Grape wine news

Getting around 6 November 2007

Pre-harvest winemaker moves make the news

Such is the nature of hype and of the wine industry that no-one pays any attention to the movements of viticulturists (who seem to be a comparatively stable bunch anyway), but the merry-go-round of winemakers is news.

The most speculated-about departure of late is undoubtedly that of Adi Badenhorst after less than a decade at Rustenberg, one of the most prestigious of the Cape’s cellars (perhaps other winemakers will be able to guage their reputations by whether they are discreetly head-hunted by Rustenberg over the next months – although it is likely that the assistant winemakers will take responsibility for the next harvest, with Badenhorst as consultant). Most of the speculation has been about what Badenhorst is going to be doing – not everybody takes seriously the rumours, no doubt spread by himself, that he intends to spend the rest of his life raising parrots. The best information available is that there is a farm in the fashionable Perdeberg area (stamping ground of Eben Sadie and his admirers, for example) which he has acquired.

Another move has been that of Chris Kelly from Hidden Valley (complementing his move away from his wife) to Delaire. Delaire has had something that maybe amounts to more than bad luck in winemaker constancy over its shortish history; the following have already passed through: Mike Dobrovic, Jacques Fourie, Jan Van Rooyen, Bruwer Raats, Chris Williams and Gunther Schultz. We must wish the New Zealander luck.

On his way to Hidden Valley, apparently, is Louis Nel who has for long been somewhat out of any of the limelight accorded Warwick Estate. No word yet as to who will be making Warwick’s wines next year.

In a different category altogether is the disappearance of a winery or label, as seems the destiny of The Observatory, the tiny, eccentric (and highly valued by a few) winery recently based on a farm in the Perdeberg. Tom Lubbe, owner of the farm with some family members, is himself now very successfully based in the south of France at Domaine Matassa, and the Perdeberg farm is being sold, probably ending the fascinating experiments with biodynamic viticulture there and an even rarer commitment to early-picked, low alcohol and scarcely wooded wines of high quality. Perhaps Adi Badenhorst, in his fold of the Perdeberg, can pick up some of the most valuable Observatory hints.

Any further news from the winemaker circuit can be added here. Please let us know (we believe that Boschendal is looking for a winemaker, for example).

COMMENTS

From Chris Williams:
One should not forget that the inaugural winemaker of Delaire was one John Platter. I would venture that winemakers who have worked at Delaire would all agree that the site is superb with the potential to make some of the Cape's most distinctive wines. It has been the inconsistency of ownership that has led to the short tenure of some of the winemakers. Also, the ease with which the Delaire site produces very fine wines for the winemaker that leads to them being lured away to do the same at other properties. Now under the meticulous ownership of Laurence Graff, I expect that we will be hearing more from Delaire in the near future.

From Marius Lategan (winemaker at Morgenster):

Chis Keet's name needs to be added to the Delaire list as well.

From Angela Lloyd:
Surely it can be no coincidence that those wineries at the top of the ratings (whether top end such as Vergelegen or Boekenhoutskloof or at excellent quality/value ratio cellars such as Du Toitskloof) enjoy continuity of winemaker, even though this might account for only part of their success. Familiarity with one's vineyards is rightly considered important in producing quality wine but it doesn't happen overnight. After 22 years at Kanonkop, Beyers Truter could rightly feel he was getting to grips with what those vineyards offered, yet many of the Cape's winemakers appear to be in perpetual musical chairs, moving between properties with bewildering regularity; sometimes five years is a long tenure. Is this situation unique to South Africa? Is it because there are many owners with no wine background who don't see eye to eye with their winemakers and vice versa? It's certainly not something that happens at family-owned and run operations. It must happen in other countries, but one rarely reads of such regular winemaker movement in Australia, California or Chile, let alone Europe.

From Cassuis:
I totally agree with you Angela, it does seem bizarre how wine folk love praising the terroir of their patch of land with five years of experience, seeing that in a five year period vintage conditions almost never repeat themselves! On the other hand, I assume being a winemaker is no different to being anything else, bills need to be paid, kids need the private schooling and the wife loves shopping. It does seem some wine personalities live a cosy life, but more often than not they have shares and profit sharing. If you keep in mind the amount of risk and skill involved in making the product on which the entire companies future is based then plenty of those fellas get paid a pittance. So, hard work and skills come at a price, doing something for the love of it doesn't put a roof over your head.

