Charles Back

In the first in a series of article paying tribute to South Africa’s wine legends, Emile Joubert writes on Charles Back. (As first published in Die Burger.)

Wyn, lui die gesegde, word in die wingerd gemaak. Tóg is dit die wynwêreld se uitsonderlike mense, mense saamgesnoer deur ’n gemeenskaplike doel om die natuur in ’n glas vas te vang, wat sorg dat daar darem ook ’n hartklop in die bedryf is.
Die aantal wynlegendes en -persoonlikhede wat die Suid-Afrikaanse wynbedryf staangemaak het, is langer as ’n nuwe regeringskabinet. Veel langer. En onlangs is die gehalte-mense wat die plaaslike wynbedryf bevoorreg is om tot sy beskikking te hê, weer uitgelig met die verering wat mnr. Charles Back toegekom het.
Tydens ΓÇÖn geleentheid vol prag en praat in die KWV se Katedraalkelder om die nuwe Kaapse Wynmeesters te verwelkom, is Back vereer met die titel Wynpersoonlikheid van die Jaar. Die gehoor het die aankondiging luidkeels soos een man (en vrou) begroet, hoewel die meeste moes saamstem dat Back se bydrae meer as een jaar se verering verdien.
Sy visie, liefde vir grond, wingerd en wyn, asook ’n besonderse skeut bemarkingsvernuf, het gesorg dat die Backs se familieplaas, Fairview, oor die afgelope 20 jaar tot een van die blinkste korrels in die Suid-Afrikaanse wynbedryf ontwikkel is. Die wyne: onberispelik. Divers. Opwindend. Wat ’n volle spektrum nuwe style aan die plaaslike publiek ontbloot het. Asook om die soms eenogige internasionale wyngehoor te wys dat hierdie deel van die wêreld aan die suidpunt van Afrika nie tot dikvoetwyne en brandewyn beperk is nie.
Fairview het plaaslike wynliefhebbers aan talle nuwe geure bekendgestel. Die druifsoorte van die sonnige Franse suide, soos ­viognier, mourvèdre, carignan en grenache, is in vele gedaantes en versnitte vir wyngehore geskink. Terwyl hulle meer “tradisionele” Fairview-wyne soos shiraz, pinotage en semillon bly maak in klassieke bloubloed Suid-Afrikaanse styl.
Met sy rustelose soeke na nuwe gronde en handelsmerke is Fairview uitgebrei na Spice Route aan die Weskus. Die Goats-handelsmerke, wat op onopgesmukte wyse die spot met die Franse gedryf het toe Back die klassieke Franse wyne ’n parmantige Boere-skynsel gee: Die Bored Doe-handelsmerk is ’n Bordeaux-versnit, terwyl die Goats do Roam weer die wynstyle van die Côtes de Rhône volg. Die Franse was, uiteraard die josie in, maar soos Back sou sê: “Check the worry in my eyes.”
Dié speelse houding het nie verbaas nie. Trouens, Back was die eerste ou wat vir my laat blyk het dat wyn pret kan wees. Byna 30 jaar gelede toe sy pa, oom Cyril, nog aan die hoof van Fairview gestaan het, het Back vir my ’n glas pienk wyn gewys wat pas van die doppe getrek is. Dis in die dae toe blanc de noir omtrent so modieus soos gepermde hare was. “Jy kan hierdie wyn ’n klomp fênsie name gee,” het hy gesê terwyl die lig op die glas pienk vloeistof val. “Rosé. Blanc de Noir. Maar ek noem dit sommer my panty-wyn.”
Die Back-verhaal moet nog in sy geheel geskryf word. Back se oupa was ’n Joodse immigrant uit Litaue wat hom in die Paarl gevestig het. Oupa Back was ’n slagter. Uit ’n blokman se salaris het hy twee Paarlse plase vir sy seuns gekoop: Backsberg vir Sydney en Fairview vir Cyril. Altwee plase is huidige instellings in die Kaapse wynbedryf, wie se sukses veels te danke is aan die persoonlikhede en visionêre wynboervernuf van Cyril en Sydney. Swaarkry, deurtrek, humor en ’n legio staaltjies kenmerk die era van Cyril en Sydney.
Back self erken hy het gestudeer “aan Elsenburg en by die Klapmuts-hotel”. En ondanks die swetterjoel handelsmerke wat hy geskep het en bedryf, die rustelose soeke na verdere geleenthede met nuwe wynstyle en kultivars en die Fairview-kaaskoninkryk, meen hy steeds: “Elke oggend as ek opstaan en na die wêreld om my kyk, dan voel ek van voor af bevoorreg om deel van hierdie wynbedryf te wees.”
En die bedryf is ook bevoorreg. Cheers, Charles!

