It’s Friday the 13th of January 2012. (Bad year for superstitious folk as I believe there are three of them this year!) Following a few weeks’ break over the Festive Season, I’m back in the saddle, setting out to meet Thys Louw, winemaker of both Diemersdal and Maastricht in the Durbanville region.

Having finalised the negotiations and selection process for the January-February wine packs, my long overdue lunch invitation to Thys was extended … and accepted. After a bit of back and forth deciding on the venue, we agreed that Caveau in the centre of Cape Town was a good choice. Once there, inclement weather forced us inside from the courtyard. Soon we were engrossed in a lively conversation with Thys telling me what he has achieved in the 6 years since taking over the reins at Diemersdal from his dad, Tienie. Thys, by the way, is the 6th generation Louw on this family estate and, he tells me, one of only 19 out of approximately 800 producers where the father and son are still making wine together.

After a vintage at Jordan and a year assisting Hermann Kirschbaum at Buitenverwachting (Dad Tienie said he ain’t starting at Diemersdal until he has worked a year with Hermann), it was time for Thys to take over on the family farm. No, Dad Tienie never interferes; instead he mutters “if Thys is going to mess it up, it’s only his own future he’s messing up”. Fact is that the opposite has happened: Thys’ arrival at Diemersdal was the impetus the farm required to take the sales of bottled wine from 5 000 in 2005 to 75 000 in 2011!

Thys’ approach to winemaking and marketing is refreshingly simple but clearly very effective. “If both the quality and the price of the wine are right, you don’t have to spend too much effort creating a ‘story’ or hype around the wine,” he says. To which he adds, “the more wine I sell, the happier I am … the words ‘sold out’ are music to my ears”.

Since 2009 Thys has also been responsible for the Maastricht wine range, created from grapes grown on his uncle, Wheaty Louw’s farm in the Durbanville region. His success in this respect can be tasted in the terrific 2011 Maastricht Sauvignon Blanc included in the Wine Society’s Jan-Feb 2012 Reserve Selection.

But getting back to our lunch on Friday the 13th … Nothing untoward happened, it was in fact a relaxed, informative occasion. Just like the food we shared, Thys is totally unpretentious, yet with a burning passion – to make the best wine, especially Sauvignon Blanc, he can. In his own words: “It’s easy to make an ordinary Sauvignon Blanc; it’s making a great one that’s hugely challenging”.

My lasting impression after our two and a half hour conversation? We haven’t heard the end of Thys Louw’s story yet. This guy is going places!

Updating...

That David Finlayson has ‘real attitude’ became clear to me when I met him over 15 years ago. The young David was then learning the ropes at Glen Carlou under the expert guidance of his father, Walter Finlayson, who of course is one of the Cape’s foremost winemakers. I remember at the time thinking that for a young guy starting out in the wine industry, David was certainly not shy to express an opinion.

David has in the meantime become the owner of the successful Edgebaston estate near Stellenbosch. What follows are a number of pertinent questions I posed during our recent lunch and his answers, which I am pleased to say, prove that neither his attitude nor his enthusiasm has dwindled.

Why did you decide to become a winemaker?
I need to point out that I am a winegrower firstly, not just a winemaker. And as such I grow my own grapes and handle them in my own cellar. I am therefore involved in all facets of the wine – from tending the soil, planting the vines and growing the grapes – up to putting a cork in the bottle.  I enjoy variety, so winegrowing combined with winemaking has given me the life and lifestyle I so gladly live.  Becoming a winegrower has of course also been a natural evolution for me. I grew up on Hartenberg, Blaauwklippen and Glen Carlou – my father was involved in running these properties and making the wines.

When and where did you qualify as a winemaker?
I studied at Elsenburg College and qualified in 1993. But as a wise Aussie cellarhand told me in 1994, “just ‘cause you have the paper mate, doesn’t mean you can make wine”. So, I’d say it took another 4 to 6 years before I really knew what I was doing.

What do you enjoy most about winemaking and why?
The diversity. As said before, I farm as well as make wine and there is nothing as rewarding as putting a young vine in the soil and 5 or 6 years later drinking the wine made from grapes grown on those vines. Blending, which differs for different wines, is probably what I enjoy most – not only because I get nostalgic thinking about my early days blending in the kitchen with my dad, but also because it’s at the blending table that the men get separated from the boys.
The main secrets behind Edgebaston’s success?
If I told you, I’d have to kill you … Seriously though, why does a top chef create better food than another with the same ingredients? Some things just cannot be explained. One word that does come to mind though is passion – if you don’t have it, forget it!

No doubt about it, David Finlayson loves what he’s doing and is doing it well!
For the complete transcript of my interview with David, go to [website & link].

WADE BALES