Among the lesser-known wines that will be available for tasting at RMB Simonsberg Wine Festival at Plaisir Wine Estate on March 29th and 30th, at Tokara, Thelema, Glen Carlou, Muratie and others.
Less than seven years later, McFarlane wines produce great wines that are easy to drink, delicious, and delicious, from what began as a casual dinner conversation to a highly respected winery.
We caught up with co-founder and winemaker Alexandra MacFarlane and learned how it all started.
What is the background behind your winemaking?
In 2010, he obtained BSC Agric Biticulture and Oenology at Stellenbosch University and worked for famous brands overseas, including harvesting and pruning experiences at Voyager Estate in the Margaret River, Western Australia. situation. After returning home, I worked as a junior red winemaker under Johann Jordan at Stellenbosch's Spier, then as a Victictorist at De Torren, and later joined Nieto's Dolque at Pearl in 2016 as a winemaker and bichou player.
On your website, McFarlane Wines said, “It was born at dinner sometime in 2018, sharing dreams and desires.” Please tell me more.
My husband, Wayne, has just moved! We weren't married yet, but I'm sure we knew that at some point in the future it would happen. I love cooking. It was definitely my love language and this conversation happened in the winter. We lived in a small cottage of Rustenberg wine, which was cold at that point, so the fire would have crackled in the background. I don't remember exactly what we were eating, but it was probably a big bowl of comforting spaghetti bolognese with a pile of Parmesan cheese. At the time, I worked for a small wine brand where my owners didn't make their own wine. Wayne worked as a finance manager for the well-known Stellenbosch brand, so he knows the inside and outside of wine's finances. I told him I wanted to start something and he said he was keen to do it together as a 50/50 partner. Looking back, we know that our business would not have grown where we are without his opinion and business experience.
How fast did things move from that point on?
We both knew that the financial effort of starting a small wine brand was a big black hole for money, so we bootstrap the business, so we started small as a side hustle with a 2 tonne Chenin Blanc. I left full-time winemaking, worked in sustainable farming with flexible opening hours, and was able to put money into the business every month. Wayne did the same thing, but it took him four and a half years to grow his working capital. We handled and thrust in over the weekend and labeled outside business hours with the help of a friend. As we started to grow, I spent some time pressing, filtering and bottles, but I realized I was going to burn candles on every edge and needed to make changes. That was the end of 2022. Luckily, a family friend offered to buy shares, boarded as a shareholder and gave me the cash injections I needed for my business. I'm running a business now and we've taken 40 tons of our own fruit. We also make some wines for contracts.
Tell us about your first wine
The first harvest of McFarlane wine took place in 2019 on a spectacular Monday with bright blue sky and soft golden sunshine, and Monday's child Chenin Blanc was truly born with a fair face. The Tuesday's child, blessed skin, follows 2021, honoring the naming treaty adopted in 2019. This premium range is dedicated to honoring South African heritage varieties and explores what they have to offer as great wines.
Covid must have had a huge impact right after its launch.
The boy is lucky that he didn't draw pay from business at the time! It definitely hindered our progress. Clearly we weren't able to sell a lot due to lockdown rules, but thankfully, we were both still working during this period. We have reduced the volume of the 2021 vintage. Because they don't know what the future holds, they battt the hatch and wait for the storm to pass. The silver lining of that storm was that we began to create a range of Capitlin wolves that have grown so much over the past few years.
Please tell me more about Capitlin Wolf Wine and its name.
The hard lockdown meant that we were unable to sell wine for months. We increased our tonnage for the 2020 harvest, but were forced to make some difficult decisions about the fate of the wine we made, without knowing when we could start selling Monday's children's sales. You can throw the wine into the proverb “river” of bulk wine and slink into the shadows, or lead some of the new wines that have now been experimental in very different climates. This is why the Capitrine wolf range was born. Dedicated to the legendary Wolf who saved his brothers Romulus and Remus, these wines played an important role in floating our newcomers' wine business during difficult times when they were thrown into the Tiber. Like the legendary brothers who found Rome, Capitlin's wolf wines consistently outweigh their weight, telling a fascinating story about the origins of the grapes.
What is important when making wine?
To begin with, we search high and low for vineyards that excite us, whether they are located in an outcrop rocky shale or whether they have roots on the ground since the PA fell off the bus. Each block has a story to tell and every year we can work with the fruit. We get to know the block a little better. Our growers are extremely important to us and we are very committed to investing in dedicated individuals who grow precious fruits. We know that farming is not easy and strive to build meaningful relationships by paying fair prices to encourage growers to keep old South African grapes on the ground. I hope to secure and buy an entire specific block in the near future. This allows us to be directly involved in maintaining Vinh's legacy and improving soil health. The freshness of our last wine lies before our hearts when we make our decisions. I want to treat the grapes as gently as possible, just as I guide the berries from bunches to barrels. Lee's expanded maturation not only increases complexity, but also protects the wine from oxidation while aging in the barrel. I also love the whole fermentation of the bunch and the “crunch” that brings the wine character. We aim for fruit purity, undeniable luminosity, and elegant, honest, unmistakable wines. Finally, I hope everyone finds the joy I do with these special varieties that are so versatile and expressive. I don't want to mess around too much when making our wine. Pureness and nuance are the names of the game. This means natural fermentation, large old barrels, and as little tinkering as possible.
Please tell us why you recently moved your cellar to the Simondium Guild.
In 2021 we moved production to Hemel-en-Aarde as Wayne began working for a brand in the region and rented space at Karibib. At that stage we were small enough to easily move around without any major costs. Since most of the grapes we buy come from Borland and Surround, the drive to bring the grapes back to the cellar became a costly problematic, resulting in the time spent on the road and carbon footprint. We looked at our options in Borland and kindly provided the cellar space before joining Jordan. When a deal was made between Jordan and the painted wolves, we jumped at the opportunity to take over the lease and finally had the space we had control over.
Your focus is heritage varieties like Shenin, Skin and Pinotage. why?
We have an incredible history and are very proud of my legacy as a South African. We wanted to shed light on these varieties as they helped lay the foundations of our wine industry. We want the rest of the world to see these humble varieties make expressive and vibrant wines of such a character.
Are there any plans to expand this? Maybe a cap classic?
We definitely want to see expanding into a fun new wine. We are settling in a new space, so we hope that more direct sales will allow us to grow that part of our business.
What food pairings suggested for some wines?
Monday's kid's Chenin works really well with that plump Sunday roast chicken, served with baby garlic potatoes with too much butter. Personally, I love eating two or two Tuesday kids with Tuesday tartare. If you're into the liver, it really works with Mrs Balls Peach Chutney and Gebraaide Skilpadjie. Saturday's kids are perfect pink duck breast best friends. A little of the five spices works very well with vibrant red berries and wine spices.
The last word?
We are extremely passionate about filming this incredible ingredient talk about place and time and producing pure but unpretentious wines. We are not bound by wines of origin. We love experimenting and want to share all of this with our consumers. Visit us at RMB Simonsberg Wine Festival or Simondium Guild. Here you can sit in the barrels of the cellar and enjoy towed wine with me or someone from the small production team.
Check out the RMB Simonsberg Wine Festival on Saturday, March 29th and Saturday, March 30th, from noon to 5pm on Plaisir Wine Estate. Capitrin Wolfrosé; Capitrin Wolfred; Monday's child Chenin Blanc. Children's Rareness on Tuesday and Children's Pinotage 2023 on Saturday.
Tickets available from Webtickets.
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