The future of wine writing is on the line, but on-line. The wave of blogs and video-streaming is going to take on tsunami-like proportions, washing the magazines and newspapers away with yesterdayΓÇÖs fish and chip wrappings.
And here are two reasons.
First, media consumption via a computer or cell-phone screen has already ripped a chunk out of the once mighty print animal, and we ainΓÇÖt seen nothing yet. Especially in South Africa, where real download speed still has to set in. Even Portugal is getting 10meg a second as a matter of course, if you see what I mean.
Look, I love print. Put I also like doing pottery. But hell, IΓÇÖm not going to fire-up the kiln and make a plate every time I want to dish-up some coq au vin, am I? ThatΓÇÖs practically what they did in them good old days.
Some Italian merchant in the 14th century wanted a picture of his mistress. So what did he do? Got some brush-wielding dude to spend three months painting the woman, thatΓÇÖs what. Now, would he have gone through all this hassle if he had a Canon digital in the bedside cupboard?
So all this talk of: ΓÇ£O, but thereΓÇÖs nothing like the smell of a new bookΓÇ¥ or: ΓÇ£The crisp rustle of the Times in my hands is the only way to start the dayΓÇ¥ is irrelevant, despite the quaint nostalgia it invokes.
Just try and think what you were doing with a computer in 1990 (if you had one) and carefully attempt to dissect the path the medium has followed since then to what it is allowing you today, especially that part where the world wide web kicked in.
The coolest thing about all this change is that it is happening, but no-one knows where it is going and how quickly the next trend develops.
About 10 years ago, Koos Bekker, MD of Naspers, promised his staff a cash prize if they presented him with a model of how money could be made from the internet. Well, if someone had thought of youtube or facebook they could have given it to Koos, who would have been able to sell it for a couple of hundred of million.
So yes, our habits of media consumption are being changed. Note: they are being changed for us, not by us.
Therefore, in a decade or so you wonΓò¼├┤Γö£├ºΓö£├╗t be reading a wine column in a newspaper, because there probably will not be a newspaper in which to read it. For magazines the situation seems even more dire. Specialist, low-circulation magazines, such as those on wine…in a cloud of smoke. Gone.
This is why wine, like other subjects, will soon be discussed, marketed and portrayed almost exclusively on-line.
The second reason why this is going to happen is a tad less general.
Publications on wine and those carrying wine-related news are doing a hara-kiri themselves. The reason for this is the commercial pressure currently causing the border between advertisers interest and editorial copy to be infringed.
This is not new, I just wonder if the general public knows to what extent it is being bullshitted.
When considering the booking of an advertisement, the relevant publication will more often than not make the offer to complement your advertisement with a free bit of editorial space so as to make the sale. Which means that the news I or a client forward to the publication is automatically deemed more ΓÇ£newsworthyΓÇ¥ than that sent by someone who is not advertising. Newsworthiness, thus, flies out of the window.
Now, you can fool all of the people sometime, but you canΓÇÖt fool all of the people all of the time. Time and time again readers of various wine publications or newspaper wine supplements will point to the fact that the reason for a certain article appearing can only be ascribed to the fact that a related advertisement is carried on one of the other pages.
Of course, it works the other way around. Publications writing an article will have the temptation to telephone the subject of said article, hinting that the placement of an advertisement to complement the editorial would be appreciated and would further cement the relationship with the publication.
This obviously creates vast credibility issues. I know that, in many instances, editorial staff do share these concerns. However, the might of commercial motives renders their appeal useless. Mostly.
Having noticed these sweetening relationships between advertisers and editorial content, many readers are going to the web for their wine information. In 10 minutes you can pretty much have access to 15 wine blogs offering local and international wine writing to the highest standard. Why bother looking at a magazine advertisement to decide whether a potential winery looks like your cup of tanat? Just go to the website and have it all.
This is one thing the on-line community does offer ΓÇô it all. At no cost. End of debate.
The future is therefore written, and it is not in ink nor on paper.
Editor

I belatedly came across this blog written by Charles Back in December last year. As one of the most progressive people in the South African wine industry, Charles’s opinions are highly regarded. So for all the Pinkos and bleeding heart liberals still trashing the industry, have a look at the situation our winefarmers have to deal with.

