Those prudent enough to hedge their bets check to see who else is making great wine in the same neighbourhood. Proximity to high-end producers is a good indication (which is why the salesman will repeat the “location” message endlessly in his pitch).
About 25 years ago, Dave King bought a portion of a rundown grape farm in a great location on the Stellenbosch-Simonsberg and called it Quoin Rock. An aerial view of the site shows the appeal of the position. It sits between Tokara, Rustenberg and Delheim; it’s not much further than a golf drive away from Kanonkop and Thelema. Apply the best expertise to replanting the farm and, in theory, you can compete with the very best.
There was nothing wrong with his thinking. However, as we all know, a 10-year battle with the SA Revenue Service (Sars) (in the midst of which Quoin Rock became a pawn and then collateral damage) intervened. No money was spent on the property during the dispute. Some of the early plantings survived the decade of neglect but the time lost meant a deferral of the true test of the estate’s potential.
Then the farm was acquired in 2013 by the Gaiduk family, who immediately began a replanting programme. The dams were repaired, the cellar renovated and a new team brought in to manage the viticulture and the winemaking. The first few years were a time of trial and error. In an effort to make the wines as showy as the packaging, the fruit was pushed too hard. The wines were big and showy, more Napa than Simonsberg — though without the balance that the great Californian sites manage to achieve.
Finally it seems to be coming together rather well. There’s no way to fast-track the complexity that comes from older vineyards. The best wines are still the whites — partly because they are from the most recent vintages and show the value of the investments of the past 10 years. The bubblies are both very good: the Festive Series Cap Classique 2022 is accessible and creamy and — relative to how the other wines are priced — good value at R350. The Black Series 2017, with more than six years on the lees, is more classical. It competes against the better-known French brands and is priced accordingly.
The chardonnay 2021 (which comprises grapes sourced from the owner’s Stellenbosch and Elim properties) is very fine: elegant, the oak well integrated, the fruit luminous and precise. So is The Nicobar 2023 — a white bordeaux blend with sauvignon from Stellenbosch and semillon from Elim. It is clearly a serious contender in this highly contested category. The chenin — from a vineyard planted in 1980 on the Knorhoek portion of the farm — is splendid, and great value at R200.
Of the reds, the wines I liked best were the 2021 Knorhoek cabernet (R275), the 2021 shiraz and 2021 bordeaux blend (which is finer than the more expensive older reds). Quoin Rock lies in the heart of the Stellenbosch-Simonsberg “golden mile” — to use realtor parlance — and it’s starting to deliver on its potential.
This column originally appeared in Business Day.
MICHAEL FRIDJHON: Quoin Rock starts to live up to its potential
The estate, once part owned by Dave King, was neglected during his 10-year battle with Sars
The desirability of viticultural real estate has much in common with commercial and residential property: it depends on the buyers’ perception of current and future value, summarised in the oft-quoted adage of “location, location and location”.
It seems easy to quantify the benefits of an address if you are looking at a Bordeaux First Growth: you have the advantage of a few hundred years of history, as well as the comfort of an established brand. You pay a significant premium, though in theory you recoup it in the price of the wine, thanks to the location.
Beyond the great appellations of the Old World, the purchase of agricultural land to create a vineyard is a bit of a gamble — and this may be the appeal for the investor. Develop an undiscovered treasure and you own its future value. So there is no shortage of speculators ready to study the weather, analyse the soils and take the plunge.
MICHAEL FRIDJHON: Stellenboschkloof has much to offer wine lovers
Those prudent enough to hedge their bets check to see who else is making great wine in the same neighbourhood. Proximity to high-end producers is a good indication (which is why the salesman will repeat the “location” message endlessly in his pitch).
About 25 years ago, Dave King bought a portion of a rundown grape farm in a great location on the Stellenbosch-Simonsberg and called it Quoin Rock. An aerial view of the site shows the appeal of the position. It sits between Tokara, Rustenberg and Delheim; it’s not much further than a golf drive away from Kanonkop and Thelema. Apply the best expertise to replanting the farm and, in theory, you can compete with the very best.
There was nothing wrong with his thinking. However, as we all know, a 10-year battle with the SA Revenue Service (Sars) (in the midst of which Quoin Rock became a pawn and then collateral damage) intervened. No money was spent on the property during the dispute. Some of the early plantings survived the decade of neglect but the time lost meant a deferral of the true test of the estate’s potential.
Then the farm was acquired in 2013 by the Gaiduk family, who immediately began a replanting programme. The dams were repaired, the cellar renovated and a new team brought in to manage the viticulture and the winemaking. The first few years were a time of trial and error. In an effort to make the wines as showy as the packaging, the fruit was pushed too hard. The wines were big and showy, more Napa than Simonsberg — though without the balance that the great Californian sites manage to achieve.
Finally it seems to be coming together rather well. There’s no way to fast-track the complexity that comes from older vineyards. The best wines are still the whites — partly because they are from the most recent vintages and show the value of the investments of the past 10 years. The bubblies are both very good: the Festive Series Cap Classique 2022 is accessible and creamy and — relative to how the other wines are priced — good value at R350. The Black Series 2017, with more than six years on the lees, is more classical. It competes against the better-known French brands and is priced accordingly.
The chardonnay 2021 (which comprises grapes sourced from the owner’s Stellenbosch and Elim properties) is very fine: elegant, the oak well integrated, the fruit luminous and precise. So is The Nicobar 2023 — a white bordeaux blend with sauvignon from Stellenbosch and semillon from Elim. It is clearly a serious contender in this highly contested category. The chenin — from a vineyard planted in 1980 on the Knorhoek portion of the farm — is splendid, and great value at R200.
Of the reds, the wines I liked best were the 2021 Knorhoek cabernet (R275), the 2021 shiraz and 2021 bordeaux blend (which is finer than the more expensive older reds). Quoin Rock lies in the heart of the Stellenbosch-Simonsberg “golden mile” — to use realtor parlance — and it’s starting to deliver on its potential.
This column originally appeared in Business Day.
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