What does a typical day look like for you outside of harvest?
Either busy in the vineyards, the cellar or trying to conquer wine sales.
You’ve worked in different wine regions around the world. Which experiences have had the greatest influence on the way you make wine?
I believe my first harvest overseas when I went to California was quite a life changing harvest as it opened my eyes to the world of traveling as a winemaker. The biggest influence after that was my first harvest in Burgundy, which completely changed the way I perceived winemaking and the culture surrounding it.
How would you describe the character of the West Coast compared with South Africa’s other wine regions?
It’s a rough, uncompromising landscape but underneath all the roughness lies a beautiful elegance. It’s often seen as a bit of a rough diamond compared to other regions because of the way that wine has been made there in the past, it’s always been a bulk wine region, but with the right focus and precision you can really make it something beautiful. It can never be compared to any other wine producing area in South Africa and it shouldn’t be. It’s proven that it can stand its own ground.
Where do you see the greatest demand for your wines? Are your biggest opportunities in South Africa or in export markets?
At the start it was in exports, but I am seeing a much larger group of South Africans who are seeking out West Coast terroir which is really awesome. The perfect balance would be 50% in SA and 50% abroad.
Beyond South Africa, which wine region inspires you the most?
Quite a few to mention, definitely Santorini, Crete ,Sicily, Black sea coast and classics like Burgundy.
Your labels are instantly recognisable. What’s the story behind their design and how do they reflect your wines?
When I started my brand it was during the ”Hipster era” which meant that there was a lot of wines with cool labels going around but the wines weren’t always that great, so I got the idea of doing funky labels but with a great wine on the inside to test people’s willingness to look past the label and focus on the wine. The Crayfish and Salty Tongues label was done by an artist called David Thorpe. He used to do the My fair lady and Landbouweekblad sketches in the 70’s. His work has a real ”South African” feel to them, they always remind me of the sketches I used to look at in old Afrikaans encyclopedia books like ”Die Wêreldspektrum”.
What do you like to drink? And what’s the best bottle you’ve had this year?
I am a sucker for any Chenin blanc or Syrah, but so far my best wine was a Greek one from a producer called Thymiopoulos in the Naoussa region. It’s a cultivar called Xinomavro and it completely blew me away. Probably the next variety I’ll plant in the West Coast.
Besides wine, what are you most passionate about?
Music! I’m a sucker for blues, Jazz and folk music. I struggle not to spend money on musical instruments.