“Over the past few weeks I have spent a great deal of time on labour and housing related issues which are part and parcel of the South African wine industry. Historically, part of a farm workerΓò¼├┤Γö£├ºΓö£├╗s remuneration was the provision of a house by the farmer. The reasons for this are quite complex, including social and economic elements. The relationship between vineyard workers, wine industry and farm housing would make an interesting post-graduate research topic for an enthusiastic student! I think that the situation on the farms today probably has its roots in the colonial slave labour era and subsequent restrictions on land ownership. In the past, people were less inclined towards travel and commuting; distances seemed to be far greater. As a child I can remember an outing to Paarl being a big occasion, although it was only 10km away. Today I have to discipline my staff not to pop off to the shop on a whim to buy an irrigation fitting.╬ô├╢┬╝Γö£├¡ Also, farmers and workers used to work much longer hours and we all worked from dawn to dusk, which necessitated living on-site.

The responsibilities of a farm owner have stretched from providing a job to being a reluctant landlord and in return workersΓÇÖ prospects of ever owning their own homes were bleak or non-existent. Like so many other farmers, I have identified home ownership as a vital component of personal empowerment for our workers. On my Spice Route farm outside Malmesbury, I was able to complete this process really quickly and effectively due to the fact that the farm borders on the established settlement of Abbottsdale. Spice Route workers now own their own newly-built homes and land in this town. The Fairview situation is a more challenging proposition and you can follow the progress at the Fairvalley Eco-Village blog.

The South African Government has been openly critical of the wine industryΓÇÖs perceived lack of transformation as well as the plight of farm workers. In some cases, this has been entirely justifiable. But I feel that in most situations this is not the case. We often hear of malpractice on wine farms, the stubborn remnants of the banished ΓÇÿdop systemΓÇÖ, farm beatings (which seem to be ΓÇÿterroir-specificΓÇÖ), low wages and poor working conditions. But very seldom do we hear of the many good things that are being done through the co-operation and collaboration between farm owners and workers. I donΓÇÖt have the exact figures, but there are approximately 4000 wine grape growers in South Africa. These farms provide employment to over 220 000 people and historically the majority stay on the farms with their families. A lot of these homes are not in any way up to standard, some are average and some are of excellent quality. I have often compared these homes to what the government has provided under the RDP and similar housing projects in the rural and outlying areas. If houses of the size and quality of the government dwellings were on a farm the farmer would have been in big trouble. I had a good look at these houses while we were building the houses at Abbottsdale and am convinced that if you leant against the wall too hard you would create a new doorway! The houses have a breeze through them courtesy of the cracks in the walls, due largely to the lack of decent foundations and poor workmanship. I cannot believe that that these houses were built by competent builders or signed off by competent engineers.

Now for some thumb-sucking… wine farmers are providing housing for upwards of 200 000 people and an average house could cost anything between R50 000 and R250 000. Bearing in mind that this is ‘farmers maths’, at a minimum the investment in housing could be anything from R10 to R50 billion (or some 3 to 15 Cape Town World Cup Soccer stadiums) . No matter the reasons for this, I seriously doubt whether there is any other industry that provides this magnitude of housing relative to the value of the industry itself. Just imagine what the effect on the bottom line would be if some of our listed companies had to start to provide housing for their workers! I can state with conviction that the standard of housing on farms is improving, due to farmers own initiatives, international scrutiny, union pressure and other meaningful contributors such as WIETA and Fairtrade. If anyone has more accurate information regarding farm housing, please forward it to me.

As we all know, wine is a global product and the virtues of the different countries that produce wine makes for interesting debate. In this vein, it is noteworthy that most other Γò¼├┤Γö£├ºΓö£ΓöÉnew worldΓò¼├┤Γö£├ºΓö£├╗ producers are not in the position that we are in when it comes to providing housing on farms. These producers and winemakers can simply focus on making and selling their product. However, I feel that they are the poorer for not having the opportunity to use the fruits of their endeavors to make an impact on the quality of life of the people involved in their industry.”

ends

Hopefully these insights will lead to the realisation that solutions to the socio-demographic problems are  not as simple as some would have it. But that they must be sought in a holistic and constructive way are beyond doubt.

Pass the pasta, Sheila.

Magica Roma Restaurant. 8 Central Square, Pinelands. Tel: 021-531-1489
It doesnΓÇÖt take much to look good in Pinelands. This dreary enclave of the South African WASP is not quite known as the life of the Cape Town party and is ΓÇô perhaps intentionally so ΓÇô well removed from the buzz of Peninsula life. A Tupperware party is a highlight in this suburbs calendar, and an invitation to a tasting of herbal teas is deemed as being delightfully decadent. The residents look as they do all their clothing shopping at AckermannΓÇÖs, and have managed to procure old stock circa 1987.
No wonder the Dutch Cultural Centre is situated in Pinelands. Herring with onion salad, anyone?
A couple of Italians obvious recognised the potential the areaΓò¼├┤Γö£├ºΓö£├╗s lack of gusto and excitement, this being quite a few years back now. They opened Magica Roma, a popular Italian restaurant that attracts an interesting and diverse collection of patrons. From pensioned couples awaiting the next bout of angina to tax-dodging corporate heavyweights; from journalists seeking a boozy lunch to a troop of bored housewives discussing knitting patterns…Magica Roma is the place to be if you feel the urge to seek some action in Pinelands.
To its credit, Magica Roma is run by real Italians. Here there are none of those greasy model wannabes speaking in faux Italian accents frequently found serving in Sea Point pasta joints, the kind of guys who wouldnΓÇÖt know the difference between Venice and Vasco. No, Magica Roma is staffed by impeccably mannered Italians, with a tangible passion for playing hosts and ensuring patrons eat well in a space they feel comfortable in.
I stopped by the other day with Dr Malan and two blondes to discuss the standards of certain recent Afrikaans translations of Dante and to drink some Italian wine. What began as a pit-stop en route to the Italian Cultural Commission, turned into a pleasant afternoon ΓÇô as visits to Magica Roma tend to do.
As the host, I dictated the wine orders. These were a Zaccagnini Bianco and a Soave Classico, slightly oxidative wines without the pronounced whack of fruit found in South African whites. They were cold and dry, and very good.
For an entreé I ordered Magica Roma’s traditional starter platter for the table. This consisted of caprese (avocado added to the traditional mozzarella and tomato), some prosciutto, grilled calamari tubes and a couple of paper thin slices of eggplant.
It is a comfortable platter to share, and the combinations were subtle without any one flavour overpowering the other. Calamari and prosciutto are most delightful partners and I had great fun rolling up the thin slices of ham and stuffing them into a calamari tube. Being in Pinelands, this is akin to a contact sport.)
Main courses consist of a list of pastas longer than the waiting list for sleeping tablets at a Pinelands clinic, pizza, seafood and meat.
With underage cow meat being a house speciality, Blonde No 1 and myself settled on some serious veal. She had her dead calf sliced thin, fried and presented on a bed of spinach. I hand the veal saltinbocca, rather a retro dish resembling the SpurΓÇÖs Cheddamelt combination. Thin escalopes of veal are smothered with ham and mozzarella, and then covered in a mushroom sauce. Served with freshly made chips (none of these pre-cooked abominations here), this dish was satisfying and decadent, and made me regret not having a hang-over.
Dr Malan had a chunk of grilled Cob, which was fresh and perfectly cooked. Blonde No 2 went for a humungous bowl of pasta. A tomato-based tagliatelle boscaiola with meat and vegetables. This was a great choice and made me happy: there is just something about a well-build blonde slurping on ribbons of tagliatelle. ItΓÇÖs enough to make Dante re-ignite the inferno.
The red to accompany the mains was a Ripasso Folonari, the strawy, raisin flavours adding a welcoming new dimension to my Cape Blend-infused palate.
We all agree that this restaurant was not going to appear on any Pellegrino list, nor would we want it to. The food is fresh and hot, and there is a lot of it. The experience is comfortable and clean, and the ambience friendly without anyone being overtly familiar in that irritatingly tacky way.
And at least there is one reason to visit Pinelands. Someone should give this place a medal. Or an invitation to the next Tupperware party.

E Louw Joubert

Jaco Potgieter, Douglas Green winemaker.

