In the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show, Cape Town’s first winery to produce Viognier wines has walked away with Best Viognier and Best White Wine Overall Trophys.

Bruce Jack, Flagstone winemaker

Bruce Jack, cellar master of Flagstone Winery, crafted Word of Mouth Viognier 2008 from grapes grown in the cool ward of Elim and fermented 20% of the must in oak.  The result is an elegant, creamy wine that could stand shoulder to shoulder with a Condrieu, as we experienced at a recent tasting at Steenberg Vineyards.

Bruce, philosopher and writer, was on the path to becoming an academic when he recognised his passion and already extensive knowledge of South African wines and their producers. Happily for us local wine aficionados, he then worked several vintages offshore and completed a degree in oenology at the University of Adelaide in Australia before starting Flagstone Wines.

The first vintage was in 1999 and in 2008, Flagstone was bought by Constellation Wines, the world’s largest wine business, producing, marketing and selling a broad portfolio of wines. Bruce is the winemaker for the Flagstone, Fishhoek and Kumala labels. Kumula on its own produces 31.5 million bottles per year and is the biggest selling of all South African brands overseas.

Two Roads Chardonnay 2002, The Music Room Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, CWG Flagstone Love Handles 2004

His parents are an architect and a music teacher and their imprint on his life reflects in the lyrical, poetic descriptions of his wines and the thoughtful names he has given them. There is a story behind each one. The name Flagstone reflects the first broad-base tax levied by the French government after the revolution – a turning point for society. Word of Mouth is the only way to sell wine as apposed to adverts and award stickers on bottles, not that Flagstone wines are short of these.  This name underscores the power of social media marketing that more and more wine makers are embracing.  A favourite of mine is Two Roads Chardonnay 2002 named for Robert Frost’s thought provoking poem, The Road Not Taken.

His father’s influence also shows in the present home of Flagstone Winery which is in the original dynamite factory in Strand, Western Cape. On the site is a house designed by Sir Herbert Baker.

One of only 41 South African winemakers to belong to the prestigious Cape Winemakers’ Guild, Bruce has to craft two wines a year which are peer reviewed and qualified to be sold on the CWG Auction. The guild funds from this auction, social development investment for school children in the wineland areas and further education through the Protege Programme.

For all of the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show results click here.