From Christian Kuun:
Amen Cassuis, Amen. You must be a winemaker too? (lol)

From Jean-Vincent Ridon (Signal Hill winemaker):
I agree with Angela, and in South Africa, we have probably the highest percentage of employed winemakers in the world. When I started Signal Hill in 97, only Etienne Leriche, David Trafford, and a handful of others were proprietors and winemaker of a family owned business. So the winemaking was 98% in the hands of employed winemakers. But being employed has limits, when you often focus on not taking risk, and not trying to jeopardize your job, as you would be fired for mistakes, but will not receive a bonus for a success.

Luckily the post KWV era saw the booming of talented winemakers ready to step over the Rubicon, and they even started their own label on the side, or decide to fly free, with all the financial risks it implies. Thanks to Eben Sadie, Tom Lubbe, and at a certain extend Mark Kent, Bruce Jack, Beyers Truter, or Chris Williams. It was proven that being empowered made a difference, even if some preferred to combine the safety of their paid jobs, with the limited risk of their own labels.

But South Africa is changing, and most of the top ratings from SA wine overseas are made by family operated wineries. Still a lot has to be done to really create diversity as in France, Spain and Italy, where 95% of the wineries are owned by the winemaker (except in Bordeaux where the ego of the chateaux owners is very similar to our local newcomers.)

So we still have a huge room for improvement, and we need to motivate talented winemakers to take the risk, but then enjoy the fame... even if it does not please their bank manager... Welcome to Adi Badenhorst to the community of free winemakers.

Response from Tim James:
Interesting suggestions, J-V. But allow me to disagree somewhat. Firstly, I think you might be putting it too strongly when you say how few winemaker/owners there were in 1997. Just opening the 1997 Platter, I find in this category: Allesverloren, Alto, Altydgedacht, Bergsig, Beyerskloof, Bloemendal, Blue White, Bon Courage, Boplaas, Boschkloof, Bouchard Finlayson, Bredell... And that's without moving into the letter C. I would guess that perhaps even the majority of wineries then, apart from the co-ops, were family-owned and run. (And it certainly wasn't always a recipe for great wine any more than family ownership is always a recipe for interesting wine in France.) Secondly, there are plenty of exciting and sometimes innovative wines being made by 'employed winemakers', wines that are getting some of the top overseas ratings you mention. What about the wines of Vergelegen, Kanonkop, Cape Point Vineyards, Steenberg, Hamilton Russell, Morgenster, Oak Valley, Chamonix, etc, etc? All of them (and there are lots more) made by undoubtedly talented 'employed winemakers'. Chris Williams is doing sterling work in his 'day job' at Meerlust as well as for his own label. And we all wish Adi Badenhorst well in whatever he does now, but I don't think there's much reason to despise what he was doing at Rustenberg, frankly.

From Jean-Vincent Ridon:
Point taken Tim. I admit that I have been depicting the 97 scene with too much contrast, and that there were different shades of greys between my extremes. However Alto was not Hempies' property anymore, Jacques was just consulting for Boschkloof, Irina was employing Cathy Marshall to do the wine... so we both are on some shades of grey even if some family links can be claimed.

I respect as well what Adi has been doing for Rustenberg, and what Chris is bringing to Meerlust.
However the point was on continuity, it is not by mistake why Steenberg, Vergelegen, Rustenberg, Cordoba, etc are enjoying such fame. They are great terroirs, but are only blossoming because the winemaker is here long enough to learn his terroir. This might be why, although Chris Williams left Meerlust when he was Gorgio's assistant, he was the ideal candidate to become the cellarmaster, as he already had years of experience of Meerlust terroir. This is so valuable.

And I agree, excitement can definitly come from "employed" winemakers, and some wines on the market are the proof of it, but how many are experimenting on their side, and willing to fly with their own wings... it is often the ones producing the most exciting wines you have been quoting.

So time will tell, but even if Adi has been making legendary wines at Rustenberg, would he do even more exciting on his own? The question remains pending... The richness of our industry comes from its diversity... and (with apologies to Wosa) , I am not talking about our flowers here....