Where Douglas Green? Winning gold medals in Europe, that’s where. The enigmatic South African Wineland character and a household name among wine-lovers world-wide, has won two Gold Medals at this yearΓò¼├┤Γö£├ºΓö£├╗s Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, one of EuropeΓò¼├┤Γö£├ºΓö£├╗s foremost annual wine competitions that was held in Valencia, Spain at the end of April. The Douglas Green Chardonnay and Douglas Green Chenin Blanc, both from the 2008 vintage, were awarded Gold at this yearΓò¼├┤Γö£├ºΓö£├╗s competition during which 6289 wines and spirits were judged by over 240 international experts.
According to Pieter Terblanche, Douglas Green brand manager, this international recognition vindicates Douglas GreenΓÇÖs continued commitment to sourcing best quality grapes from selected vineyards spread over a large area of the Cape winelands. ΓÇ£The success of Douglas Green relies on partnerships, so these two international awards belong to the various grape growers, the cellars we use to make the Douglas Green wines and our winemaker, our winemaker Jaco Potgieter and viticulturalist Stephan Joubert,ΓÇ¥ says Terblanche.
ΓÇ£The most important element in our whole ethos, however, is the consumer,ΓÇ¥ he continues. ΓÇ£And these Gold Medals prove that Douglas Green does not renege when it comes to offering the best possible quality at affordable prices. The Douglas Green Chenin Blanc 2008 and Chardonnay 2008 are sold for below R30 and R35 respectively, allowing our customers to enjoy internationally recognised wines without breaking the bank.ΓÇ¥
Douglas Green winemaker Jaco Potgieter says both wines underscore the quality of the 2008 vintage. ΓÇ£The Chenin Blanc grapes were sourced from premier vineyards in Wellington, with the winning Chardonnay coming from the limestone-rich soils of Robertson,ΓÇ¥ he says. ΓÇ£It was an almost perfect vintage due to the preceding cold winter, and the two wines in question show bursts of sunny fruit. This is what South African wine is known for and is something we at Douglas Green do best!ΓÇ¥

I heard the Africans had one hell of a party last Saturday during the inauguration of President Jacob Zuma. Despite an invitation from one of the ambassadors to attend, I gave it a miss to brush up on some unpublished Dylan Thomas I am working on. But I do wonder which Dom Perignon was served during the jollies of ZumaΓÇÖs inauguration, although I hear he himself does not drink ΓÇô except if the cup is covered by a panty or whatever it is they wear under those traditional outfits.
When the Editor of this site popped by the other day, I thus hauled out a Dom as a symbol of my adopted homeland. I subscribe to the one bottle of Champagne per man rule, so I made it a magnum. All that reading of Dylan’s stuff made me feel a bit gay, too, so I selected a Dom Perignon Rosé, model 1982. Thank lord my neighbour Big Schalk Burger was not around – he would have wanted to challenge me to a race around Wellington, which would have ended up with us being sprayed in fizz.
Pink Dom, I told the Editor, is really special. Even if I may say so itself. The art comes in adding a dollop of coloured Pinot Noir to the Pinot and Chardonnay base wine. With Champagne not being known for its quality of skin-contact Pinot Noirs, it is a rare find to have a coloured Pinot capable of complementing the traditional mix.
The 1982 is has more a colour of pale blushing cheeks than the traditional salmon. It is a good pour, plenty of thick mousse with a good head that settles almost instantly. Bubbles are vivacious and brisk, and the whole package looks good in the glass.
Nose is pretty ordinary, except for a hint of grated strawberry and lemon peel.
But in the mouth it plays all kinds of seductive games. The step is brisk. The length is long. The fizz carries bright fruit masked in the earthiness of aged Pinot Noir. Super complex, it is also gloriously drinkable. The Editor and I drank it iced, with a snack of Kalahari biltong and poached porcini.
A great Dom. Jacob would have enjoyed it.
Adrian Morgan

Not all medals are newsworthy...

