• 1685

    Jean Le Long, a French Huguenot settler, is allocated the title deed for the Boschendal farm (initially called Bossendal meaning buch & vale).
  • 1693

    The Bellingham farm, originally known as Bellinchamp (pretty fields), was granted to French Huguenot Gerrit Janze van Vuuren.
  • 1715

    Abraham De Villiers buys Boschendal and the farm remains in the De Villiers family for 164 years.
  • 1897

    Cecil John Rhodes purchases Boschendal.
  • 1902

    Cecil John Rhodes dies and the farm is taken over by De Beers which later became Anglo American.
  • 1903

    The railway line is constructed into Franschhoek, which runs next to Franschhoek Cellar and the Old Road Wine Co. facilities.
  • 1938

    Douglas Green began his business with the purchase of the Forrer Brothers business in Main Road Paarl.
  • 1942

    The Douglas Green brand starts gaining a reputation for quality wines and sherries.
  • 1943

    The dynamic winemaking couple, Bernard and Fredagh Podlashuk, acquire the Bellingham farm on the slopes of the Groot Drakenstein Mountain.
  • 1945

    Franschhoek Cellars is founded in Franschhoek’s Main Road by a group of farmers to vinify their grapes on a co-operative basis.
  • 1956

    Union wine opens in Oudtshoorn
  • 1972

    Douglas Green sells his business, Douglas Green of Paarl, to Warren “Cappie” Sinclair who retains the well-known brand.
  • 1976

    The giant industrial group Rennies, buys Douglas Green of Paarl, Avrons an importer in Cape Town, and, Spirits producer J.D. Bosman in Johannesburg. Boschendal Manor House is declared a National Monument and is opened to the public.
  • 1985

    To celebrate the 300th anniversary of Boschendal, a Grand Vin Blanc (a Sauvignon Blanc /Semillon blend) is launched in a special bottle that today is the design of the 1685 bottle.
  • 1986

    Rennies Liquor holdings is sold to Sol Kerzner’s, Kersaf Investment Ltd.
  • 1991

    Kersaf’s Douglas Green of Paarl is merged with Graham Beck’s Union Wine and DGB is formed from the two entities.
  • 1996

    Graham Beck buys the Kersaf shareholding and assumes full ownership of DGB.
  • 1999

    Tim Hutchinson leads an MBO in partnership with Brait and acquires a 80% shareholding in DGB. Graham Beck retains a 20% shareholding.
  • 2000

    DGB invests R100m in upgrading the Wellington production, maturation facilities and a new Bellingham Winery is commissioned.
  • 2001

    Awarded SABS  ISO 9002 Quality Management accreditation, which was also approved by the British Retail Consortium Standards.
  • 2002

    Wellington Production facility further extended to include 6500sq meters, consisting of new warehousing, bottle storage area, conference room, tasting facility, canteen and changerooms.
  • 2003

    The new Bellingham Cellar in Wellington is christened with its first harvest.
  • 2004

    Widow Mrs. Fredagh Podlashuk agrees with Tim Hutchinson, he can start refurbishing an old building next to the Bellingham Homestead, where she was still living, to create accommodation & a hospitality facility for VIP guests to be called The Bellingham. In an International Wine competition DGB is voted as the best SA Producer.
  • 2005

    The Boschendal Winery and wine brand is purchased.
  • 2008

    DGB acquires Franschhoek Cellar winery and visitor facility on the Main Road in Franschhoek.
  • 2009

    A major investment in upgrading the Midrand and Wellington warehousing facilities.  SAP is introduced and the tank farm in Wellington is also upgraded.
  • 2010

    DGB acquires Brampton
  • 2011

    Brampton Wine Studio opens in Church Street, Stellenbosch. The PMR business magazine awards DGB the Golden Arrow Award for being the top Liquor Producer and Distributor in South Africa in 2010. Drinks Business Green Awards in London announce DGB as the winner in the Logistics and Supply Chain Green Initiative.
  • 2012

    International Drinks Magazine in London announce DGB as winners in the Green Awards Environmental Ethical category for the bamboo carbon offset community project.
  • 2015

    Boschendal upgrade and refurbish all hospitality and accommodation facilities on the Estate.
  • 2015

    The Graham Beck family sell their 20% shareholding to Brait.
  • 2016

    The Nicolas, a VIP tasting room, conference facility, meeting space and hospitality venue is opened at Boschendal in a section of the old maturation cellar.
  • 2016

    The Old Road Wine Co. is launched. The Old Road Wine Co. cellar door and restaurant facilities are opened in Main Road, Franschhoek.  
  • 2017

    DGB purchases Highfield Farm in Elgin, a site offering phenomenon cool climate fruit from high altitude vineyards.
  • 2018

    DGB, in partnership with local farmers, plant the first vineyards in Koo Valley. A new wine area in mountains past Robertson, 1000m above sea level.
  • 2020

    Capitalworks in partnership with CEO Tim Hutchinson purchase the majority shareholding in DGB.
  • 2020

    DGB acquires unique Fryer’s Cove Winery on Cape West Coast.
  • 2021

    DGB acquires Backsberg wines. DGB concludes a deal to acquire the majority shareholding in Backsberg, a long-established name in the Cape Winelands which has been in the hands of the famous Back family for over a century. The transaction followed the sale of Backsberg’s main Simondium farm in late 2020.
  • 1685
  • 1693
  • 1715
  • 1897
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  • 1956
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  • 1985
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DGB has a Code of Ethics that illustrates our commitment to high ethical standards, and we always endeavour to reflect this in the workings of our staff at all levels.

It is of the utmost importance that the behaviour of our employees is beyond reproach as we believe that our collective behaviour reflects our company and business ethics overall. DGB is firmly committed to the principles of sound corporate governance as contained in the King Report on Corporate Governance for South Africa.

As a proud South African company, we expect all our employees to abide by the laws of the country. We support the aims of the South African Constitution to improve the quality of life of all citizens and free the potential of each person.

Our Code of Ethics does not only provide guidance on individual behaviour of DGB staff, but also helps to understand how the company responds to important issues within the industry. It is our stated intention that the products we distribute should be enjoyed in a responsible way. The code is endorsed by the DGB Board of Directors and compliance is a condition of employment for all DGB employees applying to both local and international activities.