South Africa Edition 2

THE MARKET
Backsberg Estate Cellars has a straightforward
philosophy: If it isn’t right in the vineyards, it won’t
be right in the cellar. From the vine to the bottle,
the key to a Backsberg wine is “drinkability”.
The winery strives for harmony of fruit,
sweetness, tannin and acid for seamless wines
that have gained worldwide popularity. Backsberg
currently has 150 acres under vines - somewhat
lower than usual, due to the aggressive removal
of all under performing vineyards. It’s a brand
that takes quality seriously.
Backsberg’s growing celebrity is ascribed
to the estate’s excellent vineyard management,
an expertly trained and broadly experienced
winemaking team, keen palates and a global
perspective. Vineyard management strategies
include:
• Careful site selection to optimise the estate’s
several different soil types, elevations,
temperatures, wind and sun exposure
• Intensive soil preparation prior to planting
to assist the vine in establishing a deep root
system, ensuring that the vine feeds deeply
and produces wines of structure
• Carefully controlled pruning and canopy
management to ensure fruit quantity is
regulated, and fruit positioning and shading
is managed
• A planting program is designed to produce
the best possible wine from Backsberg’s
vineyards and managing vineyards in other
areas in order to create the finest wines
With careful attention to bottling and labelling,
Backsberg Estate Cellars produces a product
that appeals on every level.
Modern technology is then combined
with traditional winemaking practices
to create the quality wines with which
Backsberg is associated. Much emphasis
is placed on the gentle handling of the grapes to
retain the specific fruit character of the different
varieties. The red wines are aged in French Oak
barrels for a period of 12 to 24 months, with new
barrels being introduced annually into the barrel
stock to ensure the appropriate oak balance in the
young wines.
Thanks to the estate’s passion and innovation
Backsberg is firmly established as a cornerstone
South African brand, well known to wine drinkers
and connoisseurs. South Africa is the world’s
ninth biggest wine-producer and accounts for 3.3
percent of the global market. South African wine
consumption is around 8.7 litres per person per
year and with agents in 24 countries around the
world, Backsberg now has a global market too.
As South African wines become more prized
by foreign wine drinkers, Backsberg is a leader
among winners. Wine drinkers are essentially a
smaller group than drinkers of other alcoholic
beverages, but the market also tends to be quite
discerning. Backsberg appeals to this sector for
its quality and value.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Backsberg continues to be recognised for its fine
wine. Recent awards include Trophies for Best
Chardonnay and Best White Wine on show at the
Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show 2007; Gold Medal,
Babylons Toren Viognier, at the Swiss International
Airline Wine Awards 2007; Best Red Blend, Klein
Babylons Toren, at Winemaker’s Choice Awards
2006; Best Brandy Trophy, Sydney Back 10 Year
Old Brandy, at Michelangelo Wine Awards 2006;
Best Chenin Blanc at the Paarl Chenin and Shiraz
Challenge 2007.
In 2005, Backsberg was
selected as one of the
Top 100 Wineries of
the Year by Wine &
Spirits Magazine in New
York. Wineries are chosen
based on consistently high
performance and scores
across a 12 month tasting cycle.
Over the years the Backs have playing a
leading role in the wine industry. The late Sydney
Back, wine doyen, whose honours included
twice being named as Champion Winemaker of
the Year at the South African National Young
Winemakers Competition has been succeeded
by Michael Back who is also seen as a leading
environmentalist in South Africa.
HISTORY
The history of the Backsberg Estate Cellars is not
unlike the history of so many South African farms
that sprung from the painstaking work of European
immigrant farmers around the 1900s.
However, some things set Backsberg apart.
Located in the heart of South Africa’s winelands
in Paarl, Western Cape, Backsberg was blessed
with an ideal climate, superb hillside vineyards
and a team of dedicated people. From the winery’s
inception in 1916, founder C L Back and his
family have been notorious for innovation, hard
work and a solid resolve to make the best wines
that South Africa could produce.
This was precisely what motivated C L Back
when he bought 300 acres of farmland after
packing up his life in Lithuania and moving to
South Africa in 1902. The estate received its
original name Klein Babylonstoren - “Little
Tower of Babylon” - from a rock outcrop that
forms a tower-like shape in the middle of the
vineyard, which reminded the original Dutch
settlers of the Tower of Babylon.
In the early days, the wine produced from the
estate was either sold in bulk to the KWV - a
worldwide trading company and leading exporter
of South African fine wines - or exported to the
UK, usually under the name, “Backs Wines”.
Other agricultural crops were also grown on the
property, a practise that continues today.
In 1938 Sydney Back joined his father in the
business, perpetuating his father’s commitment to
hard work and dedication. In the post war years the
two men worked exceptionally hard to improve
their farming practices, to expand the vineyards
and plant them to “noble” varieties, as well as
to modernise the wine production facilities. 1970
saw a re-invention of the business and the Backs
introduced the name Backsberg Estate Cellars as
the brand name, with the emphasis on making
top quality varietal wines reaffirmed.
Michael Back, current owner of Backsberg
Estate Cellars, joined Backsberg in 1976. He
and his staff continue to be as committed as his
forefathers to retain Backsberg’s position as one
of South Africa’s - and the world’s - finest wine
estates.