Welbedacht's 'Groot' Schalk Burger
Schalk Shares His Passion for Rugby and Wine
Wellington vintner Schalk Willem Petrus Burger Snr is larger than life, a giant in form and spirit. As patriarch of SA rugby's first-family, former Bok lock Groot Schalk contradicts the notion that forwards are all brawn and nothing else. WINE's Rob Morris reports from the Karoo.
There's an irony in travelling to a lost corner of the Groot Karoo to meet a man as conspicuous as Schalk Burger Senior. Mount Pierre is his 7 500ha expanse of scrubland 60km north of Victoria West in the Northern Cape. The 1.95m tall Burger calls it home for a month every year. He entrusts his Wellington farm Welbedacht to youngest son Tiaan and heads for big-sky country, racks of lamb and silence.
Born in Cape Town, schooled in Paarl and with a B.Comm degree from the University of Stellenbosch, Burger's first association with the liquor industry came at SA Breweries as a sales development officer.
In 1984, at age 28, he debuted for the senior Bok side against England in Port Elizabeth, a year after the birth of his first child and current Springbok flanker Schalk Junior. Burger Senior and Junior are the eighth father-son Springbok combination and the first ever combo to both wear national colours at under-21 level.
The '80s were years of sporting isolation and its effect was hitting home and hurting the rugby public. "By the modern schedule we would have played more but that was just the reality of the time. Because players never knew if we'd play another test match as a nation again, every cap was precious."
Burger was to represent his country in six tests played at home between '84 and '86 against "rebel tours", four against the controversial New Zealand Cavaliers. His provincial career saw a brief stint at Eastern Province before moving to Western Province. Like so many of his time, politics had nipped greatness in the bud.
Heading-up marketing for Union Wine (now DGB), Burger made Wellington his home in 1987. The decade that followed was thick with accomplishment.
Sports marketing giant Megapro - co-founded by Burger in 1986 - flourished during the reintegration of SA teams into the international arena in 1992. "I founded Megapro on three principles: that we would have free and fair elections, that Nelson Mandela would be released and that we would re-enter international sport. As it transpired my sequence was a little out."
The company brokered rights for M-Net in the creation of the Supersport brand and Burger was integral in rallying sport to the political cause, finding himself at the seminal multi-party negotiations at Kempton Park in 1993. He counts the late Govan Mbeki, the Breytenbach family and Johann Rupert amongst his dearest friends. A side-act as rugby commentator for M-Net came to its conclusion in 1995.
With the purchase of the farm Af en Toe, Burger began farming in Wellington in 1995 with 40ha of Cinsaut and Chenin Blanc. In 1997 Welbedacht was bought with the intention to make wine on site but an application for commercial rezoning was declined in 2000, putting the opening of the cellar and tasting room on hold. Four years passed before permission was eventually granted. The Burger clan had a territory, Welbdacht was a trademark and the building of the cellar commenced.
"My architects were terrified at the prospect of working with me. Not because of my deadline for completion being January 2006 but because I liked the idea of a design-along. I build and they design!"
The man's philosophy on wine contrasts a voracity to remain an entrepreneur. He believes in terroir despite the sway of brand "Burger", he envisions wines of 12 or 13% alcohol in the mould of Europe's greatest but does so with a design spec - he digs the soil profiles himself and is devoted to meticulous canopy management. "I will never win a vineyard-block competition because I've planted north-south."
Burger's range is savvy, positioned to lock up a good share of the low-to-medium price bracket locally through wines over-delivering on price. While less than five percent of his production is sold abroad, business in the republic is booming. Welbedacht is the premium range and Meerkat the value-for-money alternative.
With his best reds yet from the 2003 vintage, cash flow doesn't seem to be a problem. The Welbedacht range includes a Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Shiraz, Pinotage, Merlot and the flagship Cab-Merlot blend, Cricket Pitch (named for the field on the farm where the brothers Tiaan and Schalk jnr played cricket).
Some consideration went into the concept for the Meerkat range, notwithstanding their presence in droves on Mount Pierre in the Karoo. "I pulled some research on consumer associations with animals and topping even dogs and the panda bear were meerkatte. They induce the greatest buyer empathy."
