Flagstone find a home
Tuesday, 9 December, 2003
Maryke Roberts
Youngest addition to the Helderberg’s wine farm gems
‘We’ve got a home now and that is a great feeling,’ says Bruce Jack, winemaker and viticulturist at Flagstone Winery, now one of the youngest additions to the Helderberg's wine farm gems. Moving from its V&A Waterfront premises last year, Flagstone has settled into a 1901 Sir Herbert Baker building on the AECI property in Strand.
The building was previously used as a glycerine refinery. Renovations and extensions started in November last year to equip the winery before the 2003 harvest.
Traditionally, the winery's red wines were made and matured at premises at the V&A Waterfront while the whites have been made at Simon Barlow's farm, Nooitgedagt in Stellenbosch. The 2003 harvest of red and white was made locally.
Asked why the move from the city centre, Bruce says: ‘Strand is central between our farm and our core growers, all export containers are packed in Somerset West and for all logistical reasons, the Helderberg is an excellent choice. We were also looking for a building with character. We are now situated in a beautiful setting, with a view of the mountains, fresh air and tranquility,’ says Bruce.
He says the reason why they chose the Waterfront initially was purely experimental, and to be able to use the cooling facilities in the docks that are also used by the fishing industry. Part of their success is to cool down the grapes before they are crushed, ensuring, amongst others, softer tannins.
‘We tried and tested many ideas, wine styles and techniques, but the experimental and exploration phase are now nearing the end.’
Flagstone do not pump their wines, they work on gravity flow and prefer cold soak. The two techniques are usually not combined. ‘We made the pioneering move to cool the grapes before, thus ensuring we can cold soak and implement gravity flow,’ says Bruce.
The Flagstone farm is near Napier in the Overberg with vineyards of Viognier, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Malbec.
They have four core growers whose vineyards are contracted to Flagstone on a long-term basis. Grapes are not paid for by the ton, but rather by paying a monthly fee to these farmers for the use of their vineyard land. They determine vineyard management in conjunction with our growers. ‘The vineyards are grown and managed as if they were our own.’
The core growers are Dave Jordan in Tulbagh, Colin Herbst in Tulbagh, Angela Frater in Ashton and Guillaume Swiegers in the Swartberg Mountains, near Oudtshoorn. Bruce says they are planning to accommodate wine tasting and also to join the Helderberg Wine Route - ‘a dynamic and exciting group of wine people’, adds Bruce.
As for philosophy in winemaking, Flagstone's website puts it like this: ‘Flagstone is a winery state of mind. It is a quest, a quiet revolution. What we do is carry into sunlight the spirit of a place by growing grapes there. We ask the vine roots to find it for us in the cold, dark remembrance of soil and clay. We coax the leaves into pulling up the silently vibrating energy from there. This energy is not only the result of organisms living in the soil, but also all the millions of chemical reactions that occur every day around the roots. But there is more. There is the energy of memory. Mapped in the strata of our ancient soil is the memory of millions of years of life. This energy, this spirit of place, is transported into the grapes by the vine.’
Bruce, winemaker and viticulturist, assisted by a dynamic winemaking team, finished a Master of Literature degree, before studying Oenology and Viticulture at The University of Adelaide, South Australia and ‘so condemned myself to a life of sleep deprivation and production line torment. There are a million easier ways to make money, but this life offers richness in so many other ways.’
Before coming home five years ago, Bruce worked vintages in Bordeaux, McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley and Sonoma, California. The team at Flagstone is close-knit and has chosen to reflect their individuality through their wine labels. These include ‘Noon Gun’, ‘Heywood House’, ‘Resolute 166’, ‘Writer's Block’ and ‘Music Room’. Bruce says the names come from all over. ‘We are a democratic company and people feel free to make contributions and suggestions.’
Flagstone has an extensive list of wines, including a Strata series (once-off wines with different styles), the Berrio and Jack & Knox (joint ventures).
‘From 2004 the joint ventures will have found their feet, we will make the Strata only once a year and we will refocus Flagstone.’
Flagstone offers a free delivery service in the Helderberg.
Telephone Delyth on +27 (0) 21 852-5052 for tastings and more information.
* Flagstone was just awarded the status of South Africa's most exciting winery by a panel of 26 winemakers, judges, sommeliers and retailers. Under their choices for the Top Five, Helderberg names such as Vergelegen and Rust en Vrede featured.
By Maryke Roberts