LUNCH WITH DAVID FINLAYSON OF GLEN CARLOU

It was on one of those champagne days in early spring that I headed for the beautiful Paarl Valley, home of the prestigious Glen Carlou. This winery was recently renovated, and to those of you who haven’t been, it now boasts an ultra-modern tasting venue, an impressive art gallery and a brand-new restaurant. The latter, overlooking a tranquil Zen fynbos garden, is aptly named “Zen” and it was here that I spent a pleasurable few hours chatting to David Finlayson. A bonus was the fact that we were joined by David’s father, Walter, the founder of Glen Carlou.    

I’ve known David for well over 12 years, and to me he epitomizes the new generation of winemakers who entered the South African wine industry post 1994. Cool and confident with a ‘can do’ attitude, he is strongly opinionated, yet with the laid-back attitude of someone knowing that he has mastered his craft.

Chatting over a glass of excellent Glen Carlou Chardonnay, we traced David’s winemaking career. “I was one of the first winemakers to qualify in the ‘New South Africa’, and this enabled me to travel extensively and experience new trends and techniques that were not readily available to the previous generations of South African winemakers,” says David. In 1994 he took over the baton from his father as winemaker of Glen Carlou and his resolve to “create wines in a uniquely South African way” has since won him an endless list of awards. Not least of all the fact that his 5-star Glen Carlou Syrah 2004 was last year selected as the John Platter Wine of the Year.

Over our main course, a beautifully prepared fillet, complemented by the superb Glen Carlou Grand Classique 2003, the conversation shifted to Edgebaston, the Finlaysons’ recently acquired farm on the fringes of Stellenbosch. The neighbouring farms are the award-winning L’Avenir, Remhoogte and Morgenhof. And already they have distinguished themselves by scoring 5 stars in the 2008 John Platter Wine Guide for the 2005 Edgebaston GS Cabernet Sauvignon. No mean feat considering that out of more than 6 000 wines tasted, only 21 wines were selected for the coveted 5-star rating!

As the afternoon progressed, David and I chatted about many things. From his holistic approach - “meticulous care in the vineyard combined with a personal touch in the cellar” - to where the South African wine industry is going.  What was left of the Chardonnay we enjoyed over dessert, which, by the way, proves once again how versatile this variety is. As to the versatility of this great winemaker who makes red and white wines with equal aplomb: perhaps it’s because winemaking is not a job to him, it’s a lifestyle. The personal satisfaction David derives from winemaking, or as he puts it, “finding the balance between the art and science of winemaking”, will ensure that we derive enormous pleasure from his wines for years to come.

WADE BALES