This year, The Wine Show will give South Africans the chance to sample some of the best local
wines from around the country. Arguably, the most exciting of these are the
number of local Garagiste wines that will also be there. So much more than
simply a boutique wine producer, Tanja Beutler was one of the first Garagiste
winemakers in the country. Having originally started Topaz Wine in her garage
in Somerset West, with her business partner, Clive Torr, she eventually dug up her
entire garden to plant vines as well. Now, as Head of the Garagiste Association
of South Africa, she explains what makes Garagiste wines so special.
What exactly
is a Garagiste producer? A Garagiste is someone who has a passion for wine
and, as a hobby, makes his or her own wine from home, literally in the garage,
under the carport, in the spare room, in the garden shed or even in the bath!
How are
Garagiste wines different to ‘normal’ wines? Garagistes make wine because
it is their passion and not necessarily their job – although for many the
passion grabs them and it becomes full time; because of this passion, the focus
and commitment is there. Garagistes also make tiny quantities. The maximum
volume to qualify as a garagiste is 40 barrels – the amount that fits in a
double garage. Making garagiste wine is
also very hands-on: a lot of equipment used comes straight out of the kitchen!
Briefly describe the ‘Garagiste
style’ of winemaking. Garagiste
style wines are made hands-on mostly with loads of good friends who are
prepared to get dirty and have some fun! You can buy garagiste winemaking equipment if you have the cash or you
can improvise – we have used feet for crushing, shade cloth for pressing,
sieves for straining, buckets for moving the wine and funnels for filling
barrels. The real style of this kind of
winemaking is guts, determination, loads of friends, lots of beer (it takes
lots of beer to make good wine!) and most importantly to have FUN!
Where do you get the grapes
from? We have been working with the same growers for 10 years or more to
ensure consistency, mostly from Elgin and now from Paarl.
Tell us a bit
about the wines that you produce. Topaz Wine Company offers two brands. Topaz
consists of an Elgin Viognier, an Elgin Pinot Noir, an Elgin Shiraz and a Paarl
Shiraz/Mourvedre, all 2012 vintages. I love the fruit we get from Elgin – due
to the cool climate and slow ripening, I find the flavour profiles are elegant,
sophisticated and true to the grape variety. Custom Crush, the pocket-friendly offering from Topaz, consists of a
Cabernet Sauvignon 2011, made from grapes sourced from Wellington. We only produce two to three barrels of each
of our Topaz varietals and just slightly more of the Custom Crush. Due to the small quantities, you are
guaranteed great quality. We nurture
each and every one of our barrels with the utmost care and attention.
You obviously love wine – but
why the decision to take the next step and become a producer too? Looking
back, there is no better feeling than when you open that first bottle of wine
that you ever produced, watching the sun set over False Bay. Just thinking about it 14 years later, makes
me feel overwhelmed! It is one of those
unique wow moments in life that you cannot explain unless you have done it – a
bucket list moment! It keeps me at it…
Where do you get inspiration
from for the flavours? I was privileged enough to taste some of the
greatest wines of the world and for me terroir is everything – in other words
where the grapes grow. This in turn
gives a wine a sense of place or a sense of belonging... a signature. As garagistes, we can really make signature
wines that represent the place that the grapes come from.
Have any of your wines won
awards? We did bend the rules in 2012 and made a Shiraz/Mourvedre from just
outside of Stellenbosch. It definitely shows riper fruit but also has a certain
finesse that is true to these vineyards. This wine won the Garagiste Trophy at the Michelangelo Awards last year!
Where can people buy your wines?
Topaz is available from us and the Custom Crush is available through Frogitt
and Vonkel. Visit www.topazwineco.com
or call 082 056 8825 or 021 855 4275.
Garagiste producers who will be
participating in the 2014 Wine Show include Topaz Wine Company, Mont
Destin, Mitre’s Edge Vineyards and Russo Wines... just to name a few.
To learn more about your
favourite tipple, or simply to taste your way through the Winelands, visit The
Wine Show. It’s all happening from 5-7 June
2014 at Durban’s Suncoast Casino and from 31 July to 2 August at
the Boardwalk Convention Centre in PE. Tickets are available in advance
through Computicket (R90) or
at the door (R100) and include a crystal tasting glass, all tastings, access to
the Wine Extra Theatre and a map to
help you navigate the show. For more information on The Wine Show visit www.wineshow.co.za or call
021 888 8800.