I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning. -J. B. Priestly

While I pointedly ignored the passing of the days as our holiday was becoming a thing of the past, not so Bernhard. He was chomping at the bit to get home! ….and not just because he is back in the cellar driver’s seat this harvest but also because he is really excited about sharing the secrets of making Nitida wines with our new winemaker Brendan Butler.
Brendan joins us from the well known Jordan Estate in Stellenbosch where he has been honing his skills since 2009.
Born and bred a “Vaalie” we are thankful to Brendan’s parents who taught him many of the finer things in life including “how to recognise a great mare at a distance” and “how to appreciate a truly fine wine”.

Both these passions were cultivated from an early age. Brendan reminisces about family holidays in the Cape which included the odd time-out on the beach in between visits to the winelands. In fact, it was during a wine pairing at Glen Carlou that he announced his intention to become a winemaker “when he grew up”.

Being parents of action and not adverse to the idea of having a son able to provide for their future, they did what any responsible parent would do, they accompanied their then 15 year old son on his first course in wine appreciation at the Cape Wine Academy.

It would be a fairy tale to say that he never wavered from his intent. He admits that his eye wandered in the feminine direction for a while and even more threatening to his life in wine was his love of horses (he was a competitive show jumper and cross country rider) with a brief flutter in thinking towards becoming a vet. Fortunately for us wine prevailed and, after matriculating from Maragon Private School in Johannesburg, he was accepted to both the Elsenburg and the Stellenbosch University Viticulture and Oenology courses. He opted for the more hands-on alternative and 3 years later (2008) he graduated Cum Laude with a degree in Cellar Technology and Viticulture from Elsenburg. Clearly someone who likes to keep his mind stimulated, he is also currently enrolled with the Cape Wine Academy studying towards his Cape Wine Masters!

His pedigree aside, more relevant is that with Brendan and Bernhard, there is a real meeting of minds. This doesn’t stop at a mutual love for blended white wines, or wines with intense finesse rather than blockbuster wood and over-extraction, (both adore the elegant, classical northern Rhône Syrah-wines and the wonderful Right Bank merlot driven Bordeaux blends). Just as important is their common love of order.

The cellar is already sparkling clean and looking expectant while the team turns its attention to all small details like lengthening pipes, upgrading cooling plants and refinishing tank exteriors.

The vineyards (which looked like they had a holiday of their own by the time we got back) have quickly and efficiently been trained and trimmed into neatness opening up the canopy in all the right places making sure the vine puts every future effort into the grapes while ripening.

The grapes themselves are playing along nicely, no veraison in sight yet (another fabulous long, slow ripening period. Sauvignon Blanc Heaven!!!!!). Early grape tasting indicates great quality with average crop size.

As we head into harvest time – probably starting mid February – a quick intro into bottling our Coronata 2012 with a mobile truck and a crash course in running our small labelling line for the Pinotage should complete Brendan’s induction into the “Nitida handmade”. Small challenges given his “baptism of fire” in his first week (sorting out a hectic water crisis on the farm definitely showed him to be made of the “sterner stuff” needed on a small farm).

Onward and upward Brendan! 2013 holds lots of magic for us all!