Winemakers On Fire, Issue #5

Good day, and a warm welcome!

Just some general housekeeping: You've come to the wrong spot if you're seeking doom and gloom about everything that's happening. Here, we only offer upbeat assessments.

Some good news from Great Heart Wines: They have refreshed their website with an improved user-friendly interface and enhanced functionality. Getting stronger by the day.

LET’S BE FRIENDS: Follow me on LinkedIn. Let’s connect here.

If you have a tip or story idea you would like to share, please email me; I’d love to hear from you! In case you were wondering, participating is absolutely free!

If you would like to receive the Winemakers On Fire newsletter, this link will take you to the signup page.

This week we feature Christo Kotze, creator of La Vierge’s flagship Apogée Pinot Noir, plus we showcase Jordan Jelev’s wine label restyle for Colloca Estate Winery.  

Meet the Winemaker

La Vierge’s flagship Apogée Pinot Noir 2020 is one of only three South African wines awarded a Trophy at the 2023 International Wine Challenge, claiming the South African Trophy for the country’s best Pinot Noir.

We sat down with Christo Kotze, winemaker at La Vierge. He shared with us:

What was your reaction when you found out you had won a Gold medal for South Africa’s best Pinot Noir?

Winning a Gold medal for South Africa's best Pinot Noir is undoubtedly a significant achievement and a cause for celebration. It is a moment of great pride and validation for myself and the entire team involved in producing the wine. Such recognition demonstrates that our efforts in crafting an exceptional Pinot Noir have been recognised and appreciated by industry experts and connoisseurs. It is a testament to our dedication and commitment to producing exceptional wines.

Can you tell us more about the wine that won the Gold medal? What makes it special?

The wine we proudly present is the exquisite result of our very special vineyard, which holds great significance for us. This particular block has been designated as a singular vineyard for the past couple of years. Our intention behind cultivating this specific section of vines was to highlight the distinctive qualities that make our region truly unique. It serves as an authentic representation of the specific terroir found on Babylon Farm, where our vineyards are nestled.

Notably, this block consistently yields grapes of exceptional quality. To honour the wine's essence, we employed a hands-off approach during the winemaking process, allowing it to reveal its true character and faithfully reflect both the vintage and terroir. The recent accolade bestowed upon this wine further affirms that we are successfully pursuing the style of wine that we aspire to be renowned for.

What was your inspiration for creating this wine?

My inspiration for all the wines is very much the same. That is, to produce wines that are honest and reflect the sites that we farm with minimal intervention.

What was the winemaking process like for this wine?

The grapes were harvested early in the morning and left to chill in a cold room overnight. The grapes were partially destemmed, with about 20% left as whole clusters, and allowed to cold soak for three days, after which the cooling was turned off and the must was allowed to naturally warm up. The must then spontaneously ferments until it is dry. The wine was then lightly pressed into barrels. Barrel maturation took place for about 16 months, after which the wine was filtered and bottled.

What do you think sets your winemaking style apart from others?

I find my affinity for working with the subtle nuances and delicate textures in wines to be the driving force behind my preference. I derive great satisfaction from experimenting with and incorporating diverse textures derived from the different batches of wine we receive during each harvest. By harnessing these nuanced complexities and textures, I strive to create wines that are harmoniously balanced, exquisitely rounded, and ultimately deliver a truly enjoyable experience.

How would you describe your winemaking philosophy?

Very much vineyard-based and knowing when to intervene. Sometimes less is more. I firmly believe that wines are made in the vineyard, and most of my effort will be concentrated on the vines.

How do you balance tradition with innovation in your winemaking?

I like to keep up with current innovation and technology in the industry. I think we can always streamline our processes and work more efficiently. But we also work very hands-on in our approach to winemaking, so sometimes the old way works the best because it has been tested over time.

How has winning this award impacted your winery and your winemaking process?

I think it has been great for La Vierge to receive this recognition. It shows we are on the right track. But in terms of the winemaking process, it hasn’t changed much because I am a firm believer that you need to back your style and approach to winemaking, and if that gets recognised for being well made, then it just tells you to keep on doing what you are doing.

What are your future plans for your winery and your wines?

The future plans are to build on what we are currently doing and further improve our wines in the coming years. Our vineyards are still quite young, so the future of what we can achieve looks bright.

