Meet Eben Archer, the vine whisperer
"Do you know what the definition of a legend is?” he asks, cigarette in hand, his blue shirt matched to the colour of his eyes. “It is a story told over generations, often pertaining to saints.” He takes a drag of his cigarette. “And I am no saint.”
Many would beg to differ; when it comes to viticulture – the study of grape cultivation and understanding the essence of the vine – Professor Eben Archer is as legendary as they come.
Professor, academic, researcher, consultant and (world-renowned) expert, nature-lover by heart and mentor by profession, Eben is a captivating individual, his passion for his subject conveyed by a voice as warm and inviting as a cup of hot chocolate.
His is a name with an international following, his ongoing research in the field of viticulture has not only branded him as a pioneer, his studies at research centre Nietvoorbij during South Africa’s isolation years made him one of the foremost advancers of the local wine trade – even during sanctions he was a key player who ensured that, scientifically, the SA wine industry was on par with the rest of the world.
It is a career path that has its roots early in Eben’s life. Born in Nababeep in the Northern Cape, “an old coppermine town where only the blue gums provided some greenness”, Eben had little hope of engaging with nature as a botanist. However, a family visit to his aunt’s wine farm in the lush Olifants River Valley changed this fate. Passing over the barren Knersvlakte, Eben was stunned by the green valley that greeted him. “When they opened the car door at my aunt’s farm I dashed out into the green,” he remembers. “I sat between the vines until it became dark. I could hear my family calling me, they were looking for me with lanterns. Around me I had spread the leaves from the Hanepoot vine, and realising that I might be in trouble, I tried to push the leaves back onto the branch.” He was five years old.
That winter Eben received three cuttings of Hanepoot which he planted at his house in Nababeep. “One I planted upside down, the other two I planted correctly, and one bore fruit.”
Nearly 60 years have passed since that day between the vines and still Eben dreams of having his own wine farm. “My father was a poor copper miner; there was never any hope for this kind of inheritance or capital.”
This didn’t stop him from living between vines and today Eben is considered one of the experts in his field – locally and internationally.
His fascination with the vine is far from purely academic; it is backed by an almost esoteric connection with vines: “It is the most beautiful plant God has created. The vines speak to you, but it isn’t a language you hear – it is a language that you see,” he explains, adding, “There is no such thing as a winemaker – winemakers are really just grape processors.” He indicates towards the sky, “There is but one great Winemaker.”
It is undoubtedly this familiarity and close relationship with vineyards that distinguishes Eben from his peers.
Eben started his viticultural career as researcher at Nietvoorbij in Stellenbosch in 1971 – where he was aided by the most basic of equipment, “a set of secateurs and a scale” – before assuming a position as lecturer at Stellenbosch University. He held both positions for 17 years, years which would prove invaluable to the wine industry. During those years he studied towards a PhD at the University of Montpellier in France and has demonstrated his understanding of the vine, consulting to wineries in France, Mendoza, Stellenbosch and Chile, among others. As a lecturer he has been a mentor to hundreds of winemakers who today determine what we drink.
He doesn’t downplay his influence either: “When I left Nietvoorbij the viticultural department had grown in terms of personnel and equipment. The level of expertise established through forward-thinking research is important. It is knowledge that is still applied (and taught) in the industry today.”
It is, however, on a personal level that Eben is remembered most fondly, as any winemaker who had the honour of sitting on a bench in Professor Archer’s class will tell you: he was one of the best lecturers the viticultural department ever had. It is easy to understand why; as he relays stories of his students it is clear that the relationship between lecturer and student often extended beyond the lines of duty. Professor Archer was also a father figure, friend and mentor.
“It gave me great pleasure to teach. When it came to my students I knew each individual’s father and mother. I knew the name of the dog and cat,” says Eben, and then as an aside, “No-one could bunk my classes.”
Yet, Eben sees himself as a guide rather than a teacher: “I believe that you have to develop the solution yourself. I can only plant the seeds that allow you to think on another level, but you have to find your own path there – I can only guide people to take the right decision.”
In recent years this ‘right decision’ has been a move towards ‘bio-farming’, a strategy promoting a balance between cultivation and the natural world, a scheme Eben has been implementing at, among others, Neethlingshof. The biodiversity programme at this Stellenbosch estate was intensified in 2003 and there are signs of a fragile environment slowly being restored. The morning of the interview a secretary bird ran alongside our vehicle in the vineyard – the second time Eben has seen the bird in eight years – which invariably led us to talk about climate change.
Without downplaying the phenomenon, Eben says that farmers have unknowingly been adapting to a changing environment and, although an outspoken nature conservationist, he is remarkably pragmatic when it comes to organic farming practices. “Romantically, organic farming is correct. Realistically, the producer is suffering.” Instead, Eben promotes the Integrated Production of Wine (IPW) strategy, which allows farmers to make money while minimising their impact on the environment.
“I talk to many farmers, they tell me they started farming with their grandfather’s money, to survive they delved into their father’s money, then their own money – they are now farming with their children’s money.” His solution to this is viewed as rather controversial: “The perception is that you need to harvest six tonnes per hectare to make a quality wine; I say it is impossible to make a living on less than 11 tonnes per hectare, but very possible to make a great wine on even 26 tonnes per hectare. All you need is a winemaker willing to adjust his winemaking techniques.”
Is the answer perhaps genetically modified vines? “I’m all for it,” says Eben without blinking, “if this means that the vine’s root system will be buffered against unfavourable conditions enabling farmers to save money.” What about the opponents? “We are naive if we think the planting of GM vines will detract from the ‘romanticism’ of winemaking. As a viticulturist I would still have to decide how I want to plant the vine, what trellising system I would like to use, when I want to prune…There would still be a series of thought processes involved.”
He concedes that the wine industry is an ever-changing, dynamic environment, especially on a research level. “People shouldn’t be too attached to the way their grandfather farmed; they should embrace modern techniques.” Also new varieties, as Eben alluded to a “host of interesting varieties undergoing testing at Nietvoorbij”.
Expertise and research clearly still define this professor who, on a lighter side, quips about his inability to retire to enjoy his hobby, golf. Eben currently consults to 26 wine farms, most of which fall under Distell’s Cape Legends portfolio, a scope which leaves him little time to enjoy a round on the course. “I’ve got two dreams,” he says.
“I either want to walk in a vineyard and fall on my knees when I die or it must happen during a round of golf.
“But before that happens I hope to see the day that South Africa is deemed the world champion of all wine types.” A noble dream for someone who doesn’t consider himself a saint.
