In 1952 Martin Hunting left his home in Slaley, England and- despite never having spoken Afrikaans- enrolled himself at Elsenburg Landbou Kollege in Stellenbosch. In 1955, after graduating cum laude, he acquired a nearby farm located on the western slopes of the Simonsberg mountain and changed the farms’ name from Simonsig to Slaley in honour of his childhood home Slaley Hall.
In the early 1990’s Martin began the process of passing management of Slaley farm to his son, Lindsay, who added to his father’s legacy by building the wine cellar. Under his leadership, Slaley released the first wines under the Slaley label in the late ’90s.
Lindsay spent 22 years running Slaley before inviting the next generation to manage the farm in his stead. Today he tastes the wine, and sometimes wrangles snakes or drives trucks.
