Peter Finlayson, of Bouchard Finlayson, with his winemaker Chris Albrecht( foreground)( Photo by Gary Hewitt)
When you connect with people, you sell to the people who connect back to you, who can understand your philosophy and what you’ re about. And that’ s a long-term relationship; it’ s got length, it’ s got legs; there’ s loyalty.
GH We have been dining like kings here in South Africa. The food has been amazing: the fresh ingredients and the level of culinary expertise have been terrific. What is your opinion on the evolution of the South African wine and food scene?
PVZ The culinary scene in Stellenbosch was almost nonexistent when I moved here in 1995; it was all traditional“ Mum and Pop” kind of set-ups, or directly targeted at the tourism industry. So you had traditional dishes, but not particularly well-prepared, well-presented, or wellserved. Since then, it’ s become incredibly sophisticated and comprehensive, in a really, really short space of time.
GH Which do you see as the emerging regions now and for the next few years?
PVZ In the Swartland, there is a lot of focus and there are a lot of passionate people— either making wine in the region or sourcing from the region. Southern Cape is growing massively and quickly, and they have a very conducive climate, so they’ ll certainly do good things. And then going further along the eastern coast, we’ re getting small wineries establishing vineyards and emerging there.
MM How are the larger organizations like Distell and KWV adapting, based on the new South African winemaking style?
PVZ I think there is a need for large corporations such as KWV and Distell to pave the way into markets or give some kind of impetus or momentum. So they’ re very important, and I think they’ ve realized that they need to up their game in terms of vinification, quality standards, and making the right style for the consumer. Surely that can only be a good thing— if the“ big guys” are upping their game, then everybody benefits and gets inspired by that.
KWV is definitely listening to somebody out there— their Grenache Blanc, which is rated 5 stars in the 2012 guide,
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