In arguably its best showing in a South African wine competition to date, Swartland winery Org de Rac garnered a Top 10 spot in the annual competition for Bordeaux-style blended red wines organised by leading wine portal WineMag.co.za. The Org de Rac Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot Reserve 2017 beat some of the most illustrious names from the Cape’s premium wine regions to take a coveted Top 10 place, validating Org de Rac’s vision of making quality organic wines from classic grape varieties in the Swartland.

“This was a big award for Org de Rac, on so many fronts,” says cellarmaster Frank Meaker who in his 40 years in the industry has made wine in most of South Africa’s regions, showing a particular affinity for Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux-style reds.  

“The first vines were planted on Org de Rac only 20 years ago.  With a large percentage of our focus on classic red varieties, such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot – thought to be most suited to those greener Boland pastures – many wine folk initially assumed we were crazy to seek a future with these varieties in the hardy Swartland. The current quality of our red wines from the noble Bordeaux cultivars vindicates the vision of the late Nico Bacon and his faith in this patch of earth for making fine wine.”

Meaker says that through Org de Rac’s achievements at top competitions, such as the one for WineMag’s Bordeaux-style blends, the perception of organic wine is being turned on its head.

“Especially in South Africa, too many people – critics, wine-buyers and consumers – see the concept of organic wines as being a secondary sector, driven by some lentil-eating bunny-huggers more concerned about doing good for the planet than focussing on wine quality,” he says. “The concept of organic is aimed at improving grape quality by farming as close to nature as possible without adding chemical fertilisers and pesticides. We live this ethos to make fine wine. This is the ultimate goal.”

This specific Top 10 award has special meaning for Meaker and the Org de Rac team, as we made wine for the commemoration of proprietor Nico Bacon’s 90^th birthday on 6 September. Bacon, unfortunately, passed-away on 28 June. 

“This Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot blend was for him and the 90^th birthday celebrations, that’s why a lot of the wine comes bottled in magnum,” says Frank. “I selected 66% Cabernet Sauvignon and 44% Merlot, deciding to do something special by giving the wine a double 12-month new-wood aging. It was thus matured for a year in new barrels, then racked over into another set of new barrels for a further year. When good wine spends that amount of time in new wood, the two really meet each other, creating magic. In this case, award-winning magic, which means a hell of a lot to us.”

The WineMag judges described the wine as follows: “A complex nose with red and black fruit, fresh herbs and attractive oak. Intense but not weighty with lovely fruit expression and freshness, the finish long and savoury.”