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THE NEW ANCIENT ART OF WINEMAKING
Pioneers and trendsetters often look to modern innovation to push the boundaries of their craft. But for a handful of Cape winemakers, inspiration is to be
found in technology dating back more than 8 000 years. WORDS RICHARD HOLMESTHE OLD NEW ART OF WINEMAKING
Avondale became the first cellar in South Africa to start using qvevri, large egg-shaped earthenware vessels used for fermenting and maturing wine
SANDWICHED BETWEEN THE Black Sea and the Caucasus Mountains, the Eastern European country of Georgia is widely acknowledged as the cradle of modern winemaking. And key to the winemaking tradition here is the use of qvevri (pronounced kwe-vree), large egg-shaped earthenware vessels long used for fermenting and maturing wine. In fact, such is the importance of the Georgian winemaking tradition, that in 2013, UNESCO added the qvevri to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list
Johnathan Grieve, proprietor of Avondale Estate outside Paarl in the Western Cape, is a man with a passion for natural winemaking, stripping away intervention to let the grape’s true character shine through. In 2018 Avondale became the first cellar in South Africa to start fermenting wine in qvevri.
‘The qvevri is really an extension of our clay project,’ explains Grieve, who began working with clay amphorae, made with clay from the farm, a decade ago.
‘We were looking for vessels that breathe like a barrel does,’ he adds. ‘We love barrels but we don’t want the oak influence. We are after micro-oxygenation, that subtle breath of life that comes into the wine.’
Avondale sourced their 24 qvevri from Nodari Kapanadze, a respected qvevri master in Georgia’s Imeretian Mountains.
‘What’s been exciting for us is that because these are handmade by master craftsmen, each qvevri has its own character. Over time we’ll learn the traits that make each of our qvevri unique,’ says Grieve.
Qvevri are traditionally handcrafted, ranging in size from 800 to 1 500 litres. Fired at a low heat, the clay has a higher porosity than the more common clay amphorae, so craftsmen line the qvevri with beeswax to limit the amount of oxygenation that takes place. And, due to their porosity and size, the qvevri are buried in soil in the cellar, lending structural strength and regulating both temperature and oxygenation.
For Grieve that oxygenation is ‘the life force that comes into the wine’. ‘The use of clay fits into our philosophy of farming for grape-driven flavours, putting them on a pedestal in the wine, rather than over-manipulating in the cellar,’ he says.
Today Avondale’s Qvevri range includes a Chenin Blanc and Rhône-inspired red blend, both made using organic fruit grown to biodynamic principles on the estate.
The Qvevri Chenin Blanc includes a healthy proportion of whole-bunches in the fermentation, contributing elegant grapedriven tannins into a wine brimming with lively acidity.
The Qvevri Red Blend – Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre – is just as lively, made in a Beaujolais style with plenty of freshness and bright fruit character.
‘It’s lighter in style, but it still has incredible depth,’ says Grieve. ‘That micro-oxygenation from the qvevri, and the subtle infl uence on the texture of the wine, really improves the overall complexity.’
From a commercial perspective this new approach using ancient technology dovetails perfectly with the existing Avondale portfolio.
‘Ultimately there was a gap in our offering, and this lighter style, which still has complexity and depth, was something that the market is moving towards,’ adds Grieve.
Just down the road at Spice Route, whose tasting room sits on the fl anks of Paarl Mountain, owner Charles Back has also never been one to let an opportunity for innovation pass him by.
Owner of the Fairview cheese brand, Back fi rst travelled to Georgia to investigate the culture of cheese-making, but quickly fell in love with the unique wines of the region. Winemaker Charl du Plessis followed up with a visit in 2017, travelling to Georgia to visit qvevri craftsmen and learn the intricacies of winemaking the Georgian way.
The fi rst of Spice Route’s 20 qvevri arrived just in time for the 2018 harvest, with Du Plessis overseeing the delicate process of installing the qvevri in the Spice Route cellar.
‘You can’t have a shallow water table. They must be planted a metre apart under the ground, and preferably not in clay soil because the expansion of the clay will crack the qvevri,’ he explains.
Today, Spice Route bottles their qvevri wines under their innovative Obscura label, with a Semillon, Rhône-style red blend, and multifaceted white blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Semillon and Viognier.
The Spice Route Obscura Red Blend 2020 is the latest vintage in the range, blended from two qvevri of whole-bunch Shiraz, one in the range, blended from two qvevri of whole-bunch Shiraz, one of destalked Carignan and a qvevri of whole berry Mourvèdre, all naturally fermented.
Avondale’s 24 qvevri vessels were sourced from Nodari Kapanadze, a respected qvevri master in Georgia’s Imeretian Mountains
But the qvevri really stamps its identity on white wine, with extended skin contact contributing antioxidants, phenolic components and grape tannin to the wine.
‘Particularly when young, the white wines have a lot of grip from the time spent on the skins,’ says Du Plessis. ‘There’s a lot of complexity, so they’re defi nitely food wines, they need time to evolve in the bottle.’
And for wine connoisseurs with a taste for the unique, it should be worth the wait. After all, the qvevri has been instrumental in creating memorable wines for 8 000 years. Leaving yours in the cellar for a few more doesn’t seem too much to ask.