Here we go again
Wine competition season is in full-swing. In Europe, that is. Monde Selection has passed and now the results for Concours Mondial are streaming in ΓÇô literally.
You canΓÇÖt switch on your computer to search for the latest Cameron Diaz bikini shot without receiving some media release from a PR company breathlessly announcing their clientΓÇÖs achievement. If it isnΓÇÖt a Gold at Concours, it is two Silvers at the Kabul Merlot Challenge.
Not that IΓÇÖm not glad the SA wine industry is winning international awards. But the reams of releases announcing gongs and trophies won in far-flung places is getting too much. Especially as there seems to be no consistency in the timing. Two weeks after Monde Selection, I am still receiving announcements.
Speaking to a print journalist today, he told me he is going nuts with all these press releases floating in as he canΓÇÖt press the delete button before the next one arrives.
Are the achievements of SA wines important? Yes. (As long as it is not Silver or Bronze.) So, yes, it is important to publish.
But then there must be a cohesive strategy. Could an organisation, possibly one involved with promoting the SA wine industry overseas (IΓÇÖm not going to name names lest I get kakked on again) not collate all the results following such wine competitions and send us ONE media release listing how many Trophies, Medals and Scalps were won by the SA industry. Who won them. And compare this with achievements from other wine nations so we can get a bit of perspective.
Surely this would be printable copy, and even interesting. Better than another bloody smirking wine-writer saying how damn ΓÇ£delightedΓÇ¥ he was.
In fact, myself and Dr Johan van Rooyen from the collapsed Wine Industry Council were hosting a media lunch a while back when this point was raised by a wine hack from the dailies. In the presence of an organisation responsible for generically promoting the SA wine industry internationally, the hack asked whether this organisation could not compile such competition information as one of its duties.
But perhaps it is only I and the journalists who do not publish such results that deem it to be a good idea.
Emile L Joubert

Piet talking Sauvie with a bald Pom.

That hellish Emirates flight between Cape Town and London via Dubai eluded me this week. My gig as auctioneer at the Jan Kriel Wine Auction in Covent Garden was cancelled when His Lordship Ken Forrester stepped in to offer his services. The one bloke I did ask to cover for me was Pieter de Waal, secretary of the Sauvignon Blanc Interest Group.For a Rhone Ranger, Pieter does seem to get around. Not only by punting Sauvignon Blanc, but now also dabbling in Pinot Noir. If it goes on like this, our Piet only has to wax Pinotage and Cabernet before he can takeover as Wosa CEO – although he does not seem to have enough hair for this job, actually speaks Afrikaans and is popular throughout the wine industry.
Some Chenin eyebrows maybe raised, but one has to agree with the SBIG that Sauvignon Blanc is SA’s signature white grape variety.
Grape prices exceed that of any other white variety in SA and it is the country’s largest white variety in terms of variety bottled sales.
Piet and company are at the London Wine Trade Fair this week promoting South African Sauvignon Blanc. If this were not laborious enough, he and his crew are following this gig with a roadshow around Britain promoting the joys of SA Sauvie.
Piet, JC Bekker from DGB and the rest of the Sauvie crew are an example of what this industry need more of: stop talking and organising. Take the bottle, hit the road. If you build it, they will come.

Press Release from Piet

In what can be seen as a further step in promoting Sauvignon Blanc as South Africa’s signature white grape variety, the South African Sauvignon Blanc Interest Group (SBIG), in association with Wines of South Africa (WOSA), again presents a collection of the finest examples of this grape variety at the London International Wine Fair 2009.  The wines on show come from near and far and are a true reflection of the incredible variety of styles that can be achieved due to the diversity of South African terroir.  Whether it be a vineyard at sea-level or one more than a thousand metres above, with cool breezes coming in from the West over the Atlantic Ocean or from the East over the Indian Ocean, planted in rock and flint or sand over layers of limestone, each of the wines on show gives a unique sense of place.

Dalene Steyn, WOSA’s Market Manager Europe, says:  “As a result of the immense investment in uprooting of vines and replanting of new areas which took place between 1996 and 2004, South Africa now produces wines that truly reflect the rich diversity of our abundant homeland, imparting distinct and highly individualistic flavours to the wines.  Nowhere is this more predominant than in our Sauvignon Blancs, where one from Robertson tastes completely different to an Elgin, Durbanville or Cederberg bottling.  This diversity is a great asset which we as an industry are committed to protecting through our Biodiversity & Wine Initiative.” 

According to Pieter de Waal, secretary of SBIG and the person who will be on hand at the show to pour and discuss the wines: “We started these international theme tastings four years ago and found that visitors appreciated the opportunity to taste a range of top-quality Sauvignon Blanc wines from South Africa and to discuss the different micro-climates that give each of these wines its distinctive and unique characteristics.  I believe that Sauvignon Blanc is the grape variety that is most sensitive to its growing conditions and therefore the ideal variety to underpin WOSA’s ‘Variety is in our Nature’ campaign.  More than half of the wines that we will be showing are made by producers who are members of the Biodiversity and Wine Initiative (BWI).”

