Bruce Jack parts ways with Accolade Wines

Winemaker Bruce Jack has left his position as chief winemaker for Accolade Wines South Africa to launch his own ‘Bruce Jack’ wine range.

Having founded Flagstone – South Africa’s first winery without an estate – in 1998, Jack sold the company to Constellation a decade later and went on to become Accolade’s group winemaker in 2016.

“I learnt so much at Accolade. When you have big powerful brands like Hardys they have a momentum all of their own.

New to the market: Bruce Jack Pinotage

“This allows you to plan properly, carry out meaningful market analysis and only then make critical decisions,” Jack said of his time with the drinks giant.

“Not only does Accolade have some amazingly powerful brands, but they also have one of the best winemaking teams in the world. It was a privilege working with them, whether in Aussie, Chile or the USA,” he added.

His new Bruce Jack range is made in collaboration with the grape-growing conglomerate uniWines Vineyards – the third largest wine producer in South Africa and one of the largest Fairtrade producers in the world, which has a “substantial share” in the Bruce Jack brand.

Aimed at national retailers and the convenience sector, among the wines in the range, which hail from the Bredekloof area of the Western Cape, are a Sauvignon Blanc and a Pinotage.

The plan is to grow the Bruce Jack range to feature wines from Australia, Spain and Chile.

In addition to his Bruce Jack project, Jack also runs his own wine estate called The Drift in the Overberg Highlands, where he makes single vineyard Barbera and Pinot Noir among other high-end drops, which are distributed in the UK by Alliance Wine.

Jack has just put the finishing touches on a cutting-edge 400-tonne winery at The Drift.

“It’s the fourth winery I’ve built and this one is a beauty. I’m so invigorated by getting my hands dirty again. I am loving it,” Jack said.

Not one to rest on his laurels, he also makes wine in Spain with Ed Adams MW under the La Bascula brand, and runs a cider project with Paul Cluver in Elgin, which is brought into the UK by Majestic.