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THE CAPSULE NEWSLETTER
July 2004
Sanctity and Sex-appeal –
Our Geological Dynamic
Where a vine grows affects the quality and character of the wine it helps create. I use the word “helps”, because I think most of us winemakers agree the vineyard site isn’t everything. If it was, the grapes would re-incarnate into wine themselves. When the cellars are too full and grapes are left out to rot in alluvial, hot vineyards you can see a lot of non-interventionist winemaking in South Africa.
What we do know is that place differentiates character and affects quality – positively and negatively. When looking for a place that will contribute to better wine, it helps to start with a basic appreciation of the geology.
Firstly ours is some of the oldest around. I don’t understand why people think of the northern hemisphere as the “old world” – that’s such a recent and misguided colonial concept.
The northern hemisphere isn’t the “old world” in terms of geology, or even the development of us confused humans. This is where it all started, right here in southern Africa. Depending on your reference of time, we are all African, even the Inuit of northern Canada. That’s fact.
Not too surprisingly we learn from our exploration of geology that we have some of the oldest soils in the world, right here in the Western Cape. In fact, through some quite spectacular heaving, bumping and grinding below the bedclothes of time we have inherited the oldest viticultural soil in the world, traceable back to the first super continent, 4500 million years ago.
The nice thing about geology is that it makes all that other insignificant stuff like culture, religion and even human life fade into the background of the weirdly disguised, variously interpreted power that churns the cycles of nothingness into life and back again.
Soil age and the weathered character of that soil is essential to the eventual wine, whose journey starts at the hair root tips of the vine. Our geology is like a craggy old, sun-etched Wild West gunslinger - it would be impossible to cram more evidence of character and age into one face - that's us - and it makes our wines different. We call it the energy of memory. And when you can capture, through real winemaking, that spirit of place in a wine you strike something that resonates with authentic brilliance. It's something extra in the wine that you sense, rather than taste.
Unlike other wine producing countries we also have an obscene wealth of different soils. As a viticulturalist this intriguing diversity feels as if some shady Arabian knight gave you the key to the harem. He warned you there would be intermittent stonings at watering holes and your camel would be dissected for spare parts if you left it unleashed, even for one second. And he even pointed out that a mirage is a mirage, that's why you should stick to where there really is water. And then he left you with the faint ringing of tiny bells, the echoes of hushed voices and the spicy scent of danger.
That harem of soils. Ohhh, that's really, really difficult to ignore - viticultural heaven. The trick is not to plant immediately in the first soil that takes your fancy. Have patience. There's nothing as exciting as correct research in such an environment and it will probably also save your life.
So in areas like The Overberg Highlands, where we farm, we dig soil test holes every 15m, rather than the industry standard of 50m. In Australia it is 75m. That’s a lot of extra research – but worth it, because the wines can reflect this diversity in the end.
Fortunately it doesn’t end there. We also have extreme variances in topography to add even more diversity. The next time you fly from Cape Town to Johannesburg, get a window seat. You take off over our Cape Fold Mountains – they look like the ruffles of a ball gown hurriedly discarded on the floor of the world. The crannies of country ripple like sap on honey. The mountain ridges dance randomly across and alongside each other – as if God was playing noughts and crosses in liquid granite after too many G&Ts.
There are unexpected soft edges - corners and kloofs. The fabulously rumpled folds of the ball gown tell a story of passion. This is a geology born of fractious, primal coupling. Below you the land is alive, not still and solid.
The steep slopes turn soft sighs into gushing torrents of air, like a million goodnight kisses all blown at once in your direction. This sighing air is initially generated by the warming and cooling of the African land mass. It is rushed and channelled into cooling, devigorating winds that completely alter the climate of those valleys and slopes.
As a winemaker looking down on this land, you might be forgiven for recognising the smiling wrinkles at the edges of your lover's eyes - welcoming and about to wink.
Dinner at The Cape Grace
This promises to be a sumptuous affair, with a menu prepared especially by Bruce Robertson. The evening begins at 7:00 for 7:30 with welcome drinks in the Library. Tickets cost R260.00 per head and can be booked through Victoria or Thekla at the Cape Grace (Banqueting Department). The telephone number is 021 410 7100.
Specials for August and September 2004-08-05
 Heartbreak Grape Pinot Noir 2001
We are offering our private clients a chance to purchase our Strata Series Heartbreak Grape Pinot Noir 2001 at a very special price. This wine was handmade from one of the oldest Pinot Noir vineyards in South Africa. Planted at least 40 years ago on Muratie, the vineyard has now been ripped up, but we felt the wine was good enough to bottle under our Strata Series.
Delivered (by the case) in our major metropolitan areas for R48.50 per bottle.
More information…
For more information on our latest releases, please contact Sarah on sales@flagstonewinery.co.za or call her on ++ 27 (0)21 8525052.
Thanks
Bruce Jack
Winemaker
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