Mason has been winemaker at Klein Constantia for the past eight years, prior to which he spent six years abroad. He will continue to offer his support to winemakers Matthew Day and Stiaan Cloete at Klein Constantia until early February 2012 and will then devote his full attention to Mulderbosch, assisted by Annalie van Dyk in the winery.

Oosthuizen has extensive experience in finance, marketing, personnel and production management and joins Mulderbosch after almost two decades at Neil Ellis Wines.

Charles Banks, founding and managing partner of Terroir Capital, says that the appointment of these ‘two South African industry leaders’ is proof of his company’s commitment to ‘taking Mulderbosch to the next level’. Terroir Capital’s head winemaker Andy Erickson (of Californian cult wine Screaming Eagle fame) will continue to visit South Africa as consultant to Mulderbosch and sister winery Fable Wines (formerly Tulbagh Mountain Vineyards).

Banks says Mason and Oosthuizen will not only bring stability to the team but conclude ‘six months of putting all the basics in place’, including significant investment to revamp Mulderbosch’s winery, improve viticultural practices at its key vineyard partners, enhance the business’s environmental sustainability, address social issues and provide staff training.

Mason previously worked with both Banks and Erickson, having spent the 2008 Californian harvest at Screaming Eagle (co-owned by Banks until 2009 and where Erickson still consults). ‘During my time there I was very impressed by their ethos and approach to making wine and the positive chemistry that developed between us as a team,’ recalls Mason, ‘and I relish the opportunity to resume our relationship at Mulderbosch.’

Banks in turn says that Mason was his first choice for Mulderbosch, based on their ‘mutual appreciation of wine, teamwork and continuity that was borne out in the cellar’.

Mason said the move was one he viewed with anticipation and he looked forward to the new challenges and creative opportunities ahead. Already one of the most sought-after premium brands on the US market, having been imported by Cape Classics for almost two decades, Mulderbosch has seen its production triple over the past four years whilst undergoing considerable changes.
‘I welcome the prospect of exciting times at Mulderbosch over the next few years. The key objective is quality at a fair price – and communicating that message to the consumer. I look forward to being a part of the team tasked with reinvigorating this great South African brand.’

Media Release

Charles Banks was poking around the small cellar at South Africa’s Mulderbosch Vineyards in spring 2008 when its winemaker pulled out some old vintages of chenin blanc. Stunned by how delicious the 15- to 20-year-old whites tasted, Banks saw the future unfolding. Three years later, his company, Santa Barbara, California–based Terroir Capital LLC, has purchased two wineries in the Cape Winelands, including the well-known Mulderbosch brand.

Banks, 43, isn’t your average winery investor. Back in 2006, while president of San Francisco’s CSI Capital Management, he bought the Napa Valley’s Screaming Eagle with real-estate mogul Stan Kroenke, who owns the National Football League’s St. Louis Rams and other sports teams. That winery’s smooth, rich, highly sought-after cult cabernet sells for $750 per bottle on release.

Banks bowed out of the partnership in 2009, having founded Terroir, a small investment group of 25 friends that focuses on luxury resorts and wine estates. He had already become smitten with South Africa, thanks to Andre Shearer, Mulderbosch’s U.S. importer, who suggested over lunch at The Modern restaurant in New York that Banks take a look at this flagship estate in the country’s famous Stellenbosch region. In a complicated arrangement, Banks bought the name and stocks of Mulderbosch and the vineyards and much larger winery of nearby Kanu Vineyards. Ben Truter and his family trust, who had owned both properties, retained the Kanu brand and its sibling winery’s vineyards and buildings.

Mulderbosch first grabbed international attention with its racy sauvignon blanc and its distinctive label inspired by a Cuban cigar band.

Now, Banks is gambling that chenin blancs made from venerable bush vines will be the big stars. The most widely planted grape in South Africa, chenin blanc had long been known more for cheap, neutral whites than for quality. On a warm, sunny January day during a weeklong countrywide trip, I discovered just how much things have changed here. After a quick tour of Mulderbosch, I headed to the Postcard Cafe at nearby Stark-Conde Wines with Annalie van Dyk, an assistant winemaker at Mulderbosch, for a Chenin Blanc Association tasting. “More than half the world’s plantings of chenin blanc are here, double the amount in its home, the Loire Valley,” says Bruwer Raats, the association’s president. I’m struck by the range of styles, from light, fresh and fruity to richer, riper and more complex. Some are slightly sweet and succulent, a match for Thai curry; the very sweet, late-harvest versions go with dessert. The best have deep layers of flavors and are made from decades-old, nontrellised vines that farmers once uprooted because of low yields and prices.

