Global acclaim for Overberg Winery
Wednesday, 4 December, 2013
Creation Wines
At the Vinidivio Wine Fair held in November in Dijon, France, Creation Wines distinguished itself by winning a coveted gold trophy for the 2012 Creation Reserve Pinot Noir and a silver trophy for the 2012 Creation Pinot Noir.
A total of 26 South African wine brands were showcased and the wines were blind-tasted by an independent panel comprising some of Burgundy’s top sommeliers, wine producers and regional and national wine journalists. Only six gold trophies were awarded.
Creation is situated on the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge and among its other recent accolades is a gold medal for its 2012 Chardonnay in the inaugural Global Chardonnay Masters presented by The Drinks Business magazine. The competition focuses solely on Chardonnay and wines from all over the world were judged exclusively on style and price by a panel composed of Masters of Wine and Master Sommeliers.
While these achievements confirm Creation’s growing stature in the international wine arena, Creation wines are equally sought-after on the local market. The Creation Pinot Noir 2012 and the Creation Viognier 2013 both achieved top honours in the FAIRLADY Consumer Awards 2013. Creation was furthermore a star performer in the recent Classic Wine magazine’s Classic Champions where the 2011 Creation Reserve Pinot Noir was rated best in the Top Niche Red Wine Category and the 2012 Creation Pinot Noir was among the 'Rest of the Best'. The 2010 Creation Syrah, Grenache scored 4½ stars and was among the ‘Rest of the Best’ in the Top Red Blend Category.
What are the secrets behind Creation’s success? Chatting to co-owners Jean-Claude (JC) and Carolyn Martin, they credit the terroir. "On the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge we enjoy ideal, cool maritime conditions which combined with our ancient clay loam soils with decomposed Bokkeveld shale, yield grapes of great quality," says an enthusiastic JC.
What really shines through is the Martins’ passion for wine. A passion that’s in their genes! The Swiss-born JC was all of 14 years old when he decided to become a winemaker and at 20 he realised this dream. The inspiration came from his grandfather, Jules Martin, who painstakingly established the family winery on the steep banks of Lake Bienne in Switzerland way back in 1935.
Carolyn (née Finlayson) was born on a wine farm – in a red Ford Anglia at the gate to the historic Hartenberg Wine Estate in Stellenbosch. Her father, the well-known wine pioneer Walter Finlayson, was the ‘midwife’! From Hartenberg, which belonged to Carolyn’s grandparents, the family moved to Blaauwklippen and then to Glen Carlou.
The Martins have two children. Glenn is 13 and a keen fisherman. The 11-year-old Emma recently made her own wine under the watchful eye of her dad. This makes her the fourth-generation winemaker on her Swiss father’s side and the third-generation on her South African mother’s side. Small wonder the wine (a single-barrel Pinot Noir) reflects the best of both Old and New Worlds!