Under the Meerkat label is a Chenin Blanc, Pinotage and Burrow Blend of Cabernet and Merlot. The range is a money-spinner and is virtually sold out ex-cellar.
A student job on an export grape farm fostered Burger's early affinity for soil and vine. "Terroir became, very literally, an organic extension of what I stand for and love." He is concerned, however, that the term is too loosely applied in justifying plantings for the sake of intrigue.
"Achieving cultivar typicity is a lot of the focus at Welbedacht but we leave the rest to terroir. There has never been a greater need for regulating production in this country through some local version of appellation control. 'Cool climate' is marketing hype and the vagaries of 'wood matured' for example allow opportunists to get away with planks or chips."
Regarded as somewhat of a visionary, Burger is quick to draw on sporting analogies. "South Africa has gone into the international wine market with trepidation and in search of security. We've turned to Australia and the US for the formula but have failed to execute. They are our opponents. If we believe we can only compete by emulating their approach, they're in a better position to anticipate our every move."
On the other hand he observes, "No wine industry in the world is as fond of creating demi-gods of its winemakers as South Africa. We scrap terroir and every natural asset we possess, our national identity and winemaking heritage, to elevate winemakers to unprecedented heights. This situation is not ideal. The industry needs characters, not egotists. Where are the Ronnie Melcks, Brözels and Pongraczs?"
Now into his 11th harvest as a grower, bulk sales are less a part of his strategy, which involves selling to top producers what doesn't go into making his own wines.
The door remains open to Marc Kent of Franschhoek's Boekenhoutskloof whose Syrah comprises Burger's fruit. "Marc is a smart guy and has remained very hands-on throughout the relationship. He's purchased more than just our Syrah before but I can't elaborate on that."
Welbedacht recently entered a new era with the appointment of Jacques Wentzel - previously of Môreson - as winemaker. Burger's youngest son Tiaan is the marketing manager and Klein Schalk is building his first home on the property.
Rugby World Cup, France: what is Burger's take on South Africa's prospects? He is adamant the All Blacks will make the final - their opponents, the Springboks. "Our fly-half is going to be pivotal to the mix. A wet northern hemisphere tournament is predicted. A reliable kicking boot will decide the winner."
In typical Burger fashion he issues the cautionary: "Player relationships are something sacrosanct. Player distrust in the hierarchy of rugby administration is being borne out on the field of play. I used my influence in sport to change this country's politics for the better. It's time politics returned the favour."
PLAYER PROFILE
Full names: Schalk Willem Petrus Burger
Date of birth: 6 October 1955
Place of birth: Cape Town, South Africa
School: Paarl Gimnasium
University: Stellenbosch
Current age: 51
Tests: 6 Tries: 0
Test history:
2 June 1984: South Africa 33-15 England (Port Elizabeth)
9 June 1984: South Africa 35-9 England (Johannesburg)
10 May 1986: South Africa 21-15 New Zealand Cavaliers (Cape Town)
17 May 1986: New Zealand Cavaliers 19-18 South Africa (Durban)
24 May 1986: South Africa 33-18 New Zealand Cavaliers (Pretoria)
31 May 1986: South Africa 24-10 New Zealand Cavaliers (Johannesburg)
* MEERKAT
Dry White: Chenin Blanc
Off-dry Rosé: Pettilant Rene (Pinotage)
Red Wine: Burrow Blend (Merlot & Cabernet Sauvignon); Pinotage
* SCHALK BURGER & SONS
Dry White: Myra VCC (Chardonnay & Chenin & Viognier)
Red Wine: No 6 (Shiraz & Malbec & Petit Verdot & Pinotage & Viognier & Mourvèdre)
* WELBEDACHT
Dry White: Barrel Fermented Chardonnay; Barrel Fermented Chenin Blanc
Red Wine: Cabernet Sauvignon; Cricket Pitch (Merlot & Cabernet Sauvignon); Merlot (W); Pinotage; Syrah
