he receives an astronomical 4,5 score for his Dalla Cia Teano red ‘Super Tuscan’ blend on Vivino – even higher than the score of the iconic Rubicon! In 2016 The Living Legend Award was presented to Giorgio at the Veritas Awards. This award recognizes individuals who have given back to the industry and acknowledges their achievements. His son George, who is Dalla Cia’s Head of Marketing, is still very much involved in the grappa distillation but he is also more present on the wine making side.
Charity