Lunch with Dave Hidden of Hidden Valley and Lands End
I am one of those lucky people who truly love my job. In fact, everything about the Cape wine industry – from the wide and varied terrain to the equally interesting characters involved in it – fascinates me. One of my most recent experiences includes not only one gutsy wine entrepreneur, two prime wine regions and three terrific wine farms, but a glorious 4-course meal to boot!
Having spent a hectic week in Johannesburg (where 65% of our clients reside) I touched down at Cape Town International at 09.00 am on the Friday and headed straight for the Stellenbosch Winelands to get a sense of how the 2008 wine harvest was proceeding. It was drizzling along the way, which worried me. Every harvest presents its own challenges and rainy weather complicates things.
Making my way higher and higher into the misty Helderberg Mountains, I passed Ernie Els’ showcase winery to finally arrive at Hidden Valley Wines. Where, in pursuit of his ultimate dream, owner Dave Hidden erected a cutting-edge, gravity-flow wine cellar in 2005. The winery is set high up in the valley with magnificent views stretching from the False Bay coastline over the Stellenbosch vineyards all the way to Cape Town with Table Mountain as the backdrop.
On arrival, Hidden Valley’s recently appointed winemaker, Louis Nel, was running around the cellar under huge pressure of getting the grapes in before the unwanted effects of the rain. Which once again made me realise, these guys only get one bite at the cherry to ensure a successful vintage! Luckily, Murray Giggans, Hidden Valley’s new general manager, and, may I add, someone renowned for his wealth of experience in the wine industry, was there to show me around.
In Hidden Valley’s new, yet already chockablock Overture Restaurant we were joined by Dave Hidden. And over chef Bertus Basson’s outstanding 4-course spread, accompanied by four equally delectable Hidden Valley and Lands End wines, we traced Dave’s participation in (and contribution to) the Cape wine industry.
Dave of course, is a qualified winemaker himself. “I obtained a degree in Viticulture/Oenology in the late 1960s and worked in the industry for a while before enrolling for an MBA and heading for the Gauteng business world.” Owning a wine farm has however always been his dream. In 1994 Dave purchased his first vineyards in Devon Valley and what started out as a hobby soon became a passion. “I’ve been living my dream ever since,” says Dave.
Gradually Dave started acquiring more land. The first addition was 28 ha on the Helderberg slopes where the impressive 220-ton winery was subsequently erected. In 2005 Dave added a 56 ha property at the very southern tip of the African continent to his vineyard portfolio. “When purchasing this wind-swept Cape Agulhas land, at a time when the wine industry was under increasing pressure, people asked me if I had lost the plot,” tells Dave. “Yes, the prevailing South Easter and South Wester do blow almost every day, but I regard them as enormous air-conditioners making Elim the coolest wine-producing area in the country.”
Today, Dave’s wine portfolio consists of three prestigious labels: Hidden Valley, Hidden Agenda and Lands End. To achieve this required an enormous amount of guts, backed by a staunch belief in the future of the South African wine industry and the commitment to invest in it.
WADE BALES