New dawn

Building brands in South Africa is seen as key to the future of South Africa. Pat Straker talks to one company that believes it has got the formula right

THE TIME was, not so long ago, when the large co-operatives in South Africa were universally perceived as bulk suppliers to the trade of the cheapest available white wines, mainly from Chenin Blanc.

Emphatically for one such co-operative, this concept does not have any relevance today, as the remarkable ongoing success story of Boland Cellars illustrates.  When Altus le Roux joined Boland Cellars in 1984, this large co-operative situated in Paarl was producing typically around 18 million litres of bulk white wines from Chenin Blanc and other less significant varieties for use by the large wholesalers in the domestic market.

South Africa was isolated from the rest of the global wine business, and there seemed to be no reason to alter the basic production rationale (less than one per cent of its total production was bottled by the co-operative).

How times have changed!  By the time that Altus le Roux was appointed as cellarmaster and managing director in 1991, the grass root changes that have transformed Boland Cellars into the dynamic, ultra modern enterprise that it is today had already been put into motion.

Changing the mindset of farmers is no easy task. In this case it was made easier by the momentous, liberating political events in South Africa of the early 1990s and by the persuasive and convincing arguments of a man with a winemaking vision and an unwavering clarity of thought.

After all, he had studied law at Unisa, before his overriding passion for wine had led him into the winemaking business.  For him the challenge and potential at Boland Cellars was irresistible.

Boland Cellars receives grapes from 114 producer/shareholders covering 2,000 hectares of vines in five quite different wine-growing areas around Paarl.  The long road to selecting the right vines for the right soils, which began more than 15 years ago, has now come to fruition, and the company now has 50/50 supply of top quality red and white grapes from virusfree vines.

This compares with the overall 80/20 split in South Africa as a whole in favour of white wines. Getting the right mix of grapes has been a triumph of diplomatic persuasion and vision, but this

has established the quality foundation on which the company now thrives and will develop in the future.  Teamwork, too, has been a number one priority for Boland Cellars, and this is evident from the Chairman of the company Jannie le Roux (no relation to managing director Altus) down to the highly skilled winemaking and production teams at the two modern purpose-built production cellars.

In fact, more than R30 million has been spent on the two production cellars – one at Daljosafat near Wellington and the other perched on a knoll below Paarl mountain – with the accent on creating mini "estates" within a big cellar by installing and using a number of smaller tanks.

In this way, wines of specific qualities can be vinified quite separately, so that the final blends can be drawn from the unique microclimates, enabling the company to produce constant quality of all its selected varieties since climatic conditions vary from harvest to harvest.

When Boland Cellars switched from being a co-operative to a "market led" company during the late 1990s, the winemaking philosophy was actually strengthened still further.  The winemaking team was enlarged (under Altus and his senior winemakers Johan Joubert and Nade Bruwer) and a new viticulturist, Jurie Germishuys, was appointed to manage vineyard selection and harvesting.

His role is to work closely with the shareholder wine farmers throughout the viticultural year and to ensure that grapes are harvested physiologically and phenolically ripe and are delivered to the cellar at exactly the right time.

Keeping an eye on international trends and innovative winemaking techniques is another prerequisite for the team.  "Our winemakers have during the past years been visiting old and new wine countries abroad. 

 At the same time, our team has  benefitted by winemakers from other countries who visit our cellar during our harvest season.  However, the bottom line remains top quality grapes and innovative winemaking skills.  A winemaker who is not creative makes dull wines," says Altus le Roux.

Well, there is nothing dull about the wines of Boland Cellars.  Since the new century began, the company has received international plaudits which have both shocked and delighted the Boland team.

"Best South African Producer", "Best Cabernet Sauvignon", "Best Shiraz" and "International Winemaker of the Year" were the awards given to Boland Cellars at the 2001 International Wine and Spirit Competition. 

This success was followed by gold awards achieved in other international competitions in France, Belgium, Portugal, China and Canada in 1992, as well as two golds and a double gold (Boland Sauvignon Blanc) in the prestigious Veritas Awards in South Africa.

 "These awards are a great marketing tool for us because it gives us credibility and a huge seal of approval," says Altus le Roux.  "It also confirms that we are on the right track as far as viticultural practices and cellar technology are concerned".

Exports are now playing an increasing role in the future for Boland Cellars and the company sights are firmly set upon the main international markets.  Within four years, the company expects to be selling one million cases under the Boland brand.

 After careful deliberation and preparation, a new impetus has been set in motion in the UK with recently appointed sole agents Bibendum Wine.  A completely new look has been given to the Boland range of varietal wines and the launch of this distinctive new packaging is about to hit the retail shelves during this month.

Created by leading South African designer Anthony Lane the new labels convey high wine value to the consumer with a comforting classic feel.  "The new packaging reflects the  erious winemaking approach of Boland Cellars and is very customer focused.

The price band of between £4.49 and £4.99 will also be attractive to the purchaser, and the wines are targeted to both the on- and the offsectors of the trade," explains Dan Jago, agency director at Bibendum Wines.  Certainly sounds like one to watch.