New Directions

Possibly his biggest claim to fame is cocking a snook at the French and their wine labelling pretensions years ago by launching his Goat range: Goats do Roam, Goat Roti et al… In spite of this, he’s a reticent man who actively shuns the spotlight – which made the April launch of Fairview’s new Bloemcool wines so unusual.

“We don’t do launches,” said Fairview’s head winemaker Anthony de Jager, who has worked shoulder to shoulder with Back for two decades, while admitting that he was nervous at the prospect of saying a few words in front of the throng gathered in the old Dutch barn, the original Fairview winery.

De Jager needn’t have worried as Back did the heavy lifting, providing a wealth of historic background. The range is called Bloemcool because that was the historic name of the farm. Is there something historic about these wines? Yes. Fairview and Back were pioneers of Viognier in South Africa, firstly bottling it as a single varietal wine and secondly co-fermenting it with Shiraz. In the Bloemcool range there’s a Méthode Cap Classique made from Viognier.

These wines are limited productions, often just one or two barrels, and will only be available online or to wine dinner customers. “There are eight winemakers at Fairview now,” Back said, “and this is their opportunity to experiment and play around in the cellar. I don’t want them getting bored!”

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