About

The South African Food & Wine Festival is hosted by Grayhaven, a boutique farm winery located in Gum Spring, Virginia – just 30 minutes west of Richmond, 2 hours south of Washington D.C..

Grayhaven produces handcrafted wines that honor tradition and celebrate the rich terrior of Central Virginia. The winery is known for its signature wines Pinotage, Marechal Foch, Touriga, Petit Verdot, Port & Pommeau-style wines as well as a stellar lineup of vinifera and hybrid varietals and blends. Grayhaven's fifty acre farm is nestled among rolling hills and surrounded by vineyards, horse pastures and forests.

Founded in 1978 by the Peple family, Grayhaven got its South African flair in 1998 when Deon Abrams, a native of Cape Town, South Africa, joined the family and the family business.  Deon, general manager and one of Grayhaven’s winemakers, was responsible for introducing South Africa’s Pinotage grape into Grayhaven’s vineyards in 2001.  One of only a handful of Pinotage growers in the United States, Grayhaven has continued to increase its Pinotage production to keep up with the demand. .

After years of planning, Grayhaven and the Abrams/Peple family launched the first South African Food & Wine Festival in the U.S. in 2006.  The idea was to introduce visitors to the unique cuisine, wine, food, music and culture of South Africa through a two-day festival held outdoors on the winery grounds.  What started as a modest local festival has grown into a successful grass-roots cultural event attended by thousands of visitors from Nova Scotia to California to Florida, and of course Virginia.

Grayhaven and the Peple/Abrams family, along with over 150 SA Festival volunteers, invite you to experience a taste of South Africa at the 14th annual South African Food & Wine Festival in 2019.