SWARTLAND WINERY – EVOLUTION THE KEY

CREATING quality wines that reflect diverse flavour profiles to meet wine drinker’s complex needs are the obvious benchmarks of any winery. Couple this with a desire to innovate and evolve with consumer’s requirements and you will be at the juncture that Swartland Winery finds itself in 2011.

Wine innovation is an ongoing task for any winemaker as market conditions change at a much faster rate than winemaking and viticultural practises can maintain. The key therefore is for the winemaker to plan and make wine for both immediate and long term satisfaction – satisfying the “now” generation, but keeping the “steady as she goes brigade” happy at the same time.

This is the view of Andries Blake, Cellar Master at Swartland Winery. Having access to over 3 000 hectares of prime vineyard in the Swartland region gives him the opportunity to pick and choose from the many varietals that are grown in this diverse region in order to satisfy the apparent divergent needs of the market.

Andries’ over 16 years winemaking experience at Swartland Winery has allowed him to become exceedingly familiar with the complexities of this wine growing region with its mostly drylands vineyards and vastly different soil types. His previous experience at Rooiberg Cellar near Robertson, where he was winemaker for about 5 years, taught him to respect terroir and canopy management as being key to successful winemaking.

“Any winemaker worth their salt should say that good wines begin in the vineyards, but in the Swartland this is absolutely true. No amount of massaging in the cellar can hide the impact of Mother Nature on the crop in difficult years as the Swartland can be merciless weather wise. This is the reason why so many interesting and expressive wines have emerged from the region in the last 5 to 10 years as winemakers have come to grips with the vagaries of the region ,” adds Blake.

When pressed on the winery’s new marketing campaign Andries had this to say: “To be successful in such a competitive industry and market, wineries must continuously innovate, and Swartland Winery is no exception. To this end, we have created the MySwartland campaign, which is about telling people about the cellar’s range of wines, as well as showcasing the Swartland region’s many jewels including the culture, food, events, and other lifestyle elements that exist in abundance in the area. Swartland Winery, which was established in 1948, is inextricably part of the Swartland wine region with its undulating hills and moderate Mediterranean climate, its fascinating history and numerous tourist attractions and we are proud to illustrate what makes us different to other wine regions.”

Blake says Swartland Winery is entering a new era with the MySwartland campaign, which launches in November 2011. Part of the execution is the re-branding of the Swartland wine ranges to help align the brand correctly. The winery’s three wine ranges, the core Swartland Winery range, the Swartland Bushvine range, and the limited release Swartland Winemaker’s Collection range, will all be interwoven with the evolving story behind the campaign.

“We are very excited because we have the right wines at the right prices, and our plans for 2012 and beyond are to make Swartland Winery a household name with wine lovers across South Africa and internationally as well.”

The Swartland Winery range is aimed at people looking for easy-drinking and affordable wines. “These are wines for the heart and soul,” is how Andries describes them. The wines include chenin blanc, chardonnay and sauvignon blanc for the whites, a blanc de noir, and tinta barocca, merlot, shiraz, pinotage and cabernet sauvignon for the red varietals. For the sweeter tooth, Swartland produce Bukketraube, the ever popular Hanepoot, and a Vintage Port.

The flagship Bushvine range consists of barrel matured chenin blanc, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, pinotage, shiraz and cabernet sauvignon varietals. A bit more serious, these are wines that prefer food and perhaps a bit more contemplation, according to Andries. These wines will also only be bottled in years in which conditions are deemed appropriate for each varietal.

On the innovation front, from time to time Swartland Winery will release wines under their Winemaker’s Collection label.  These are wines from specially selected barrels of various single varietals or unusual blends which Andries regards as exceptional or interesting enough to set aside as “special cuvees”. The first experiments with Viognier and Barberra were sold out at the Cellar Door in little over a month and next on Andries’ list is an aromatic white, and an unusual red blend that he has been working on for release early in 2012. “We believe wine is part of a lifestyle, and just as people differ from one another, so does wine. We are fortunate enough to offer a diverse range of quality wines which suits different people’s lifestyles and pockets.”

Blake joined the Swartland Winery from Rooiberg in 1996 and set out to make the best quality South African wines. His goal was, and still is, to develop wines that honour the 350 year winemaking heritage of South Africa by combining the Old World classicism with a contemporary New World, fruit-driven style. “The appeal of South Africa lies in the building blocks it gives you. It is the great diversity of our climate and soils, and the exciting developments in our wine industry, that offer the best of both the Old and New World of wine.”

Apart from his formal education at Elsenburg Agricultural College near Stellenbosch, Blake spent time in several of the world’s top winemaking regions including Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France and the United States in order to gain insight into this fast-growing industry.

Asked about his winemaking philosophy, Blake answered: “It is common knowledge that wine is made in the vineyard. The art for the winemaker is that he only has one chance annually to recognise good quality grapes to make an exceptional wine from. “My motto in everything I do is simple: give 100%!”

Swartland Winery’s Tasting Room is open Monday to Friday from 08h00 to 17h00 and Saturdays from 08h00 to 14h00.  Call 022 482 1134 or visit www.swwines.co.za for more information. 

Source: Manley Communications
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