Winemakers On Fire, Issue #110

Greetings from Cape Town, South Africa!

Some winemakers inherit tradition; others create it. Wade Roger-Lund is doing both. At Meerendal's historic Durbanville estate, he's stewarding one of South Africa's most precious viticultural treasures—a 70-year-old Pinotage block that represents the very DNA of our signature grape.

As Pinotage celebrates its centenary in 2025, Wade's vision extends beyond preservation to transformation, converting the entire estate to organic certification while crafting wines that honour the past and embrace the future. His emotional release of the 2023 Heritage Block Pinotage marks not just a vintage but a pivotal moment in South African wine history.

Here's where it gets interesting.

Wade Roger-Lund: Crafting the Future of Pinotage at Meerendal

Standing among the gnarled vines of Meerendal's Heritage Block, Wade Roger-Lund embodies the perfect blend of reverence and innovation that defines today's most compelling winemakers. As cellar master at this historic Durbanville estate, he's stewarding not just any vineyard but one of South Africa's most significant Pinotage blocks—70 years old and counting.

"I felt a requirement to do right by that block," Wade reflects, his voice carrying the weight of responsibility that comes with tending to viticultural history. "It's the third oldest Pinotage block in the country, in the world. It deserves to have a standing."

A New Chapter in Organic Farming

Wade's vision for Meerendal extends far beyond traditional winemaking boundaries. Under his direction, the entire estate has embarked on an ambitious organic conversion that will see full certification by 2028. The transformation began on November 1, 2024, when every vine on the property officially entered either organic certification or conversion status.

"The whole farm will be fully certified in 2028," Wade explains with characteristic determination. This means the Heritage Block Pinotage will carry organic certification from the 2027 vintage onwards—a fitting evolution for vines that have witnessed seven decades of South African wine history.

The decision to go organic isn't merely about following trends; it's about respecting the land that has given so generously for generations. "I like old vines”. "They really have a place, and it is a responsibility to work with them because they are such exceptional vineyards to produce wines," Wade notes, emphasising how organic practices align with his philosophy of working carefully with what nature provides.

The Weight of History

Working with a 70-year-old vineyard is both privilege and pressure, something Wade discovered viscerally during the release of his 2023 Heritage Block Pinotage in March 2025. "I didn't expect it to affect me emotionally as much as it did," he admits. "I was quite emotional about it because it's not just that block. Everything that Herman [Coertze, the owner] and I discussed in 2022 and everything we've been working towards culminated in that wine."

The Heritage Block represents something extraordinary in Pinotage's timeline. While the grape was first bottled in 1959 from Bellevue grapes under the Lanzerac label, Meerendal's 1969 vintage holds special significance as the first 100% estate Pinotage bottled in South Africa. "It's the original clone of Perold's Pinotage," Wade emphasises. "It's also the largest commercial block left of that."

This historical weight informed Wade's decision to create just 850 bottles of the 2023 vintage through careful barrel selection. The wine has already garnered critical acclaim, earning 92 points from Christian Eedes and 94 points from Platters for the 2023 vintage still ageing in barrel.

Celebrating a Century of Pinotage

As South Africa celebrates 100 years of Pinotage in 2025, Wade's work at Meerendal provides a compelling case study in how the varietal can evolve while honouring its roots. The grape, created by Professor Abraham Izak Perold through crossing Pinot Noir with Cinsaut, has become synonymous with South African wine identity.

"There's so much change. This wind of change is blowing through Pinotage in South Africa, and I like it," Wade says, his enthusiasm evident. But he's careful to distinguish his approach from what some call the "new style" of Pinotage. "A lot of winemakers of the last few years have started making these more polished, softer styles. But I tend to err that it's not actually a new style."

Instead, Wade seeks balance—respecting Pinotage's inherent character while creating wines that can compete globally. "What I've tried to keep is that I didn't want to make it too polished so that it loses that essential rusticity that Pinotage should have," he explains. "It still has that Pinotage robustness, that distinctive character the varietal is known for."

