In memory of a wine legend
Allan Mullins was not only a Cape Wine Master and Woolworths’ wine selector, he also masterminded Woolies’ Signature wine range with some of SA’s top winemakers. Here, they pay tribute to him with some of their favourite memories.
Duncan Savage, Savage Wines
“I met Allan 20 years ago and we shared many incredible tastings, hatching new plans for Woolies. Allan surfed in his youth but that was cut short when he was injured in a diving accident in his twenties. Invariably he would ask me if I’d been on any adventures lately. It always broke my heart, because I could just grab my boards and jump in my bakkie and get down to the beach.
So, a few surfing vintners and I hatched a plan to get Al back in the water. We organised an XL board and had a wetsuit customised. On those days, Allan rode lots of waves and he also had lots of wipeouts. But he always reappeared with the biggest smile on his face. Despite the hand he’d been dealt, he was always smiling. Bluebottles, cold water, onshore wind, nothing kept him out of the ocean.”
So, a few surfing vintners and I hatched a plan to get Al back in the water. We organised an XL board and had a wetsuit customised. On those days, Allan rode lots of waves and he also had lots of wipeouts. But he always reappeared with the biggest smile on his face. Despite the hand he’d been dealt, he was always smiling. Bluebottles, cold water, onshore wind, nothing kept him out of the ocean.”
Jeff Grier, Villiera
“Allan was a great storyteller, and one of his favourites was about the cork-shooting contest we held at the launch of the Cap Classique Producers Association in 1992. A cork went straight into wine writer Michael Fridjohn’s eye! Allan was never one to let the facts get in the way of a good story. By the tenth retelling, blood was flowing down the aisles.”
Carl Schultz, Hartenberg
“It’s hard to find a photo of Allan not holding a glass in his hand. He was such a happy guy, a true mensch. And he rose above all his challenges.
When he first phoned me about the Signature Shiraz, the call started like this: ‘I’m looking for your Stork or Gravel Hill [around R800 a bottle] at R100 a bottle.’ That was Allan: he wanted quality but it had to fit budget. He had a very sharp palate.”
When he first phoned me about the Signature Shiraz, the call started like this: ‘I’m looking for your Stork or Gravel Hill [around R800 a bottle] at R100 a bottle.’ That was Allan: he wanted quality but it had to fit budget. He had a very sharp palate.”
Johann de Wet, De Wetshof
“Allan goes back a long way with the family – the first blend he did with my father, Danie, was for Woolworths in 1993. He was one of my big mentors in life, in tasting and in blending.
In the beginning when we worked on the Signature Chardonnay, he’d come out to Robertson to help us put it together – he wanted a big focus on elegance. Later, we would also pull samples and drive through to his house in Cape Town’s southern suburbs to play with and blend the wine. What a pleasure! It was always a bit of a game to see which one of us would pick the same blend as Allan.”
In the beginning when we worked on the Signature Chardonnay, he’d come out to Robertson to help us put it together – he wanted a big focus on elegance. Later, we would also pull samples and drive through to his house in Cape Town’s southern suburbs to play with and blend the wine. What a pleasure! It was always a bit of a game to see which one of us would pick the same blend as Allan.”
Gyles Webb, Thelema
“Allan wanted no special treatment. On a trip to the Bordeaux expo in 1993, we missed the shuttle back to our hotel, so decided to catch a bus. When we alighted, it was pelting down, so we charged to our accommodation, left the wheelchair downstairs, chucked Al in the shower and all headed off to our local bar.
The next morning, [the late winemaker] Ross Gower picked Al up and dropped him into the wheelchair. The spongy seat was still wet, so two plumes of water shot out of each side of him. We took him upstairs, changed him, stole a cushion for him to sit on, and off we went. Al had grounds for being very annoyed with us, especially when we dropped him (which happened often), but he was never upset at the cavalier way in which we treated him.”
The next morning, [the late winemaker] Ross Gower picked Al up and dropped him into the wheelchair. The spongy seat was still wet, so two plumes of water shot out of each side of him. We took him upstairs, changed him, stole a cushion for him to sit on, and off we went. Al had grounds for being very annoyed with us, especially when we dropped him (which happened often), but he was never upset at the cavalier way in which we treated him.”
Gary Jordan, Jordan Wine Estate
“Allan had a wicked sense of humour. Whenever he had to have a procedure done, he’d send us photos showing him drinking Jordan wines in his hospital bed!
For our last Signature Red Blend, he knew exactly which vineyards had the right components, and we ended up with 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc. Then he suggested we also try 3% Petit Verdot. I replied, ‘But that adds up to 101%’. ‘Yes, but we always give more than 100%,’ was his response. We miss you, Allan.”
For our last Signature Red Blend, he knew exactly which vineyards had the right components, and we ended up with 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc. Then he suggested we also try 3% Petit Verdot. I replied, ‘But that adds up to 101%’. ‘Yes, but we always give more than 100%,’ was his response. We miss you, Allan.”