Are Consultant Winemakers Necessary?

Are consultant winemakers necessary? Can they be accused of homogenizing wine styles? Globetrotting superconsultant Frenchman, Michel Rolland, for one, certainly has this laid at his door. Who are the travelling technicians in our wine industry? As we will see, some don't travel much at all, but still contribute to the health of many of our wines. Tony Mossop CWM writes.So this isn't an article about consultants in the wine industry - not entirely, that is. Because many of those involved in giving advice to others about wine, how to make it and how to sell it, reject the term "consultant" to describe their activities. Perhaps they agree with financial journalist Stephen Mulholland, who wrote recently in the Sunday Times: "They are snake oil salesmen who provide incompetent managers with an excuse not to do the work of taking tough decisions." Or that venerable old quote from management author and ex-Avis chief, Robert Townsend: "Consultants are people who borrow your watch to tell you the time and forget to give it back."

 

Now caustic jibes like this could hardly apply to respected gurus such as Thelema's Gyles Webb, magician behind GT Ferreira's Tokara cellar. Or the legendary Jan Boland Coetzee, whose helping hand to a whole host of newcomers into the industry over the years has meant much midnight oil-burning in his own Vriesenhof cellar. Nor to any of the half dozen highlighted in the next few paragraphs. All are experts in their field.

Take Martin Meinert, for example: cub-journalist on the Rand Daily Mail, discoverer of treasures from the trove in Bennie Goldberg's wine emporium, admirer of John Platter. Went back to varsity - Stellenbosch to be precise - as a family man. Qualified and gypsied his way, kids and all, round European winelands before his first local cellar stint at that academy of young winemakers, Simonsig. On to Bergkelder, then his formative experience - both for him and Vergelegen itself, as founder-winemaker.

"I'm not really a consultant - I'm sceptical about consultants," he explains. "When I left Vergelegen to do my own thing in my own cellar up Devon Valley, I needed to survive while my first wines were in the barrel. So I rushed around madly between Graceland, Stonewall, a project for Makro…I lost focus, and decided my temperament is more suited to hands-on partnerships. Like my relationship with Ken Forrester."

He prefers the responsibility for the final result, rather than just giving advice and hoping it's taken. "It would be impossible for me to run my own winery as I do, as well as dashing around on the road trying to advise others," he continues. "I provide a custom crush facility to two non-winemakers - Ken and David (Nathan-Maister of Sylvanvale).

Between them they're a handful - coming up with some challenging ideas. Like David's 'straw wine' and an Amarone Pinotage." Regarding himself as a European classicist in style, he is particularly at home with barrel fermented wines, both whites and reds. But Martin feels there is a need for consultants in the industry. "All those emerging small wineries need technical input. But you must run consultancy as a business - accounting for all your costs, time, travel…."

This is what Mark Carmichael-Green does - for about a dozen clients, spread from Tulbagh to Robertson. A nature conservation student at Stellenbosch, he migrated to Elsenburg. "I did horses for a few days, but the wine guys seemed to be having much more fun, so winemaking it was for me." Another graduate of the Simonsig academy for a couple of years, he settled in at SFW for the next nine, mostly making white wines.

"I made some valuable contacts there," he notes. "Particularly with the marketing and brand managers, which taught me a lot about what needs to be done after the wine is made."

His departure for the new Stonewall venture did not pan out as expected, so he started his own consultancy, rather like Martin, "to survive". It took a year or so to build up, but he is now one of the most active in his field, with a list of clients ranging from Muratie, De Heuwel, Altydgedacht and Vergenoegd, to his relationship with Bahamanian entrepreneur Alphonso Bowe of Bowe Joubert.

"It's a pleasure for me to help the smaller guys. There are so many 'book winemakers' out there who need technical and engineering input. Guys with a vision, but they haven't the tools to get there. Mostly they don't understand the science."

His rules for the game? "Stay physically involved. Pay attention to detail. Correct unrealistic expectations - there are too many instant wannabe Kanonkops out there. Don't plant for the grape - plant for the brilliance of the wine you can make from your terroir. In other words, don't plant Pinot for Pinot's sake - only if it fits. And use experts where you feel weak. Like viticulturist Paul Wallace," he adds. " My strength is to align people with more skills than me. Perhaps communication is my greatest skill."

He admits his computer literacy has improved in leaps over the past couple of years. "I've had to develop my laptop skills for business plans, spreadsheets, analyses….I always record everything. That way I've got a backup in the event of a change in plan, a disagreement. It's a bank of knowledge."

A man with a thoroughly professional approach.

Like master-chemist and educator Loftie Ellis. Another Stellenbosch Viticulture and Oenology graduate, he took the path of researcher and lecturer, and is currently finishing a PhD in groundbreaking work on brandy aromas. Responsible for imparting winemaking and chemistry knowledge to dozens of students over the past many years, this respected scientist is now responsible for the budding winemakers at Elsenburg college just up the road. Not a man given to talking about Loftie, he regards himself more as a wine doctor than a consultant.

Ask Teddy Hall, award-winning Kanu winemaker, why he seeks out Loftie when he thinks he has a problem in his cellar: "The man has 'wine savvy'. You can phone him up and say 'Loftie, there's something I don't understand about this wine - I don't know if there's a problem….' and he says, 'I've got 10 minutes, bring me a sample.' And an hour later you know if you have a problem or not, and how to fix it if you do."

