21 Oct The tale of our Goat Tower

In the early 80s, Charles set off on a trip to Portugal. The goal was to visit the cork industry, as the montado landscape of Portugal produces approximately half the cork harvested annually worldwide. Upon one of his visits, he went to Sogrape Vinhos, producer of the brand Mateus – a medium-sweet frizzante rosé.

After his tour of the building, he headed to the beautiful old garden for a moment of respite. Right there, in the heart of the garden, he spotted the original tower and was completely inspired. Returning home, he sketched his idea to his father Cyril, who thought Charles was mad (as normal), but saw the idea had merit. A few months later, the now iconic Goat Tower was built. When asked why the tower is so popular, Charles naturally responds, “because people like seeing animals have fun”.

Soon after, Charles’s young son Jason accidentally left the gate open to the paddock, and so the little group happily roamed among the vineyards, showing rare discernment by selecting some of the ripest berries from the vines – their adventures being the inspiration behind our Goats Do Roam range. The rest is history, and it comes as little surprise that we’ve selected our cheese makers, smile givers and beloved furry friends as our very own mascot.

Tags: Blog, Goats, Newsletters and tagged Charles Back, cork, Fairview, goat tower, Goats, Goats do Roam, Mateus, Portugal, Sogrape Vinhos.