Charles Back

Leading the way in SA's wine industry

He's a puzzling contradiction. A man who has an international profile yet shuns the limelight locally. A lateral thinker who mulls over ideas long and hard before he acts on them. He describes himself as conservative and traditional, but others tag him a visionary and trendsetter. Fiona McDonald reports on Cape wine personality Charles Back, the enigma behind Fairview, Spice Route and now the Caldera Project.Unorthodox is a word that peppers Charles Back's conversation. While others were walking a tried and tested path, he was off forging his own destiny.

 

A standard description would not fit this unique character, simply because he's an extraordinarily complex man - yet with an engaging simplicity and straightforward honesty, an individualist.

Known for controversial outbursts, he's also modest and humble, passing credit on to his winemaking team. Yet without fail colleagues describe him as always fascinating, never boring. Motivated, enthusiastic, innovative in his ideas but traditional in business in that a handshake means something.

Probably the biggest misconception about Charles Back is that he embarks on new ventures on a whim. He's a hard-nosed businessman. Hours of exhaustive thought and planning precede any decision. The concept will have been examined from every angle, with arguments both for and against having been carefully weighed up. It's a trait he attributes to his late father, Cyril "who taught me to think".

"Everyone's under the impression I'm a maverick. I'm not. I'm a line and length bowler, I just keep plugging away. If necessary I rethink a situation and change the game plan."

He admits that he has no hobbies. Wine is his life and his lifestyle. "I don't consider what I do work. What other business is there that stimulates your creative side, your intellect, challenges your financial management, contains marketing, engineering and even industrial relations and labour elements, right the way through to producing foodstuffs and creating packaging?"

His success with Fairview in Paarl and Spice Route near Malmesbury in the Swartland didn't just happen. There was a lot of gut wrenching hard work involved. It's a tribute to Charles that he's made it look effortless to observers.

When not at work, wine is always on his mind. He thinks about how to improve things, dreaming up new blends and mulling over odd thoughts. All this introspection and analysis stem from his formative years. He's a battler, a scrapper who's had to fight to get ahead - and that started at an early age, "in sub-A when I was the only Jewish kid at an Afrikaans school - that's a good enough education. It taught me survival skills."

"I think I'm very much a product of both my parents. My mother was tremendously artistic and as a child I remember being surrounded by easels and paints and costumes that were being designed for school plays! Both my sister Abigail and brother Gerard were always drawing and painting - and are both successful fashion designers. My dad was the other end of the spectrum - practical and hardworking."

As a child he spent every spare moment out in the fields with his dad, Cyril.
"It was apparently so bad at one stage that I refused to eat lunch unless I was sitting on the tractor!"

A year of national service was followed by study at Elsenburg and then a year making wine at Perdeberg Co-op before returning to Fairview, the family farm, in 1978.

He admits that like most father and son relationships, it had its moments…

"I learned so much from my dad. He had his own way of doing things, so for me to have one of my ideas accepted I had to really sell it to him. I had to make a convincing argument and go through every angle step-by-step and justify why it was worth doing. That was invaluable - and I knew I only had one shot at it!"

Fairview's climb to prominence probably began in the early '80s when Charles admits he was considering leaving the country.

"That was during the dark days of apartheid, but I had a hunch that South Africa could come right. I felt that I wanted to take part and play a role."

It's at this point that he acknowledges often having hunches - and acting upon them - "and usually I'm right".

Somewhat clichéd, but where others see problems and difficulties, Charles sees opportunities.

His mind turned to how to do things differently, what challenges would present themselves once South Africa was no longer an international pariah.

Travel to France, Australia, New Zealand, California and South America as a winemaker with a decade of experience beneath his belt meant that he viewed things differently.

"I was hungry for knowledge and knew what to look for. I came back and realised we had to trash everything.

"I may have gained a reputation for jumping around and doing odd things in the past, but that's why. And I don't do it for no reason. I think it through carefully."

At this point Charles says he and father Cyril "really started arguing!" "It was essential we be ready, that we give the international market what it wanted but with a uniquely South African style and flair."

As a result Fairview was poised for exports by the late '80s.

What would previously have been a disadvantage - traditional local markets and established supply chains - turned out to be a boon for Fairview.

"The new market was very exciting to be in. If you could compete on price quality ratio, you were in.

"So sanctions were lifted, I knew we had the wine and that we were in with a fighting chance."

The problem was how to get the wine to the market as fast as possible. A fortuitous connection with a British agent who was looking to catch the next great wine wave placed Fairview in an excellent position.

"I liked the agent because he was lean, mean and hungry - and was prepared to operate on a small commission!" It also meant cutting out the middle-men.

Fairview's broad range of wines was also an advantage because the various outlets he was supplying - Tesco, Waitrose, Sainsbury's, Asda, Morrisons, Oddbins and Threshers - all had something different!