Twenty-three of South Africa’s finest Sauvignon Blancs have been selected based on track-record as well as regional diversity and, according to JC Bekker, chairperson of SBIG, “The wines that will be presented are of world-class quality and will serve to convince the international wine trade and media that South Africa is now a producer of seriously good examples of Sauvignon Blanc.  We have hosted a number of international media and trade tastings over the past four years and the responses have all been that South African Sauvignon Blanc can now compete with the best to be found in other parts of the world.  What they really like about our Sauvignons is the core of minerality supported by well-balanced fruit and acidity.  Our Sauvignons are not overblown and one-dimensional but rather show layers of complex aromas and flavours.”
The benchmark Sauvignon Blancs that will be poured at the WOSA stand are;
Avondale, Black Oystercatcher, Boschendal, Cederberg, Constantia Glen, De Grendel, Diemersdal, Durbanville Hills, Fleur du Cap, Fryers Cove, Graham Beck, Groote Post, Hidden Valley, Iona, Jordan, Klein Constantia, Lands End, Martin Meinert, Nederburg, Nitida, Oak Valley, Sir Lambert and Springfield.Pieter de Waal will also be joining the team on ΓÇ£The Great South African Wine TrailΓÇ¥ bus that will be travelling throughout the United Kingdom for two weeks after the LIWF and will be using the opportunity to further promote South African Sauvignon Blanc as the perfect wine for Spring and Summer.

From Left: Danielle le Roux, Rolene Bauer, Eftyhia Vardas, Duane Blaauw and Mary-Lyn Foxcroft

I really do enjoy being in the company of greatness. Last Friday was such an opportunity when I procured an invitation to attend the induction of five new Cape Wine Masters. Most of the CWM’s I know are studiously dedicated to wine, suffer lesser equipped fools (like myself) gladly and do not equate a CWM badge with the right to justify status as a pontificating wine snob. Except for the resident CWM on the www.grape.co.za website, that is.
In any event, this was a great evening. Held in the KWV’s majestic Cathedral Cellar, the event also celebrated the qualification of the first CWM’s. Namely the late Tony Mossop, the not that late Duimpie Bayly and the irrepressible Bennie Howard.
It was all pomp and ceremony, but not pompous nor laborious. The five new CWM’s appeared to be smart en nice, and there were one or two real honies to complement the aesthetic flair of the Cellar.
I bumped into Duimpie Bayly who was scratching his head. “Jeez,” he said, “did you hear the topics of some of these dissertations – when I did my CWM I just wrote about the need for people to drink more wine!”
The Cape Wine Academy’s Wine Personality of the Year was also announced, and the audience went ballistic when this turned out to be Charles Back. Well deserved: a genius in the vineyard, cellar and marketing boardroom who is also a great guy.
And on that note, over to the press release from Jenny McQueen. As the best wine PR in the business, nothing more is needed from my side. O ja! The 1930 KWV Muscadel was awesome!

