An interview with our fourth collaboration winemaker, Jurgen Gouws
Wasted Wine Club's model has always been focused on selling our wines direct to you, the consumer, because we feel that there is an important story to tell that we want to make sure is championed and communicated. However, when the opportunity arose to do a signature wine for London's most iconic barbecue establishment, SMOKESTAK, we couldn't turn it down.
It also meant finding the right wine.
We worked with Jurgen Gouws in the Swartland, South Africa, to make this dream come to life. We caught up with him at his cellar in the Paardeberg to discuss all things wine and farming.
Angelo van Dyk: Do you feel that sustainable agriculture can scale in South Africa, given how few farmers are embracing it at the moment? And what do you think the future of sustainable agriculture in the country looks like?
Jurgen Gouws: I think it's looking good. Like I've always said, sometimes here on the southern tip of Africa, things tends to happen a bit slower, but we can definitely see a change in that, as well as a change in the mentality of a lot of farmers. I think that nowadays with social media and the internet, a lot more information is available. More people tap into that and actually read up on and do more of their own research. So I think it will still take a bit of time, but since I got into the industry, you can already see a massive difference. The younger generation are all looking at how to improve things, how to make it better, and how to live healthier as well. Yes, so I definitely think it's good. It's taking a bit of time, but it will definitely scale.
A lot of the time when winemakers attend wine fairs abroad, and we chat to other growers, most of that chat tends to be about the farming, and not so much the winemaking. So yeah, I think it looks good.
'The younger generation are all looking at how to improve things, how to make it better, and how to live healthier as well.'
AVD: What are some of the challenges you foresee that grape growers and winemakers will be facing in coming years?
JG: I think the problem that winemakers might be facing in the coming years is that a lot of vineyards will be uprooted and pulled out. The industry is definitely not growing when it comes to grape farming. I was speaking to somebody today about the Northern Cape. Upington back in the day used to have six massive wineries. Now they only operate from one, so a lot of farmers have pulled out their vineyards because they just can't make ends meet. Farmers would rather plant pecan nuts, citrus or lucerne, because at the end of the day, as a farmer, you need to make a living from your crop. If there are other avenues to try that are more sustainable, and that can bring you a better income, then why not? Being a grape grower and winemaker [vigneron] is definitely the best way to go, because you can actually make profit off your grapes by making your own wines and then selling them. But if you're only a grape grower, I think it's very challenging.
I think also what we’ve seen in recent years is that drought has had a huge impact in South Africa. I think climate change is a massive thing. Unless we can change the system in this country, and perhaps follow a blue print of what they do in the U.S. where there’s a correlation between the grape price and the bottle price, we are going to struggle. Unfortunately, South African wines are seen around the world as being very affordable and good value for money. So it will be difficult to raise our bottle prices to offset fruit prices. If we can actually get better prices on the international market for our wines, we can pay our grape growers better, and we can make sure that we actually retain all those vineyards and grapes.
AVD: Do you think the wine industry can contribute to and impact how we approach the idea of sustainability?
JG: Definitely, for sure. After all, that’s where the buck stops, with the wine. If we can get certain wines into certain markets, that will ultimately demand certain ways of farming, and then definitely, the wine industry can certainly contribute, and it will have a huge impact. It will be up to the farmer as to whether they will farm sustainably or organically for a better price, or if they will just continue to do what they do for a lot less. From experience, I work with a few growers that used to sell their grapes to co-ops at a much cheaper rate, but we then approached them and told them that if they could commit to converting to farming organically, then we could get them a better price. So I think that’s where it’s very important, that’s where the winemaker and the wine industry comes into the picture. Maybe it won’t be a bad thing if more vineyards are pulled out because of the economic crisis, but at least then there will be less plonk, and more quality vineyards. Sometimes things like that aren’t a bad thing. There will be more focus on quality.
'It will be up to the farmer as to whether they will farm sustainably or organically for a better price, or if they will just continue to do what they do for a lot less.'
AVD: You mentioned that you label each of your barrels with song names of music that you listen to during harvest. Is music a source of inspiration in your winemaking process, and does it perhaps influence the character of the vintage in some way?
JG: I have a few inspirations when it comes to the wine making, and music is definitely one of them. Sometimes when you just need to totally switch off and move away from wine, and you just need some alone time to refocus a bit and hit the reset button, music is a really good source of that for me. It gives me that renewed energy to get going again.
I don’t think it changes the character of each vintage though. The whole philosophy of Intellego is about how we farm the fruit, and then to showcase the hard work we’ve done in the vineyards in the wine. We want the wines to reflect that more. In the winery, the music is just a source of fun for us, and it creates a nice atmosphere. The moment you create a nice atmosphere, it’s more enjoyable for people to work there. It brings out the best in you, and makes you a bit calmer. It might not influence the vintage directly, but it will definitely influence the vibe, which you’ll also then see in the quality of the work. So indirectly, yes, it can have an influence on the quality.
'Maybe it won't be a bad thing if more vineyards are pulled out because of the economic crisis, but at least then there will be less plonk, and more quality vineyards.'
AVD: You're deep into harvest, it's a Friday night, and you've just clocked off for the day. What album are you listening to, and what are you drinking?
JG: I think I’d put on the unplugged album from Eric Clapton that they recorded in 1992. That’s a very cool album. It’s just a great one to sit outside and chill to, make a lekker fire and look at the stars, especially with the warmer evenings we have on our hands. Seeing that it will be the height of summer, I’ll probably be drinking something fresh and zippy. I reckon a Chardonnay from Ganevat, you can’t really go wrong with that. I always enjoy that. Otherwise a lighter skin-contact orange wine, that’ll also do the trick. Something fresh and vibrant.
