Established in 2002 by husband and wife team Jean-Claude and Carolyn Martin, Creation more than lives up to its evocative name. “The name is not only a tribute to the riches Mother Nature has bestowed upon our beautiful farm, it is also a reference to our soils which had never been planted to vines before, and last but not least, it is a promise of constant innovation,” says Carolyn.
At the 2014 South African Wine Index (SAWi) awards event held on 21 June, Creation Wines excelled by receiving a Platinum Award for its Syrah Grenache blend as well as Grand Gold for its Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon Petit Verdot blend, its Pinot Noir and its Viognier. “The SAWi wine judging system is based on the combined results a wine has achieved over multi vintages in different multi-national wine competitions or reviews. As such, a wine is not judged on one occasion only but its consistency is tracked over a period and built out to a 10 year quality window,” explains Carolyn.
No less than 11 Creation wines scored a coveted 90 points or more in Tim Atkin’s recently published report on South African wines. Tim Atkin - British Master of Wine, award-winning wine journalist and judge of several international wine competitions – is an expert on South African wines and the results are based on his extensive tastings, locally and abroad.
But award-winning wines are not all Creation is famous for. Working hand in hand with Nature, the team once again proved their commitment to conservation by recently pledging their support to the Landmark Foundation. “We’re proud to announce that we are now officially predator friendly,” says Carolyn. Creation is one of only four farms in the surrounding Overberg area to gain this status and to celebrate a magnificent sculpture was unveiled at Creation on Friday, 13 June. The sculpture of a life-size leopard was made from many of the 220 gin traps removed from farms in the Baviaanskloof, Eastern Cape during the Landmark Foundation’s efforts in 2008. According to Carolyn the sculpture will remain at Creation for some months - “serving as a symbol of our ongoing commitment to conserving Nature’s rich gifts to our land. We also hope that this will raise awareness of the plight of the leopard and encourage more farms to join.”
To furthermore confirm Creation’s dedication to conservation and sustainability, it is one of only nine wineries in South Africa to have received the coveted EnviroWines accreditation. This pioneering concept has been developed to encourage and give recognition to growers who produce grapes and wine through above average environmentally sustainable practices. According to Carolyn the accreditation is based on the scientific evaluation of all management practices and not merely a documentation audit.
While it’s good to know that Creation’s ultra-premium wines are created in harmony with Nature, it is also great to know that the team is dedicated to contributing to the local economy by promoting wine tourism. During 2013 Creation hosted over 35 000 visitors from all over the world and recently CNN travel writer Clair Hu put Creation at the top of her list of 10 Sensational South African Wine Farms. To quote just one of her comments: “There's a touch of lost paradise about Creation Wines which lies in the Hemel-en-Aarde (Heaven and Earth) Valley near Hermanus.”
Further praise came from international wine tourism expert, Robert Joseph, who stated that he was ‘dazzled’ by Creation’s promotional efforts. These range from carefully listening to feedback from their clients (which among others has led to the exciting new pairing - food, juice and milk - for children between the ages of 5 and 11), to the innovative use of social media to spread the Creation message.
And the message is loud and clear, says Carolyn. “In combining the rich gifts of Nature and our unique terroir with the considerable skills of our dedicated team, Creation strives to reward the wine lover with wines of rare balance, elegance, distinction and finesse. At the same time, as proud custodians of our little piece of paradise on the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, we will leave no stone unturned to protect and conserve its natural resources and promote it to the greater benefit of our local and national economy.”
Media Enquiries:
Dieter Odendaal
Molibe: 082 659 2318
Email: dieter@whalemail.co.za