Press Release
Five new graduates were awarded Diplomas as Cape Wine Masters on Friday May 8, 2009 marking the 25th anniversary since the first South African CWMs qualified.  This brings the number of successful examinations to 71, and the Institute membership to 64 (including three honorary members).
They are Rolene Bauer, Mary-Lyn Foxcroft and Danielle le Roux, as well as a wine loving couple in the medical field, Duane Blaauw and Eftyhia Vardas.
Their dissertations covered diverse topics, ranging from consumer-oriented ones – such as increasing the market for wine among emerging South African consumers and the rise and fall of Sémillon – to the more technical, including the effect of wine chemicals on the consumer’s dental health, Fourier transforming infrared spectroscopy in grape and wine analysis, and micro oxygenation in contemporary winemaking. The theses are available for perusal on the Cape Wine Academy website and at the SAWIS library.
Rolene Bauer is a natural scientist, working at the Institute for Plant Biotechnology in theGenetics Department of the University of Stellenbosch, where she also serves on expert wine-tasting panels in the Food Science department and the Institute for Wine Biotechnology.
Bauer is the Associate Editor of the SA Journal for Enology and Viticulture (SAJEV), serves as peer reviewer for the SAJEV and American Journal of Enology and Viticulture, and has often published in peer-reviewed scientific journals and presented her work at national and international conferences.
Dissertation: Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in grape and wine analysis
Mary-Lyn Foxcroft is a director of a financial services firm called Blue Platinum Consulting in Johannesburg. She is a member of a number of tasting clubs in Johannesburg including Wild Yeasts, Cellar Rats and a girls-only Bubbly Club.
Through the establishment of a business called Cellar Hands, Foxcroft assists clients and friends with the selection of wine for their private or corporate cellars and functions. Her areas of special interest include sparkling wine, Chardonnay and Chateauneuf du Pape.
Dissertation: Growing the consumption of wine amongst the emerging market in South Africa.
Danielle le Roux, who attained a B. Sc degree in agriculture in viticulture and oenology from the University of Stellenbosch, is currently the winemaker for Baarsma SA, making Lyngrove wines (the flagship blend).
She is a qualified SA Wine & Spirit Board taster and, with two Pinotage judging qualifications under her belt, is also a taster for the Young Wine Show and Veritas Awards. She has three tasting groups on the side, makes a garage wine with some friends, loves experiencing and tasting other countriesΓÇÖ wines ΓÇô and visiting them on harvest stints, whenever there is cash to spare.
Dissertation: The influence of wine chemicals on the consumerΓÇÖs (dental) health.
Dr Eftyhia Vardas is a qualified medical doctor and specialist clinical virologist. She currently leads a wholly grant-funded research group focused on HIV prevention within the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand.
Her interest in wine started as light relief from her gruelling internship year in East London.
While attending the CWA Wine Seminar in the Cape during 2004, Vardas forged new friendships which provided the impetus for the formation of a Johannesburg-based wine group, known as the ΓÇÿWild YeastsΓÇÖ. This group of like-minded friends from various walks of life persuaded one another to register for the CWM course in 2006.
She has assisted in editing and updating the Diploma notes for the CWA and has also lectured for the Diploma and Wines of the World courses.
Apart from spending as much time as possible in the South African winelands, she has been able to combine her professional travels with visiting vineyards and tasting wine all over the world.
Dissertation: The rise and fall of Sémillon in South Africa.
Dr Duane Blaauw currently works as a medical doctor, public health specialist and health systems researcher at the University of the Witwatersrand.
Blaauw followed the typical wine hobbyist evolution from uninformed quaffer to interested amateur and then obsessive expert, with a particular scientific orientation. With his degree in biochemistry, he is drawn to the more technical aspects of oenology.
Blaauw is a member of a number of regular wine tasting groups (including the South African Society of Wine Tasters and Wild Yeasts). He has travelled to most of the important wine regions in the World and attended a number of international wine conferences. He has also done the occasional lecture for the CWA.
He lives in Johannesburg with his partner Eftyhia Vardas, and together they fantasise about planting some vines and eventually making wine on their newly purchased Cape property.
Dissertation: Micro oxygenation in contemporary winemaking.
In 2003 the Cape Wine and Spirit Education Trust granted the Cape Wine Academy the right to award the Cape Wine Master (CWM) qualification and confer the Cape Wine Master’s title, in collaboration with the Institute of Cape Wine Masters. The qualification was first instituted in 1984 and the first three CWMs were Duimpie Bayly, Bennie Howard and the late Tony Mossop. �
Over the last 25 years 174 candidates have enrolled of which 71 have qualified and 12 are at present studying to become CWMs.
The Van Ryn Brandy Award for achieving distinction in the brandy theory and tasting examinations was awarded to Duane Blaauw.
The Institute of Cape Wine Masters also presented their Wine Personality of the Year Award to Charles Back of Fairview in recognition of his success on the local and export markets and his passionate role in the industry.

David and Walter Finlayson.

Wine maker David Finlayson has resigned as cellarmaster and CEO of Glen Carlou with immediate effect. Along with his father and Glen Carlou founder, Walter Finlayson, David built Glen Carlou into a premier wine estate known for world-class Chardonnay, Shiraz, Pinot Noir and Bordeaux blends. A 50% share-holding in Glen Carlou was purchased by the Hess Group of Switzerland in 1995, where-after David progressed to winemaker and CEO. The Hess Group took complete control of the Paarl Estate in 2003.
ΓÇ£I will now be concentrating exclusively on my Edgebaston wine brand which I started a few years ago from my own vineyards in Stellenbosch,ΓÇ¥ says David. ΓÇ£The experience I gained with Glen Carlou in the South African and international wine markets will hopefully stand me in good stead to continue growing Edgebaston and underscoring my commitment to the South African wine industry.ΓÇ¥