Vinexpo Daily 2019 - Day 4 Edition

REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT: SOUTH AFRICA
Overhex’s new
look Balance to
support elephants
Avondale produces
organic wines for
ageing
Avondale, the pioneering estate
from South Africa’s Paarl region,
hopes to show the ageing
potential of biodynamic and
organic wines with the limitedrelease
of its Avondale Samsara
2009 ‘Decade Edition’.
Samsara comes from 13 different
parcels of grapes that have been
brought together to best reflect both
the property’s soils, its biodynamic
and organic principles and the
property’s motto: Terra Est Vita - ‘Soil
is Life’.
“South African wines, and specifically
organic wines, are often perceived
as not being suitable for ageing,”
says Avondale owner, Jonathan
Grieve. “We want to show that
wines produced with care, following
organic and biodynamic principles,
can improve with age just as well
– and perhaps better – than their
conventional counterparts.”
help create a wine with concentrated
flavours, and fully ripened tannins.
“The reason for the way we farm is to
get that core character, the elegance
of the grape and the terroir of
Avondale, into the wine,” says Grieve.
Avondale’s desire to create wines
that show the true character of its
vineyards extends to the winery where
it only uses naturally-occurring wild
yeasts for spontaneous fermentation,
a process that can take months to
complete, with dozens of unique
yeast strains involved in the process.
It also uses whole-bunches in the
fermentation to bring added structure
and freshness to the wine.
“It’s a bit like a relay race, with
different yeast strains taking over at
different stages. We believe that if
you rely on one single strain of yeast
it gives you a one-dimensional wine,”
adds Grieve.
Balance, the quirky range
of everyday South African
wines from Overhex Wines
International, has come to
Vinexpo with a new look that
pushes the environmental and
charitable credentials of this
innovative brand.
The range of Balance wines are best
known for what it calls its ‘trusty
mascot - Hank, the elephant’ that
are star of its labels. For every bottle
sold, Overhex, makes a contribution
to Elephant Human Relations Aid
(EHRA) Peace project, an educational
programme that works with local
communities in South Africa on how
to protect themselves and live in
areas where wild elephants roam.
“The Southern African desert
elephant and EHRA are something
I am especially passionate about,”
says Gerhard van der Wath, owner
and chairman of Overhex and a keen
wildlife enthusiast. “Seeing these
enormous creatures living wild in the
desert really made an impression on
me. Through Balance wines, we are
pleased to be able to give back to a
cause that means a lot to us.”
The upgraded Balance packaging
uses digital technology, linked to an
online game that asks users to help
Hank, the elephant, ‘balance’ his way
on a unicycle back to his ancestral
desert home. A donation is made on
the player’s behalf to the EHRA Peace
project once they have completed the
final stage of the game.
The Balance game can also be played
directly online at https://balance.
wine via a smartphone or computer.
Balance, which is now sold in 37
countries, has upgraded both its
Winemaker’s Selection and Classic
Collection ranges with a more
minimalist look that uses splashes of
colour to catch people’s attention.
The Balance Classic Collection
includes a Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet
Sauvignon Merlot and Semi-sweet
rosé. The Balance Winemaker’s
Selection features a Sauvignon Blanc,
Pinot Grigio, Chenin Blanc, Merlot,
Pinot Noir and Shiraz.
Overhex Wines International, which
was founded in 2007 in Worcester in
the Western Cape, is now the eighth
largest exporter of South African
wines
Hall 1 / Stand AB125
Samsara uses 100% Syrah grapes
that come from the farm’s low yielding
vineyards, with soil types ranging
from red sand to decomposed granite
to ferricrete. In some vineyards the
ground is up to 80% rock, but it’s these
low yields combined with Grieve’s
unique BioLOGIC principles, that
The Samsara 2009 is ready to drink
now, but, “still has years left to
mature and improve,” says Grieve
Hall 1 / Stand W275 WOW!
14 VINEXPO DAILY / DAY 4 / THURSDAY 16 TH MAY 2019