Teddy feels that his generation of winemakers are extremely well educated - thanks to guys like Loftie. "But he is capable of looking at problems from a broader perspective. And he has such a wealth of scientific knowledge that you just have to tap in to his skills."

Says Loftie: "Being a lecturer at Stellenbosch for 12 years, most of the winemakers have been through my hands. My involvement in consulting services has to do with questions asked by these students. They phone me and I refer them to other people for assistance if I cannot help directly."

Which does not seem to be necessary very often! With his broad areas of experience ranging from browning problems on Chardonnay, maturation indices for grapes, aroma research, wine evaluation systems for judges and chemical analytical methods, this man is indeed a national treasure in the wine industry. A "Mr Fixit" supreme.

A man with a broader range of activities is ex-Boschendal and Zevenwacht winemaker, Hilko Hegewisch. Elsenburg educated, with a further stint at the Weinsberg school in Germany, this busy guy has three strings to his bow. Apart from consulting for selected clients, he is involved in selling Classic corks, South Africa's only locally made synthetic wine closure, as well as exporting wine.

"When I left Zevenwacht a couple of years ago I simply placed an ad offering winemaking services, and it gradually built up from there. I had worked in a big corporate environment (Anglo) and in a family business, so the next step for me was to be my own boss!"

He loves meeting all those interesting people out there. "I'd become too isolated. This experience has broadened my outlook," he reflects. Is there anything he doesn't like about his new venture?

"No - nothing. In fact, everything's pretty lekker," he chuckles, with his little-boy grin.

"Being involved in the Classic business I get to cover a lot of ground, and am often asked for advice, which sometimes leads to a more formal relationship with a client. I spend quite a bit of time with the guys in Robertson - they seem more open to new ideas, like the synthetic closures - which are an offshoot of Denel and Hilti technology, actually."

His latest project is with Springfield neighbour, Mike van Schoor on his farm Klipdrift - "though the wines obviously won't be called that!" Here Hilko is presiding over Cabernet, Shiraz, Merlot and Chardonnay - a nice mix to keep him occupied.
"I'm not a viticulturist, I'm a winemaker. I'm planning his cellar from the ground up." He is another who feels his computer skills have improved in line with his own broadening experience. "Ask a lot of questions, record the answers and the conclusions. Keep track of ideas, events, facts, details. Don't let anything escape. It's all part of the package."

Haven't we heard that before?

You'll hear it too from Rodney Easthope, Kiwi born, Roseworthy trained, and Rustenberg's winemaker during its recent renaissance years. "I'm an ex-consultant," he offers. "Though my business partnership with (fellow New Zealander) Emma Williams is called 'Vine & Wine Consultants' - perhaps we should drop the last word. We're hands-on winemakers.

Pretty poor delegators, actually - we like to do everything ourselves, up to the elbows."

"My school fees in cellar design were paid at Rustenberg. Now I'm doing it at Glenhurst for Dave King, and it's so much better second time round. I've also been involved with Graceland, Amani, Lushof… but in all cases we take full responsibility and make the wines. Not just advise then push off. That's not our style. That's the pitfall of consultancy. You're 'fraught for nought' if the client won't listen. And often it's your name on the line if the wine's lousy. Many folk need a 'paint by numbers approach'."

A bit of a vineyard fanatic - and as comfortable in this environment as in the cellar - Rodney believes in the holistic method. "Winemaking is actually pretty simple - yet not many people do a really good job. And some of the newer entrants into this game regard their wine farm as a bit of a toy. They don't realize you have to be a soil scientist, a marketer, and engineer…."

Riesling and Pinot are his personal passions, but he thinks we're too cultivar driven. "I'd rather see a site or vineyard than a grape name on a label of a high priced wine." And he admits to being a bit of a loner: "I've withdrawn from some industry things - we're over-acronymed and over-committeed. Get your own back yard in order first."

Bruwer Raats is enjoying the freedom of his balancing act as winemaker at Delaire, and being his own boss of Magenta Wines, his new consulting business. Another Elsenburger, he came to the cellar in 1997 after a stint at Blaauwklippen, and was asked earlier this year to lend a hand at a fledgling cellar down the road. His arrangement with Delaire is now one of contracted consultant winemaker, with freedom to work elsewhere. Apart from his own range of Raats Family wines (made at Delaire), he works with Agusta, as well as Natural Corporation, one of South Africa's most wide-awake exporters. "I really enjoy this one," he notes. "I get involved in selection, blending, bottling and, something which really interests me, marketing some of this country's biggest volume export brands. I find I'm spending two or three months a year abroad doing promotions, tastings and keeping up with the market trends. I would like to be a market leader, not a follower."

Which is why he's so enthusiastic about Cabernet Franc as his signature grape in future.

"Yes, I enjoy the freedom of my new job - but it creates its own responsibilities. You can't compromise on quality - you're only as good as your last vintage in this game. I learned a lot from consultant Vittorio Fiore recently in Tuscany - attention to detail, setting rules for your client to follow. And take a marketing rather than a production-driven approach. That's my style."

Seems our winelands are well served by this little band of experts - and any thoughts of them homogenizing our wine styles is not remotely likely. They're all too individual for that to happen.