Subscriber login Close [x]
remember me
You are not logged in.

South Africa's Bruce Jack warns winemakers not to jump on "bandwagons"

Published:  11 September, 2014

One of the greatest challenges for a branded winemaker is not to jump on the latest "bandwagon" but remain true to your beliefs and make wines that are right for your company, according to Bruce Jack, leading winemaker at Accolade Wines.

Accolade's key winemaking talent: Bruce JackAccolade's key winemaking talent: Bruce JackBruce Jack explains his winemaking philosophy and in particular his plans for the Kumala

One of the greatest challenges for a branded winemaker is not to jump on the latest "bandwagon" but remain true to your beliefs and make wines that are right for your company, according to Bruce Jack, leading winemaker at Accolade Wines.

Jack, who is responsible for shaping the direction and style of wines of Accolade's South African portfolio, including leading brands Kumala and Flagstone, said a key part of his role is to "push back" and not just make wines that are currently in demand if they are not right for the company long term.

He cited the demand a couple of years ago from across the trade and sales teams to produce branded low alcohol wines. But Jack was adamant: "I was not prepared to jump on the bandwagon. We are not selling toothpaste here. We need to make wines that are authentic."

He just did not feel it was possible to make the right quality of wine at the alcohol levels required.

Similarly Accolade Wines has had endure a drop of 12% in its UK sales of South African rose wine as Jack is not prepared to make the high sugar level roses that are dominating the best-selling roses in the market. "I am not prepared to go there. I don't think it is healthy and we have suffered as a result."

Jack admitted he was in a very fortunate place as a winemaker to have access to the detailed analysis, data and insights available from Accolade Wines. "I feel sorry for other South African producers who don't have this data," he said.

It allowed him and his team to look closely at what styles and trends in wine he and his team needed to follow.

He believed South Africa as a whole was benefiting from the huge advances it has made in viticulture and winemaking over the last five years. South Africa was now leading the way, he argued, in making blended wine, particularly across different regions.

The diversity of soils and climate meant South Africa was so well placed to make wines that match the palates and taste profiles of consumers.

Jack said it had been able to learn from the experience of Australia in particular and take much of the research it has done in its own viticulture and "reinvent" it for South Africa.

"South African is producing wine that is diverse and complex at all price points," he said.

It had also listened to overseas critics, particularly from the UK, and adapted its red wines to remove the burnt characteristics. "We listened and responded," he said.

The demand for Sauvignon Blanc wines from South Africa was also indicative of the quality of wines being produced and he was excited to see how Sauvignon Blancs from more cooler climate regions will perform in the coming years.

But again he was not prepared to simply try and "ape" the New Zealand high acid, high sugar mouth feel style of wine, but look to make Sauvignon Blancs that were true to the soils of South Africa.

South Africa, he added, did not have one stand out region like Marlborough for Sauvignon Blanc, but instead its best wines came from blending across a number of regions.

Keywords: