Winemaker Interview: Carl van der Merwe

Posted by | Posted in Interviews | Posted on 01-18-2013

Carl Van der Merwe

Each week, as regular readers know, we pose a series of questions to a winemaker. This week, we’re featuring Carl van der Merwe, the winemaker of DeMorgenzon in Stellenbosch.

DeMorgenzon, or “the morning sun,” was purchased by Wendy & Hylton Appelbaum in 2003. The site sees the Stellenboshkloof valley’s  first rays of sun daily, thus the solar-themed moniker. The vines and cellar at DeMorgenzon receive a constant feed of Baroque music in order to energize the plant life (and the human workers as well, I imagine). They have obviously researched the effects of such practices, which you can read all about via their website, or you just just take it from me that their flagship Chenin Blanc truly does sing.

Carl joined DeMorgenzon in July 2010 after an 8 year stint at Quoin Rock Winery in Stellenbosch where he made excellent wines and collected many accolades. Carl received a degree in business management and oenology at Stellenbosch University and is currently a Master of Wine student.

Check out our interview with Carl below the fold!

What is your general winemaking philosophy?

I don’t have any recipes or standard approaches to winemaking. I allow the vintage to dictate to what is required in the cellar.

Generally, I am quite hands off. Whole bunch pressing, no inoculation, no enzymes, minimal fining and filtration, etc., are standard practice — however, if intervention is needed, my desire for minimal intervention is weighed against all the options I have to make the best decision for the quality of the wine.

As a winemaker, our job is to intervene, but modern winemaking solutions often negate individuality and uniqueness, being designed to maximize yield. Blending is essential and I generally don’t believe in single vineyard wines. I keep batches and styles separate for as long as I can, developing them into different styles and I will then approach blending from the perspective of “building” a wine to give a great sense of balance. Balance is essential across all quality levels.

What’s open in your kitchen right now?

A bottle of Premier Cru Chablis and a Sancerre along with my beautiful wife Kathleen; 3 bubbly kiddies: Kyrah, Tamar and Seth; my faithful sheepdog, Storm and the rat catcher Jack Russel Terrier Jenna. The kitchen is the heart of the home and ours is no exception. Standards are good coffee, rusks ( South African form of biscotti, dunked in coffee ), olive oil, pasta, anchovies, olives, pine nuts and fresh tomatoes

Who are your favorite winemakers in history, through personal account, or their wines?

There are so many, but folks who are passionate and committed to quality have made the biggest impression. One standout memory was sharing lunch with the late Didier Dagenau in Pouilly, watching South Africa beat the French at rugby with Martin Prieure ( Domaine Jacques Prieure ) and celebrating with a 1990 Musigny, sharing 3 visits with the no nonsense Alphonse Mellot from Sancerre, sharing 2 visits with the deeply thoughtful and relective Noel Pinguet from Domaine Huet in Vouvray, sharing a vintage with the extremely bubbly Jhangzhing from Helan Quinxhue in Ningxia, China and Professor Li Demei and spending 2 months at Chateau Pichon Longueville where I managed to spend a lot of time with the wonderful woman May Eliane de Lenquessaing.

How do you spend your days off?

Anything outdoors, but waterskiing and mountain biking would be top of the list. I have a wonderful family and enjoy time playing with my children — it’s a huge pleasure. We live on the estate so time off is generally spent in different environments unless entertaining family and friends.

What’s the best wine you’ve ever tasted?

1990 La Chapelle, 1982 Rustenberg Cabernet Sauvignon

The most interesting?

This would probably be wines from the Languedoc-Rousillon in France, more specifically the wines from high altitude St Martin de Fenouillet.

What’s the oldest bottle in your cellar?

1948 South African port

The most expensive?

1982 Cos de Estournel.

If you had to pick one red and one white to drink for the next month with every dinner, what would you choose?

Probably reds and whites from the Northern Rhone. This region delivers interesting to great wines from both good and poor vintages and both the reds and whites have an excellent balance between linearity and fullness.

What’s your biggest challenge as a winemaker?

To remain aware of quality in terms of a global perspective. One has to keep up to date with wine styles across the globe in order to know how to pitch your style and price point. To keep focus. The wine industry is cyclical and one has to deal with the extreme busyness of vintage and then the challenge of selling wine in the quieter time of the year.

What’s your favorite wine region in the world — other than your own?

In terms of what I have visited, France probably takes first place here. There is such diversity and the regions are easy to access. I also enjoy the regulated industry which provides clarity to wine styles. Cultures are so different between different areas and you land up learning so much in a relatively short period of time.

Is beer ever better than wine?

Craft beer can be very very good, however it will never have the length and balance of wine. However, if I was raving thirsty on a hot day and you offered me a cold glass of Sauvignon or an ice cold beer, I would definitely opt for a cold beer!

What would people be surprised to know about you?

I cannot handle bad service and don’t suffer fools gladly!

I have just returned from working a vintage in Ningxia, China, where I was part of a group of 7 international winemakers exchanging ideas with local Ningxia winemakers. We visited some remote areas of China where people had never seen westerners before except on television!

If you weren’t making wine for a living, what would you be doing?

Something involving food. Aquaculture has always intrigued me and I see a huge future for it given the decline of natural resources. I am passionate about quality produce.

How do you define success? 

I think success and one’s drive towards it changes as you go through life. For me, success is what you carry over to your family in terms of the living example you set as a husband and a father. It’s a great challenge being a great husband and father where you need to set aside your pride in order to allow yourself to continually change, remaining sensitive to the needs of those around you. My biggest challenge in terms of success is one’s natural drive towards what “the world” views as success in terms of monetary/material value. It can frustrate you when you think you don’t have it and when you end up chasing it… I guess you will never feel like you have really achieved it!

Having said this, building successful businesses that provides work for people is a great calling and one which I value very highly.

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