The Mulderbosch chenins impress, but Banks has enlisted Andy Erickson, former winemaker at Screaming Eagle, to help push quality higher. That means buying more old-vine grapes from Swartland, an hour’s drive north of Cape Town. Wilder than Stellenbosch, it’s full of rebel winemakers and some of the oldest chenin blanc in South Africa. At a casual braai (barbecue) on a neighbor’s deck, Paul Kretzel, co-owner of Lammershoek winery, smiles as he tells me how Banks turned up, tasted and signed on for 20 tons of fruit from his 40 hectares (99 acres) of old vines.

One winery turned out not to be enough. At Tulbagh Mountain Vineyards, nestled within a cup of mountains east of Swartland, Banks saw potential in the organic bush vines and “the vibe.” He poured the 2008 vintage down the drain, bought new tanks and gave his second acquisition a more pronounceable name: Fable.

Banks says a deciding factor in going through with the purchases was securing political risk insurance from the World Bank’s Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency. He declined to reveal how much the two properties cost, citing confidentiality agreements, but the MIGA guarantees add up to $12.9 million.

South Africa is only the beginning of Banks’s plans for a global wine company. In the spring, he launched a California pinot noir project, and he says he’s hunting for vineyards in Italy and Spain that “offer a good opportunity for return on investment.”

The new wine-drinking trend, Banks insisted in a recent phone conversation, is finding value. Four years ago, at dinners with wealthy friends, the prize went to whoever put the expensive trophy wine on the table. Now, he says, “it goes to the person who brings the most interesting bargain.”

Banks is convinced South Africa can make better white wine, especially chenin blanc, for less money than anywhere else in the world. “I love the wine business,” he says. “But it’s more fun if you’re making money.”

Columnist Elin McCoy is based in New York.

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Richard has served the company with distinction for the past eight years. Formerly Winemaker for then-sister winery Kanu, he was appointed Group Winemaker at both Mulderbosch and Kanu two years ago. He then assumed duties as Winemaker at Mulderbosch after Mulderbosch and Kanu were split into independent businesses.

Born and raised in England, Richard first qualified as a chef before following his dream of becoming a winemaker by going back to the books. Richard now considers South Africa to be his home, and it is where he and his young family are settled. He awaits news on the outcome of his thesis submitted as the final stage of the International Master of Wine examinations.

Richard says, ‘Like so many winemakers, I’m eternally keen to undertake new challenges and am excited to be embarking upon these initiatives, which will afford me the chance to work a vintage in Europe this year and take some of those experiences into consultancy projects going forward.

‘The experience I have gained working at Mulderbosch and Kanu over the last eight years has given me valued and intimate knowledge of winemaking here in the Cape. It’s a terrific opportunity to take this knowledge a step further.’

As part of his new enterprise, Richard is launching a multi-platform series of sites under ‘rikipedia’ that will feature winemaking blogs, technical information and more light-hearted notes on weekly tasting experiences.

For further information Richard is contactable at Richard@rikipedia.co.za or +27 (0)76 0911 602.

Michael Anderson, director of Mulderbosch, said in tribute, ‘After significant years contributing to Mulderbosch, Richard will be missed for the tremendous teamwork and strong rapport he developed between vineyard and winery. We wish him success with his new ventures.’

Richard will be leaving at the end of August, to accommodate his planned vintage work in France. The remainder of Mulderbosch’s winemaking team will continue to craft Mulderbosch’s fine wines as before with Andy Erickson’s oversight.

For further enquiries please contact Sean Griffiths, Mulderbosch’s Sales and Marketing Manager at sean@mulderbosch.co.za or +27 (0)21 881 8140.

The conference in mid-August brought together an elite group of America’s top wine professionals and industry veterans, giving New York-based wine importer Cape Classics the opportunity to build awareness of South African Chenin Blanc and promote the growth of the varietal in the US market.

“We received overwhelming praise on the approach (not to mention the wines), as it allowed the sommeliers (highly qualified wine experts) to try a myriad of styles from crisp and clean, stainless steel fermented offerings, to rich oak-aged bottlings, on to noble late harvest dessert selections. Most importantly for Texsom, Chenin Blanc plays well with food, which is key for this audience of tastemakers,” said Molly Choi, Cape Classics Senior Vice President.

