How to do it like Hartenberg
To understand the estate famed for their Shiraz, we spoke to two of the farm’s key personalities about their process.
Hartenberg Estate is a rare example of a successful wine farm led by the same winemaker for 26 years, where a third of their wines are from a single grape: Shiraz. Allan Mullins spoke to them to understand a little about how it’s done.
VITICULTURIST WILHELM JOUBERT
Allan: What do you mean when you use the term "conservation farming"?
Wilhelm: We manage our viticultural and winemaking practices, water resources, and more to help restore our ecosystem, allowing us to farm together with nature, instead of against it. We need to be good stewards of the land we farm.
AM: What do you see as your greatest challenge?
WJ: Water. We use it as wisely and effectively as possible, including recycling water and using drip irrigation. To learn more, I’m going with my team to Israel, who are known for their handling of water resources.
Cellarmaster Carl Schultz
Allan: What gives you particular pride?
Carl: Being invited to join the Cape Winemakers Guild in 1997, and creating the first Gravel Hill Shiraz.
AM: What is your inspiration at Hartenberg?
CS: The Hartenberg terroir, the team I work with, and the man who developed Hartenberg, the late Ken McKenzie. His nickname was “The Stork” and he’d been a Spitfire pilot, a successful businessman, and had a way of interacting positively with people. He was humble, wise, and kind – attributes that I strive for.
AM: What are your favourite cultivars?
CS: Shiraz and Chardonnay, as both have the ability to reflect a sense of place.
AM: How did you combine quality with drinkability in the Woolworths Signature Shiraz 2017?
CS: I chose barrels of Shiraz from the Gravel Hill and The Stork vineyards as well as others that had more juicy fruit and softer tannins, allowing earlier drinking without sacrificing quality.
SHOP HARTENBERG WINES