None of the children in Herberg Children’s Home in Robertson originate from homes and communities where the sun proverbially always shines and where there is lovely weather.
The background of our children is characterised by dark and threatening clouds that sometimes creates the feeling of being pushed into the ground. Thunderchild very accurately describes our children in the most beautiful way – the wonderful power of nature. These children are nature’s wonders who fight through the most threatening and thundering clouds – children that overcame darkness with the light and beauty and power of an electrical storm, in such a manner that we who deal with them often stand amazed by their ability to shine brightly after darkness, trauma, hurt and longing.
They are in the real sense true Thunderchildren.
The Herberg originated in 1918 under the auspices of the Dutch Reformed Church to care for orphans because of the flu-epidemic. The land on which the vineyard is situated was made available to the Children’s Home in 1956. The vineyard of the Herberg covers five hectares of land in Van Zyl street, adjacent to the home.
Friends of the home suggested in 2002 that it would be more profitable to do away with the aged, unproductive apricot orchard and rather plant a vineyard. Local wine farming knowledge, as well as cellar facilities was made available for the maintenance and the eventual producing of wine.
The imagination of the Robertson community and individuals from all over was captured by this proposed project. Work was started with great enthusiasm and contributions in the form of fertilizer, soil preparation, plant material, irrigation, trellising, as well as labour and money were made available to launch the project without any costs to the children’s home. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot vines were planted in 2003 in equal amounts. It has grown so well that currently the vineyard is beautifully established.
Since the launch of the maiden vintage in 2008, and with vintages that followed, the Thunderchild project has grown from strength to strength. The response to the project has been phenomenal, with Thunderchild winning listings on the wine lists of Michelin-starred chefs abroad, such as Gordon Ramsay, based purely on the quality of the wine.
