After all these years, you’d think waking up at 5 am to go and harvest would get old. But for Alicia Rechner, winemaker at Backsberg Family Wines, it doesn’t. Alicia has been making wine for 26 years. As someone who has always enjoyed working with her hands, she particularly loves the reactions she receives when presenting someone with something she has created, especially wine.
Of course, her work is far from being a solitary effort – it's a collective endeavour, requiring the expertise and diligence of an entire team. From nurturing the sun-kissed grapes in the perfectly ordered vineyards to the final touches added by experienced viticulturists, pickers, and colleagues, it’s a collaborative process. A journey not of leaps, but of small steps, a labour not just of hands, but of heart. Careful planning is essential. Yet, even with the best preparations, there will always be unforeseen challenges, moments of triumph and difficulty, and invaluable lessons to be learned.
With the harvest now concluded, we reflect on how our team navigated the 2024 voyage to reach their final destination: award-winning wines full of complexity and character.
The prep work: Weather's whims and early beginnings
The Cape Doctor, a notorious, often persistent and dry south-easterly wind that blows on the South African coast from spring to late summer, did no favours for winemakers in the lead-up to this year's harvest. "The windy conditions arrived in late December and early January, just as the fruit set was occurring," Alicia Rechner begins. The wind resulted in a lower crop set, leading to smaller yields and encouraging early ripening for some varieties. "Fortunately, lower yields are not detrimental to quality. In fact, quite the opposite, with the small berries being densely packed with flavour."
Harvest commenced a whole week ahead of schedule, on 23 January, with the first 3.5 tons of Verdelho, an experimental variety for Backsberg, making their way into the cellar. However, the early start, which might have suggested an easier season, saw a swift change in fortunes. After those initial sunny days, a pause in ripening meant that, although the harvest kicked off promptly, it finished later than anticipated. "In total, the harvest spanned about 9 weeks, with the last of the Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot just being brought in," says Alicia. "It turned out to be a longer journey than usual," she smiles.
Navigating the vineyards – and vintage
Despite the challenges and unusual pacing of the harvest, Alicia is focused on adaptability: "A great wine is a product of patience and embracing the unique conditions of each vintage." One such example of taking the path less travelled is with the prized Pumphouse Shiraz. "Some Pumphouse blocks ripened much earlier than normal this year and are already ageing in oak. The rest ripened much later. It's a fascinating experiment, as these blocks were picked far apart, resulting in a wine showcasing both the lighter, elegant style of a classic Syrah alongside the beautiful ripe fruit and robust colour we know and love in a Shiraz," explains Alicia.
During the harvest, Backsberg meticulously selected a variety of grapes from diverse locations, each chosen for its optimal conditions that ensure the best expression of each variety. Verdelho and Sauvignon Blanc were harvested from Helderberg in Stellenbosch. Chenin Blanc came from both Helderberg and Darling on the West Coast. Merlot was selected from Paarl and Stellenbosch, while Shiraz also originated from Paarl. Stellenbosch provided Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and other Bordeaux varietals, as well as Pinotage.
Chardonnay, including the grapes used for the Smuggled Vine Chardonnay, was harvested in Franschhoek – the home of Backsberg's state-of-the-art cellar. "Our Chardonnay grapes are from a magnificent vineyard at 450 metres in elevation – one of the highest in the country," says Alicia. "It’s always a standout in the collection for me, and this year is no exception."
All geared up
As the smell of fermenting grapes filled the cellar air, Alicia and her team found themselves balancing the art of intuition with precise winemaking techniques. "This is where my love for science meets the art of winemaking," she says. Backsberg's dedication to quality starts in the vineyard – but it doesn’t end there. The grapes are from 16 IPW-certified partner growers who champion biodiversity initiatives and are verified carbon-neutral. The team also constantly strive to reduce the winery's carbon footprint by embracing energy-efficient innovations like automated crushers, temperature controls, and chillers.
The winery’s carbon-neutral status comes from careful calculations of usage throughout the entire process – from farm to bottle. This includes petrol, diesel, electricity, and water usage. The calculated amount is then offset through several community based carbon offset projects which support the local community as well as do good for the environment.
Alicia's philosophy of precision winemaking, or "controlled intervention", shines through every step. She strives for perfect balance: guiding the natural process while showcasing the vintage's unique expression. "Consistency is crucial," she explains. "We want wine lovers to experience a signature Backsberg wine no matter what the vintage year says on the bottle."
It's the journey that matters
The last lug boxes arrived in the cellar on 20 March, with pressing continuing into mid-April. The team worked tirelessly to accommodate the influx of fruit and maintain consistent quality.
"It's about routine. Our days begin with a 7am meeting to set the course, even if grapes have arrived in the early hours. We work in shifts, day and night, to keep things flowing. In truth, every harvest is a unique adventure. The things we see, smell, and sense change from day to day—it's a sensory overload, but a wonderful one," Alicia shares. Overall, for the 2024 harvest, the Sauvignon Blanc yields were unchanged, while other white varietals were 15% down, and reds were 20% down. Despite these variations in yield, the quality of the harvest surpassed expectations, highlighting the exceptional resilience and skill of our vineyards.
As the dawn breaks anew on another day, the cellar remains a hive of activity even as the harvest winds down. The team, relentless in their quest to improve, experiments with yeast strains, seeking that precise match for the winery's unique demands and the styles of wine they aim to perfect. "We’re also trialling co-inoculation with malolactic bacteria on the reds, a technique designed to streamline production," adds Alicia enthusiastically. Day in, day out, the team’s passion and dedication is a gentle reminder that winemaking is a journey that knows no bounds.
"Usually, it's not until spring that I truly grasp a vintage's potential,” she notes, pausing. “But this time, I've already glimpsed something truly special." She pauses. "I can't wait to do it all over again next year."