Recently, we sat down with our Chief Winemaker, Anthony de Jager, to ask him a few questions. Anthony joined Fairview as winemaker in December 1996. He has since partaken in many of Fairview’s pioneering endeavours. He was involved in the making of La Beryl straw wine, the first genuine straw wine in the country; in the first South African plantings of varieties like Mourvèdre, Tannat and Petite Sirah; in the rediscovery of old vine Grenache and Carignan; and in the evolution of the ‘red blend’, which saw trends shift from Cabernet and Merlot-lead blends to warm climate Shiraz-based Rhône style blends. Anthony is a passionate outdoorsman, which makes winemaking the perfect fit for him. In his free time he enjoys surfing and cycling.

• How has South Africa winemaking approach, especially at Fairview, changed in the last 5-10 years?

We (SA as a whole) are starting to benefit from an extensive replanting programme. We used to plant anything anywhere, but over the last 20 years the planting has been much more specific, with cultivar suited to terroir. These vines are now starting to reach middle age and the wines from them are more focussed and expressive.

We are also now seeing more fruit forward wines, as most of the old virus infected vines have been replaced. These new virus free plantings are also now more mature. Especially on our native grape – Pinotage.

• What is most exciting development today in the industry?

We are a mostly warm climate viticulture region. Some of the most exiting wines in our portfolio are the Mediterranean style wines (varietal or blended).

As these wines improve and the volume increases, SA (and FV) is ideally positioned to make these wines. The exciting red wines made from Shiraz/Grenache/Carignan/Cinsaut/Mourvedre and Tempranillo is growing. Also Viognier/Roussanne/Grenache Blanc on the whites. I feel this is the right way forward, suited to our climate. Our Rose Quartz is beautiful Rose made from Grenache/Caringnan/Cinsaut.

• What are the challenges?

Our biggest challenge currently, is the severe drought we are in and how to manage that..

Secondly, it is a huge job converting our consumer base to break the mould from going safety first with varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc, to a bit more adventurous varieties (as previously mentioned) and wine styles.

• Fairview planted the first Viognier in South Africa, and you worked on the first vintages. How does this variety express itself in South Africa?

The FV style of Viognier is the more fruit forward style, with subtle oak and lovely freshness. The variety can often be flat and alcoholic (especially in a warmer climate), but we do multiple picking to capture some fruit early for freshness, some later for barrel and lees contact, with more mouthfeel. The original Viognier, planted in 1994, is now at its prime.

• What are the challenges and benefits of dryland viticulture?

Dryland viticulture is great when the soil has sufficient winter rain and has a good moisture retention to last the vines through the months of no rain and take the grapes to perfect ripeness. It gets rather tricky in a drought situation, as the grower needs to firstly protect the vines and crop is secondary. We therefore have to drastically reduce crop level to balance the vine with its environment. The wines are often super focussed, but in tiny quantity. As producer you don’t necessary see the price improvement that these low producing, super concentrated wines should realize!

• Fairview’s goats are world-famous and make some delicious cheese. What’s your go-to Fairview wine to match with goats’ cheese?

FV Goats milk cheese and Viognier or blends with Viognier – our Nurok white blend is a Chenin/Viognier/Roussanne/Grenache Blanc.

• What’s the next step for South African wine?

SA next step is to take our high quality wines and UP the price. We are seen as cheap and cheerful . This desperately needs to change for our industry to survive and thrive.

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For family proprietors Charles and Raphael, Back is not only their shared, historic surname but also the name of their newest venture together, a restaurant and deli called Back’s, opening next week, 1st November, along the bustling Main Street of Paarl!

The exciting new bistro-style eatery takes its cues from the art deco French background of Raphael, grounded by a traditional Cape twist from Paarl resident Charles, and is set to become the go-to day spot for locals and winelands visitors alike. Back’s promises to bring a carefully curated selection of options that cater with local flair to all visitors.

Check out the teaser video below – more info next week!:

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With everything we do here on the farm – whether it’s rearing our beloved goats to provide us with the creamiest milk to make our range of Chevin rolls, or kneading out dough at 4am on rainy mornings for our artisanal breads – everything – is made with intention. And that rings particularly true for our range of wines.

Philip Pullman writes that ‘After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.’ I’d argue that wine should be in there too, but stories certainly make life richer. This is why, once a month, I’d like to tell you a tale about some of our wines, to share my intentions behind every bottling. We’ll start with a wine that is very dear to me, called Nurok.

In Lithuanian, ‘Nurok’ means diver. It is also my wife Diane’s maiden surname. Of course, this is no coincidence. As we are both descendants from Lithuanian families, we were once equally curious to go unearth our roots, and so we headed to Eastern Europe for a trip to discover more. What we learnt was an inspiring tale of Di’s ancestors in adversity …

At the end of the 17th century, Lithuanians were taking on the Catholic faith and built a cathedral in Siauliai in celebration. It was the middle of winter, and a heavy bell that was being transported to the cathedral fell into a frozen river. The locals could not retrieve it. Seeing the situation and wanting to help, a brave young boy named Wulf dived into the river, attached a rope to the bell and, with help from the villagers, hauled it onto the riverbank. Refusing all reward, Wulf asked that the Jews be allowed to return to Siauliai. His wish was granted, and the citizens bestowed on him the name Nurok. From then on, he and his descendants were known by this name, and there was harmony between Christians and Jews within their village town.

Upon returning home and inspired by Old World blends, we released Nurok, a blend of Viognier, Chenin Blanc, Grenache Blanc and Roussanne Di created a beautiful painting, which I used for the front label which you will see today both on the label and hanging in the Tasting Room. As a consistent accolade winner, having received 5 stars in Platter’s Wine Guide two years running (2011 and 2012 vintages) , I invite you to share in on a wine that I believe to be complete, wholesome and complex, invigorating, and totally versatile.

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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.

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Here’s a story many have asked to hear, but I’ve shared with few. The story of how I lost my thumb.

As an individual, I’ve always loved being right in the heart of the action – but there are dangers to being a very hands on winemaker.

The year was 1977. It was a mere two weeks before my 21st birthday (and I remember that fact all too clearly). I was a viticultural student at Elsenburg Agricultural Training Institute, and my vacation had just begun.

As a young boy, I’d always spent my free time helping my father Cyril on the Fairview farm, and this time round, he needed my help with bottling. Back then, the bottling line was a little less sophisticated than it is now, requiring more human intervention. As I had done many times before, I took to setting up the corking machine – a semi-automated apparatus that required a plunger to cork bottles. As these bad things tend to play out, I accidentally stood on the foot pedal, and so the plunger came down and crushed my thumb that was resting on the neck of the bottle.

Needless to say, that year was a very wet year, and as it turned out, the 1977 vintage wasn’t a particularly good one. In my opinion, it was actually one of the worst vintages ever, but some may say I’m biased. The good news is that since then, things have improved, and we’ve experienced lots of special vintages. I’d still give life a big thumbs up.

So as always, let’s celebrate the good things – to life!

Charles Back

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