Since its inception in 2005, Texsom has attracted more than 1 500 wine professionals. The 2011 event showcased a selection of South Africa’s finest Chenin Blanc producers and the wines were presented to a line-up of master sommeliers including James Tidwell of Four Seasons Resort and John Blazon, previously the Wine Director of Walt Disney, as well as former “Texas Best Sommelier” honoree June Rodil.

Despite the fact Chenin Blanc is South Africa’s most widely planted varietal and available nationally in the US, it has remained in the shadows of other varietals and struggled to gain recognition as a standard offering. “As we work towards making Chenin Blanc a household staple asked for by name, a la Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay, we felt this successful showing helped us along that road,” said Choi.

The conference also held a seminar titled “Regional Diversity: South Africa” led by master sommeliers Wayne Belding and John Blazon that exemplified South Africa’s unique terroir through a range of bottlings. A “Varietal Focus: Chenin Blanc” seminar followed led by master sommeliers Andrew McNamara and Melissa Monosoff.

“The conference ended with a sense of collective enthusiasm for South African wine, and Chenin Blanc in particular. We could not have asked for more from this group of influencers,” said Choi.

Presented by the not-for-profit organizations the Texas Sommelier Association and the Wine and Food Foundation of Texas, TEXSOM is the only event of its kind in the world. Since its inception in 2005, it has attracted more than 1 500 wine professionals, and more than 120 Texas sommeliers have competed. The winner is awarded scholarships for professional certification courses working towards the Court of Master Sommeliers accreditation.

Cape Classics was established in 1992 with a mission of bringing the crème de la crème of South Africas then-fledgling wine industry to the American market. Today Cape Classics proudly represents 21 of South Africas finest estates and labels. With a focus solely on South African wine, the company remains committed to providing a unique range of selections that are exciting and delicious and that offer outstanding value. Nearly 30% of all bottled wine from South Africa available in the US bears the Cape Classics seal.

This was indeed an historic occasion, considering the results which is setting a new quality benchmark for South African wines with no less than 10 wines achieving a perfect 100 points. This included Rijks Pinotage, Kanonkop Pinotage, Saronsberg Shiraz, Eagle’s Nest Shiraz, Saronsberg Full Circle Shiraz Mourvedré Viognier, De Krans Cape Tawny Port, Bouchard Finlayson Galpin Peak Pinot Noir, Kanonkop Paul Sauer Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc Merlot, Klein Constantia Vin de Constance and Mulderbosch Barrel Fermented Chardonnay

While Rijks Private Cellar took the Trophy for the best Red Wine and Mulderbosch the White Wine Trophy, Bouchard Finlayson was for the second year in a row awarded the Trophy for Winery of the year. Other wineries that took honours in the Top 10 awards were Cederberg, Uva Mira, Oak Valley, Kanonkop, Cape Point Vineyards, Saronsberg, Rijks Private Cellar, Paul Cluver and Lomond.

The SAWi Legends Award for personalities still actively involved in wine making went to Hempies du Toit of Annandale.

The Index is a multi vintage wine rating, deducted from the combined preferences of a diverse group of wine judges from various wine competitions (according to ascribed weights), providing a condensed result point. Other considerations include quality consistency while a nominal point is added for additional accolades like a trophy winner. Judging takes place further according to wine maturation categories.

The SAWi Awards is proof that South Africa can take on the best the World can offer when it comes to producing great wines. Winemakers should continue to focus on finesse and elegance, our unique terroir and honesty to show up in their wines. Only in that way can SA wineries continue to offer the consumer such high caliber wines.

In line with developments in social media, SAWi has become much more than just a mere application but, a platform with new opportunities for building apps, communities, ecosystems and even meta-platforms for the SA wine industry. As a result, several ground breaking digital product offerings has been rolled out by SAWi, making it the leading role player in this regard.

With information moving around more than ever and getting onto our tables, we can now have information at our fingertips, anywhere we are. The way we communicate, connect, work, and live are being influenced for good, in the process affecting the choices we as consumers get to make in buying wine.

Through positioning itself as “a wine partner in new media”, SAWi wants to provide simple but much more sensible content about wine, to engage and make people wine wise. With these steps taken by SAWi, a new era has certainly begun for the SA Wine Sector with wine cellars which will find it in their favour to become part of this wine platform.

For more information visit and register at: www.sawineindex.com or contact Izak Smit at +27 (0)82 577 7037 or info@sawineindex.com.