Winemakers On Fire, Issue #4

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This week we feature Gynore Hendricks, winemaker of Great Heart Wines and assistant winemaker at Mullineux and Leeu Family Wines, and one of the trailblazing women who are making a difference in the South African wine industry, plus we showcase Jordan Jelev’s wine label restyle for Bien Nacido’s Black Tier Premium Wines.  

Meet the Winemaker

In their pursuit to find a sustainable way to realise a mechanism for equity and meaningful transformation, Chris and Andrea Mullineux’s vision came to life in creating Great Heart Wines. The company is owned by the employees of multi-award winning Mullineux & Leeu Passant Family Wines and profits from sales of all Great Heart wines go directly to the staff, who are the shareholders of the company.

Why the Wagtail bird as the symbol of Great Heart? The African Wagtail is known in South African folklore for its acts of selflessness and bravery in assisting others and has been chosen as the symbol of Great Heart Wines. The artwork was designed by celebrated local artist Jaco Sieberhagen.

Today’s guest is Gynore Hendricks, Winemaker of Great Heart Wines.

How did you get started in wine?

I grew up in the Swartland and was always fascinated with the vineyards in the region. I enrolled in Elsenburg Agricultural Institute and completely fell in love with the farm life and working in the winery.

Do you have a degree in winemaking?

Yes, I have a BAgric degree in Cellar Technology from Elsenburg Agricultural Institute and finished my studies there in 2016.

What has surprised you about being a winemaker?

That there exists an amazing culture of support between the local winemakers as well as between the different suppliers and bodies within the South African wine industry. This type of comradery is hard to come by in most businesses.

What goals in winemaking are you still working to achieve?

I would like to travel to different wine regions in the world to experience their unique wine styles, varieties, and expression of their soils. My winemaking philosophy is to always make wine that truly reflects the character of its origin to the best of my ability.

Who do you most admire in the world of South African wine, and why?

This will most definitely sound like a cliche, but I admire Andrea Mullineux. For the last five years she has been my mentor and it has been an absolute wonderful journey so far. She is extremely skilled and always eager to share her knowledge and experience or advice. I started working with her as a Cape Winemakers Guild Protégé and under her guidance have grown into a very confident winemaker.

What do you find to be the hardest part of harvest?

The hardest part of harvest for me personally would be that some things are out of your control as a winemaker (for example the weather). One is often reminded during harvest that you are working with Mother nature and no matter how hard you try to plan ahead, ‘she’ always has the last say. It teaches one very quickly to have patience and adopt an ‘adapt-or-die’ attitude.

What makes your wine unique?

As a winemaking collective at Great Heart, every shareholder is involved with the production of the wines in some way or form. Be it in the vineyards, cellar, packaging, or sales and this brings a unique team spirit and excellent quality to the end-product and brand.

How has climate change impacted your approach?

Climate change has certainly changed how we as winemakers and viticulturists think and act. I believe that the most important aspect during any change in nature is to steer clear of any fixed recipe, but rather treat each vintage individually alongside its required vineyard practices for that year. Climate change is real, and we have a huge responsibility to protect our soils and old vines, hence we constantly adapt to weather patterns, growing of vines, grape picking dates to name a few.

Thank you, Gynore. We appreciate you sharing your thoughts, wisdom, and experience with us and wish you nothing but the best in the years to come.

Great Heart Wines are available for purchase at the Great Heart Wine Boutique, located at the entrance to Le Quartier Francais in Main Road, Franschhoek.

Meet the Designer 

Jordan Jelev, fondly known as The Labelmaker, talks us through the redesign process of the Bien Nacido’s Black Tier Premium Wine label.

A Fused Label Design with Strong Detailed Embossing for a Premium Look.

As a designer, I had the privilege to restyle the labels for Bien Nacido Estate Black Tier wines. The existing labels had become outdated and did not accurately convey the premium and exclusive quality of these elite wines.

To position the Black Tier on the top shelf where they belong, I aimed to create a classic and elegant design. I took an innovative approach, fusing two types of black pulp paper into a single label. The resulting texture and depth of the label ensured that it stood out on the shelf.

To add sophistication and character, I used strong embossing on the gold-foiled adobe house and Bien Nacido brand, creating a rich and detailed texture that makes the label a true work of art. The classic burgundy bottle with the black matte capsule and elegant golden stripe on top completes the premium look.

Throughout the process, I felt a great responsibility to preserve the character of these elite wines. It was crucial that my wine label restyle was both classy and elegant, while still reflecting the true essence of the Bien Nacido Estate Black Tier wines.

Dagaprint.com, a world-renowned printer, produced the labels with exceptional precision and attention to detail. Their mastery of every aspect of the design ensured that the final product exceeded my expectations.

This project was an absolute honour for me, and I am humbled by the opportunity to have worked on it. With the guidance of Tommy Gaeta and his marketing and production team, every detail was perfect. Overall, I am proud of the final result and confident that these elite wines will now be showcased and appreciated as the premium products they truly are. This wine label restyle was an exceptional project, and I am thrilled to have been a part of it.

• 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.

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• Winemakers On Fire is written by Mike Carter and is work in progress. For the first few issues, I will be publishing every two weeks until I find my feet. Then weekly. My next issue will be published on the 2nd of July and will feature La Vierge Winemaker Christo Kotze and CF Napa Brand Design.