Thank you, Christo. We appreciate you sharing your thoughts, wisdom, and experience with us, and we wish you nothing but success in the future.

The flagship Apogée Pinot Noir 2020 from La Vierge is available for purchase online and in their tasting room. 

Meet the Designer

Jordan Jelev, the Labelmaker, is an award-winning wine label designer based in Varna, Bulgaria.

Unlike many other agencies or artists lost in a sea of red oceans, the Labelmaker is 100% focused on the wine, spirits, and beer sectors. His work is his passion, devotion, and life philosophy.

Next Level Design for Colloca Winery

The Project

My story with Colloca started many years ago, when the winery opened its doors. Together with Chris Colloca, we created the winery logo and their first label. Eventually, our partnership evolved into a remote friendship until nowadays. One day I received a call from Chris because he wanted to restyle the existing labels and lift them to a higher level. He also had certain ideas about it. We discussed it in detail, and after I got all the information from him, I started working on this project.

The Challenge

Challenges have been part of my life for many, many years. I am not chasing them, but I accept them once they come to me. The first Colloca wine label design was a challenge in itself, but its successor was no exception. I was again trapped in the same situation I have faced many times: to redesign my own design, to improve it, and to make it shine in a new way.

I am very used to such moments, as they happen pretty often, but they also drive me crazy because you have to walk out of your own shoes but to walk out of your own self and act as a different creative. Luckily, I am a Gemini, and there are at least 4–5 personalities inside of me to tackle this challenge.

The Result

Chris and I were looking for a very clean label. He was very keen to have a label that looks almost completely white from a distance, but when you approach it, eventually you discover more and more details as the distance gets closer. It’s really difficult to work with huge white backgrounds because everything you put on them becomes extremely visible. In this situation, I decided to focus on technology first and then create my design.

The first thing I wanted to decide was the paper, or canvas, as I often call it.
I got my eye on Arconvert’s Moonlight paper as it was visibly thicker, but what really attracted me was its amazing performance when debossed with a hot stamping die. This paper is actually made of some acrylic fibres, and when they are heated at high pressure, the fibres melt down, creating an astonishing deboss effect combined with another incredible transformation: the debossed areas become semi-transparent, which makes them really beautiful. In my design, we debossed the Colloca lettering on the top and achieved a stunning effect.

When you apply the label to a white or rose wine bottle made of clear glass and have a backlight, you see that the paper opacity remains unchanged except in the areas of debossing. What is debossed now also becomes semi-transparent; part of the light goes through the glass, the wine, and the paper and colourizes and illuminates the debossed Colloca lettering. It took a lot of time for my colleagues from Daga Print to find the right balance between pressure and temperature and get the best result possible. They did a great job.

This paper was a real breakthrough because, for this project, it allowed me to keep large background areas white while at the same time adding some really amazing effects that made the whole label stand out. The bottom half of the label was reserved for grape variety and wine region, stamped in copper matte hot foil. Below them is a text paragraph describing the wine and the terroir.

The original Colloca label was somehow more colourful, with more embellishments. In this new one, we carried the tradition from the original but transformed it into a more clean, contemporary design.

Just like in my Profundo project, the fascinating Moonlight paper played the leading role and was the key to the success of this new wine label design. Without having it available, the evolution of this label would have been very different and probably not that successful.

Thank you, Jordan, for sharing your thoughts, wisdom, and expertise with us, and we wish you every success in the future.

• Thanks for reading. It takes me between 8 and 12 hours to write and prepare each issue. If I had more time, I would have written a shorter newsletter.

• LET’S BE FRIENDS: Follow me on LinkedIn. Let’s connect here.

• If you enjoyed this newsletter, please consider sharing it with your friends. I work hard to create quality content consistently, and every new subscriber helps. This link will take you to the signup page.

• I’m always on the lookout for new guests for the newsletter, so if you’ve got someone you’d like me to interview, email me and let me know, and I’ll see if it’s a good fit. Participating is absolutely free.

• Winemakers On Fire is written by Mike Carter and published every Sunday. My vision is to be known for giving more than taking and to use my talents and skills to positively impact others. Albert Einstein put it succinctly: "Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value."