Thursday, 17 September, 2020
Michael Olivier
What was the defining moment in your life that set you on the path of becoming a viticulturist?
Firstly, I love beautiful landscapes and I love farming. I was cut-flower grower for a couple years until the day I tasted a certain very good wine (which I now cannot remember) from the Western Cape. I had never been to that part of the country so when I searched the region on the internet, I saw what I still consider the most beautiful landscapes in the world. Stunning vineyards on all sorts of terrains. I thought to myself how good it is to be in the ambiance you love, farming your heart out and at the end of long days sip on your produce! My mind was made up.
Where did you train?
A university in Zimbabwe where I studied for a BSc in Agribusiness and Horticulture.
Who would you regard as your mentor?
Leon Dippenaar. He is the external viticulture consultant for De Grendel Estate, and we have worked together for just over ten years now.
What do you enjoy most about being a viticulturist?
The same reasons I got into viticulture starting from seeing the vines spring back into life after winter dormancy to transforming the landscape into a lush green paradise loaded with very good quality, clean grapes that you can hardly wait to transfer into the bottle. Never mind the hard work and technical detail that goes into creating such a beautiful picture and quality wine in the bottle.
What vineyard practices do you use to minimise the impact on the environment?
The two broad objectives at De Grendel estate that have a bearing on vineyard practices are that the farm aims at minimizing its carbon footprint and promote biodiversity. We embraced precision viticulture particularly when we establish new vineyards, soil mapping before planting and satellite images in the growing season. With such information at hand we no longer do more blanket application of pesticides, irrigation water and fertilizers resulting in lower energy use. To further save energy and protect the environment De Grendel Estate has tuned to organic farming on some vineyard blocks.
Do you have any specific wine grape varieties you prefer working with, and if so, what is its special characteristics?
We currently have 10 different grape varieties on the farm and all producing amazing individual wines or as blending components. Of these I love Pinotage the most. It is the easiest cultivar to grow as it requires the least amount of attention. I am not afraid of challenging varieties but I feel proud to have a cultivar that proves its at home not just in South Africa but at its specific location on the De Grendel terrain facing west only 7.5km away from the Atlantic Ocean. It is a 17-year-old block which produces small compact bunches giving superb wine in the bottle vintage after vintage with some accolades to show as well.
As a farmer, what are the biggest challenges you must face in your role?
As a farmer one wants to have a product that will sell itself and be sustainable, a viticulturist wants to produce grapes that every wine maker would want to have in their winery. This means you want consistency in quality and volumes. Climatic influences vary season after season threatening consistency. Western Cape has gone through the driest years in history recently. Farming becomes very tricky when irrigation water is inadequate, and you underground water reserves are depleted. Production also relies on wine sales and consumption and currently with the impact of Covid-19 the volume of grapes required for 2021 may be significantly low meaning some grapes may not contribute to the harvest.
Please give us a brief overview of the 2020 harvest and what consumers can expect from De Grendel for the 2019 vintage.
The 2020 harvest was a successful one both in terms of quality and volumes. Yields were slightly lower than 2019 (which was the best of all time) but still rated above average. Harvesting was complete mid-March before the Covid-19 lockdown. The terroir for the De Grendel vineyards is expected to be a cool climate and 2019-2020 season was undoubtedly that. The same can also be said for the 2019 vintage, clean grapes (no disease issues), good rains washing away salts that were building up during the prior drier years. Such conditions for our Sauvignon Blanc favor fresh or crisp acidity with floral and tropical aromas. According to our wine making team of Charles and Morgan the 2019 red cultivars are also evolving very well and showing potential to be big wines.
Do you have a favourite Wine – of course you do, which one? And what draws you to it?
My favorite wine is De Grendel Merlot with all sorts of berry flavors on a soft tannin structure. I am also drawn to this wine because in the vineyards we are meticulous in ensuring the grapes come off a very well balanced vine to crop load ratio by dropping excess fruit after fruit set and leaf plucking in the bunch zone to ensure the grapes are exposed to direct sunlight resulting in reduced methoxypyrazine level in the wine. We also use the sugar loading concept to decide on an exact harvest day for maximum flavor benefit. You will love its smooth and well-rounded texture.
What is the one thing that you never expected, but have learned during your career as a Viticulturist?
I did not expect to be in the same team with an intimidating wine maker. Charles Hopkins keeps pushing the bar higher for the team not only to maintain excellency but to be pacesetters of the industry. This has opened an unexpected but welcome avenue for me in the for of provision for all sorts of experiments in the vineyards. At De Grendel Estate we engage and collaborate with various organizations and students wanting to do some research in the vineyards. Of note we are proud to be part of Vinpro’s Gen-Z project with several Sauvignon Blanc clones on trial. By the way it is an awesome experience to work with the huge man Charles.
What was your fondest wine moment?
Veritas Awards 2019 announcement of the Double Gold for De Grendel Chardonnay 2018.
Your greatest bottle of wine ever?
The wine which I cannot remember which I tasted in 2009 and opened my eyes to Viticulture. Now I have gone through several bottles of really great wines because of that one.
Do you enjoy cooking to show your wines off at their best or do you leave that to others?
No, I do not like being in the kitchen but out on a fire braaing.
What is your favorite style of food?
Zimbabwean cuisine of peanut butter rice with goat stew including kale and goat offal called Zvinyenze in Shona. These are made by wrapping intestines around a piece of tripe and cooking it well.
Your best style of restaurant, you enjoy visiting? Why?
I am more of a casual dining person; the food looks fairly healthy and the names of the dishes less confusing and also less protocol to observe. I can eat with my hands without causing alarm.
Your ideal dinner party guest. Tell me why you chose them.
Master KG, because if he starts playing his song everyone will be able to dance to it.
Your favorite holiday destination?
Too many places in the Western Cape.
What is on your bedside table as reading matter at the moment?
Unfortunately, my cellphone and laptop have taken over all other reading material. I am a morning person, so I do not read anything until I wake up and start following social media events, particularly on Twitter. Thereafter I plan my day.
One piece of music you would take with you to a desert island.
A Zimbabwean legendary guitar band musician called Leonard Dembo’s music particularly song titled “Chitekete”
I’m currently working on….
My Body-Fat Index which keeps getting tougher each day, however a glass of my favorite Merlot each evening makes me smile at my progress which is very difficult to see.
Guilty Pleasures?
Roasted chicken skin (crispy chicken skin)
One day, I will…
Write an authoritative article on a vineyard practice that will move viticulture to a higher level.
How can a visitor contact your winery?
Visit our website at www.degrendel.co.za
Contact us by email on info@degrendel.co.za
Telephone 021 558 6280