"We were managing to get product on the shelf at £5,99 and were making 20% more than our competitors.
"That enabled me to put money back into the business and invest in my infrastructure, which was the biggest shortcoming at the time."

"I was a bit of a busker, picking my way around, learning as I went along!

"I cut out the advertising and PR and all that nonsense, and tried to get distribution as fast as possible."

While he makes it sound easy it was anything but.

What Charles did differently was to personally visit outlets and distributors in the United Kingdom. He and his agent would often spend three weeks driving literally from one end of the country to the other, covering an awesome 6 000 miles! Predawn starts for early appointments were commonplace.

"It was a bit of a slog!" is all he would say.

All that interaction with individuals at the start of Fairview's foray into the international market not only produced results but set the tone for the future.

"The spin-off and momentum gathered from moving within that orbit (the international market) was stimulating.

"I know on a daily basis what's hot, what's blowing cold and so forth through my contact with agents, journalists and people in the trade. It's a true university of wine and I'm plugged into it."

The biggest problem then faced was the size of the Fairview operation and the ability to fulfil demand.

As he said, "you can't open a tap and get more wine".

"If you want to change anything you can't do it overnight. It takes seven or eight years before you see the change. It's not like the stock market where you can move out of commodities into equities.

"It frustrates me sometimes.

"I'm an opportunist in the sense that I spot an opportunity and act on it, but I'm very conservative and traditional in my business approach.

I value a handshake and your word is your word."

The next major move was to deregister Fairview as an estate - a decision not lightly taken.

"I thought long and hard about it. My dad had just died and he was such a supporter of Fairview being an estate, and my uncle Sydney - who I was also very close to - was at one stage chairman of the Estate Producers Association which made the decision very difficult."

Charles decided to only buy grapes that would improve the quality, rather than to increase the volume.

"That was when I realised I'd gone back to my roots - I was a smous at heart! In France they'd call it something larney like a negociant - but that was where I put it together.

"It's so exciting to see grapes destined for co-op wines - perfectly acceptable wines - and realise the potential if they were vinified separately or made differently rather than just going into a big blend."
That's how Fairview Zinfandel ended up winning a red wine award at the International Wine & Spirit competition two years in a row - from grapes destined for a co-op.

Grapes are sourced from within Paarl, Perdeberg, Malmesbury, Darling and all the way to Citrusdal!

"Every day I learn something new. It's so exciting and stimulating making these discoveries.

"I go to all these co-ops and taste from the tanks and find out where this or that wine came from. So I have this organoleptic map of the Western Cape!"

The Spice Route operation came about because of the realisation that at the time Fairview wasn't the right vehicle for a premium priced wine.

Gyles Webb, Jabulani Ntshangase and John Platter became his partners in the venture.

"Malmesbury wasn't a fashionable address, but I had confidence that it offered tremendous potential and the land was cheap."

"I just thought that I couldn't sell a £10 bottle of wine. I didn't think Fairview had the status, not that the wine wasn't good enough. It was perhaps a lack of confidence on my part, so I took the partners on board."

He bought them out in the first year - "and the nice thing is that we're still friends."

"That was a difficult year - paying them out, starting a new business venture, doing 101 things simultaneously, but Spice Route took off. We hit the jackpot."

Spice Route also made him realise that there was room for more growth in his life - hence the Caldera project adjacent to Spice Route.

"It's completely different to Spice Route, the cellar's completed, the first wines have been made and are in barrel, but it's looking the part," he says with a confident smile.

South Africa has learned its lesson fast. There's been a paradigm shift in terms of attitude to grape growing - but there's still a lot of learning to be done.

When asked why he is planting a range of unusual varietals his answer is typically short and frank.

"Because there's not enough research work being done in South Africa.

"The major reason people are struggling is that the backbone of the industry is based on the assumption that there's no room for anything beyond the big five varietals.

"I disagree. I have planted other varieties that I believe are better suited to South African conditions. There's so much potential in South Africa and it's a tragedy that we don't realise what we're sitting on."

"I'm totally devoted to what I'm doing. I don't play golf or have any hobbies. I wish I could write or paint but I don't have the talent.

"I can't read - I don't have the concentration span for it; seldom watch TV unless it's really exciting rugby or cricket."

Yet in the very next breath he admits that he could happily watch a five-day Test, just for the subtleties and nuances of the game. In fact he considered going to the Caribbean for the Test series against the Windies "to drink rum and talk cricket with the locals".

He's a concerned family man although divorced, he's devoted to his children, 18-year-old daughter Bridget, a Matric pupil at Somerset College (very headstrong and artistic, he says) and 15-year-old son Jason who is at Paarl Boys High.

An important part of his life is fiancée Di who handles the tasting room at Fairview and entertains overseas clients.

