Producer Article
Overgaauw
Last edited on 9/19/2008 by Palmiet
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Overgaauw Estate
A long line of settler blood has created an understated, but solidly red reputation at Overgaauw Estate. Leonie Joubert visited the Van Velden family farm, a Stellenbosch stalwart which was responsible for the country's first Merlot - and its only Sylvaner.
What you see on the Overgaauw winelist may now seem passé - every farm these days has a stock supply of noble varieties and usually a Pinotage on the side. But back in 1982 there wasn't a single Merlot on the market. Van Velden grabbed the bull by the horns and bottled one that year.
"We first planted Merlot in 1975 and decided to bottle it on its own in 1982. Then people said Merlot was a blending wine and shouldn't be on its own… but now it's one of the most popular varieties!" This was followed by the first varietal Touriga Nacional in 1986.
Another legacy is the Sylvaner. This German grape has been bottled here since 1971 and remains the sole Cape example (besides a brief flirtation with it by Nederburg some years back). "WINE magazine did a vertical tasting of 25 Overgaauw Sylvaners - 1971 to 1996 - and the tasters were amazed at how well they had kept. The '73 impressed me the most," says Braam.
"It makes nice wine! It has slight Muscat and Weisser Riesling flavours, but without the terpene character."
There are some upfront drinking wines to accommodate the more impatient palate - like the Pinotage/Cabernet Franc blend. Other innovations in the pipeline?
"Hmmm…," he ponders, "there's no easy answer. All the major (wine producing) countries have something which makes them different and unique. Should we copy them or not? I'm not sure - maybe we should plant quantities of Viognier and Zinfandel and experiment… after all, people once said Merlot was only for blending!"
He is considering Malbec and Sangiovese.
"I won't do a Viognier… although I have been known to change my mind!"
As members of the Cape Winemakers Guild, Van Velden and Joubert have other likeminded people with whom to share their experiments.
Meeting market demand requires judicious vineyard management, something which has developed a life of its own at Overgaauw. "In your lifetime you only have two chances to replant a vineyard - given that a vineyard lasts about 25 years - so you can't afford to mess up!" explained Van Velden of his philosophy to vine cultivation.
It's one that has been in action for the 29 years that he's been running things. When he took over winemaking in 1973, 90% of the farm's vines were white, at a time when there was a global shortage of red wine. By the late '70s he was having soils analysed and had mapped out a replanting programme that, over almost three decades, has become a continually evolving process. One small patch of cover crop, high up on the farm, is all that remains of the vineyards planted by his father. Since then the entire farm has been replanted… and it will continue to be.
"We have replanting plans right up until 2009," he said.. Even then, he knows it won't end there. There will always be new research and new clones to experiment with for the greater client satisfaction.
Overgaauw Estate
A long line of settler blood has created an understated, but solidly red reputation at Overgaauw Estate. Leonie Joubert visited the Van Velden family farm, a Stellenbosch stalwart which was responsible for the country's first Merlot - and its only Sylvaner.
What you see on the Overgaauw winelist may now seem passé - every farm these days has a stock supply of noble varieties and usually a Pinotage on the side. But back in 1982 there wasn't a single Merlot on the market. Van Velden grabbed the bull by the horns and bottled one that year.
"We first planted Merlot in 1975 and decided to bottle it on its own in 1982. Then people said Merlot was a blending wine and shouldn't be on its own… but now it's one of the most popular varieties!" This was followed by the first varietal Touriga Nacional in 1986.
Another legacy is the Sylvaner. This German grape has been bottled here since 1971 and remains the sole Cape example (besides a brief flirtation with it by Nederburg some years back). "WINE magazine did a vertical tasting of 25 Overgaauw Sylvaners - 1971 to 1996 - and the tasters were amazed at how well they had kept. The '73 impressed me the most," says Braam.
"It makes nice wine! It has slight Muscat and Weisser Riesling flavours, but without the terpene character."
There are some upfront drinking wines to accommodate the more impatient palate - like the Pinotage/Cabernet Franc blend. Other innovations in the pipeline?
"Hmmm…," he ponders, "there's no easy answer. All the major (wine producing) countries have something which makes them different and unique. Should we copy them or not? I'm not sure - maybe we should plant quantities of Viognier and Zinfandel and experiment… after all, people once said Merlot was only for blending!"
He is considering Malbec and Sangiovese.
"I won't do a Viognier… although I have been known to change my mind!"
As members of the Cape Winemakers Guild, Van Velden and Joubert have other likeminded people with whom to share their experiments.
Meeting market demand requires judicious vineyard management, something which has developed a life of its own at Overgaauw. "In your lifetime you only have two chances to replant a vineyard - given that a vineyard lasts about 25 years - so you can't afford to mess up!" explained Van Velden of his philosophy to vine cultivation.
It's one that has been in action for the 29 years that he's been running things. When he took over winemaking in 1973, 90% of the farm's vines were white, at a time when there was a global shortage of red wine. By the late '70s he was having soils analysed and had mapped out a replanting programme that, over almost three decades, has become a continually evolving process. One small patch of cover crop, high up on the farm, is all that remains of the vineyards planted by his father. Since then the entire farm has been replanted… and it will continue to be.
"We have replanting plans right up until 2009," he said.. Even then, he knows it won't end there. There will always be new research and new clones to experiment with for the greater client satisfaction.