Preserving Genetic Heritage

Meerendal's collaboration with Vititec to preserve the original DNA of their Heritage Block vines represents forward-thinking viticulture at its finest. After six years of careful selection, treatment, and virus cleaning of the best vines, new planting material has been released to fill gaps in the historic block.

"These original vines—nine times out of 10, I would almost likely plant these vines because they're going to give me a style of Pinotage that I think, on a global scale, has a much bigger chance of persuading the global market," Wade argues passionately. His conviction extends beyond Meerendal's boundaries: "It's a Meerendal clone, but I'd be happy for other people to plant it." “I'd love them to plant more of this variety, this clone, and get it out there."

A Label That Tells a Story

The decision to model the Heritage Block label after Meerendal's iconic 1969 design wasn't mere nostalgia—it was strategic storytelling. "I was looking at this wine, and I just thought to myself, 'You know what, it would be really nice to pay homage to the block, to the first wine that came from that block,'" Wade recalls.

When he pitched the idea to owner Herman Coertze, the response was immediate enthusiasm. The resulting label creates a visual bridge between past and present, honouring the vineyard's significance while announcing Meerendal's renewed focus on excellence.

Trusting Your Gut

Ask Wade about his defining characteristic as a winemaker, and he doesn't hesitate: "Trusting your gut." It's a philosophy born from technical knowledge but tempered by intuition. "I base a lot of it on the technical side, but being a winemaker, a lot of it is about your gut feeling."

This approach served him well when he made his first harvest decisions at Meerendal in 2023, just months after arriving. "2023 was gut feel because I started in May 2022. I was basing it off what I tasted of the 2022 wines that were made before, looking at the vineyards, and then I made a gut call."

The success of that vintage validated his instincts and set the stage for even greater achievements. "The experts all very much rated the 2024, and they say that the 2024 is going to be a showstopper," Wade reports with quiet satisfaction.

Building for the Future

Wade's vision for Meerendal centres on making Pinotage the estate's flagship. "100%, I want to focus on Pinotage being the flagship range of this brand," he states unequivocally. "The peripheral wines allow me to focus on the block, and that's what I'm so happy about—that I'm getting to work with a 70-year-old block of vineyards. Not very many winemakers in this country get to do that."

This focus reflects advice he received from wine critic Tim Atkins in 2022: "Find a focus point." For Wade, that focus point became crystal clear. "This block is my focus point. That block is the poster child for this farm."

The results speak for themselves. After years of dedicated work, Meerendal is generating excitement again. "It's nice to see that the effort I've put in here for the last three years is actually starting to pay off," Wade reflects. "People have started talking about Meerendal again, and rightfully so."

His confidence in the estate's trajectory is infectious. As he told owner Herman Coertze after the Heritage Block release, "We're on the crest of the wave. We're getting there. You'll see the horizon soon."

In an industry where heritage and innovation must dance together, Wade Roger-Lund has found the perfect partner in Meerendal's ancient vines. As Pinotage celebrates its centenary, his work ensures this uniquely South African grape will continue evolving, guided by the wisdom of old vines and the vision of those who tend them.

Let’s dive into the stories that have been fermenting since our last newsletter...

A century ago, Professor Abraham Izak Perold crossed two grape varieties in his Stellenbosch laboratory, unknowingly creating South Africa's most distinctive wine ambassador. Today, as Pinotage celebrates its 100th birthday, this uniquely South African grape is experiencing a remarkable renaissance. From Jacques Bruwer's excitement about the 2025 vintage to Nongceba Langa's success in American markets, a new generation of winemakers is elevating Pinotage from curiosity to world-class wine.

In our last newsletter, we explored the passionate characters behind Pinotage's evolution, the innovative techniques driving its premium positioning, and why this climate-resilient variety represents the future of South African wine excellence.

Get ready to be inspired.

Let’s raise a glass to the fortnight ahead—may it bring you brilliant wines and more conversations to share in our next edition.