"She's Fairview's 'front woman' and is my confidant and sounding board," he said. "A vital part of my life," along with her two sons, Robert and Justin.

Innovative labour policies and social reparation projects have garnered Fairview its fair share of headlines overseas.
"I don't do that for the PR - I do that because I want to."

That's why on the day of the interview a bunch of farm children were splashing around in his pool - receiving professional swimming lessons. Fair Valley was up and running before others climbed on the bandwagon - and it only received the mention it did because the labourers were proud of what was being done and demanded the project be publicised.

So a large chunk of his spare time is spent in these worthy pursuits. Fairview has an SA8000 accreditation - the only wine farm to boast this Social Accountability rating.

In spite of his good works, he's often been criticised for the lack of attention to the local market as 80% of his production goes overseas. Fairview has a higher profile abroad than at home.

"That's quite correct. I feel that the style of my wine is not what South Africa's used to - although that's changing. Years ago our wines were tailored for the international market - ripe, upfront fruity, soft wines.

"Our style is now better suited to South African drinking trends than it was 10 years ago, so we are reassessing our domestic participation. "We are focusing on the local restaurant trade and Viognier's going to be my calling card there.

"It's actually incorrect to say we've neglected the South African market," he counters.

Fairview has always been immensely popular in the winelands with thousands of annual visitors. There's a policy in place that Fairview would rather sell individual bottles to people who've taken the trouble to come to the farm than ship an export order.

"I'm committed to the local market - but again in an unorthodox way. I want to give the benefit to the consumer directly."

Plans for the future?

An alliance with a large volume producer is not out of the question. Projects like Goats do Roam could be made in a joint venture. "It clogs up my cellar."

An as yet unnamed new blend of Merlot and Malbec will be on the market within the next year.

"Spice Route's coming out with a stand alone blend - the pinnacle of its range - at the end of the year. We've worked on it for two years.

"Then there's the Caldera Project which will release its first wines towards the middle of 2002. That's going to be a major one for me. "We've also entered the American market."

In typically cautious style, Fairview hung back and watched and waited - a move that paid dividends.

"In our first week we sold more than most SA producers sell in a year in the US market, but it's because we have the right contracts. And my cousin, Robin Back, is in New York and is the man on the spot, working the market full time.

On the cards are new cheese and wine tasting rooms.

A new winery was erected in the past year, now home to 14 tanks, each with a capacity of 60 000l, and in a basement, a 1 000 barrel maturation cellar.

"A lot of people are better at their jobs than I am.

"I like to be the weakest link in my chain. I'm surrounded by people far more talented than me - and that's the way I like it.

"If you hire clones of yourself, you do it to dominate them. I can't - and that's a vital part of our success.

"My job today is to play devil's advocate, to challenge my team intellectually and to keep their creative juices flowing."

The Oxford Concise Dictionary defines a maverick as "an unorthodox or independent-minded person".

History will serve to prove whether this is a niche Charles Back fits into.
Goats Do Roam
A strategic alliance with a large volume producer could happen. Projects like Goats do Roam could be made in a joint venture. That line alone requires 750 tons of grapes!

"We were always going to make a Rhône blend… and Jeremy (Borg - marketing manager) was overseas when he was approached by Roger Higgs, a former wine buyer in the UK. He actually suggested the "Goats do Roam" label.

"I perhaps didn't appreciate the English wit initially and told Jeremy not to be stupid.

"But I thought about it for a long time and came up with the back label first with a lot of help from Jeremy, Anthony de Jager and Michael Fridjhon."

So with an Anthony Lane label it soon had its own niche, separate from Fairview - and took off like a rocket! The rosé followed suit and a white made with Grenache Blanc is in the pipeline.

Next up is a Goat Rotie - reserve range.

"It's endless what you can do - we'll have a whole Goat range."

Grapes to Watch

There's an international clamour for Viognier and of course Fairview is in a position to fulfil that demand, having planted it years ago.

"I'm not saying we don't make good Cabernet, Merlot or Chardonnay, but I don't think that the big three are suited to South African conditions on the whole. There are isolated pockets where they do well.

"I think Shiraz is consistently one of the better performers across the board.

"For example, if I had a farm in the Hemel-en-Aarde valley I'd plant Shiraz, not waste my time with Pinot Noir.

"The second variety doing very well is Malbec. Don't get me wrong, there are places where Merlot's fantastic, but it's not suited to everywhere.

"Carignan has enormous potential. It tends to produce soft but intensely flavoured wines for modern drinking. It's such a good blender with Shiraz. "I think we can do better with Cinsaut by reducing yields and using better clones.

"Mourvédre is another grape with so much potential that I don't even know where to start! It can be grown everywhere.

"I've never been fanatical about South African Chardonnay - with a few exceptions. Internationally we will always come second.

"I'd love to see Viognier playing a more important role - and to be credited with it!"