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BWC wines (formerly Barefoot Wine
Company)
Stellenbosch, South Africa
BWC (formerly Barefoot Wine
Company) - How it all began...
BWC Wines (formerly
Barefoot Wine Company, established in 1997) now operates from the new cellar at
Ridgeback Wines in Agter Paarl.
The company does not own vineyards, but
sources the grapes from some of the best vineyards to make our quality wines.
This is in the tradition of the French ‘negociants’ -- with a South
African flavour.
Current production is 25 tons, which includes Pinot
Noir, Shiraz, Farrago a red blend and Myriad a fortified wine.
Our
flagship wine, Pinot Noir (red Burgundy), is a notoriously difficult wine to
produce and accounts for only a small percentage of South African red wine
output. Winemaker, Cathy Marshall, has travelled to Australia, California,
Oregon, Bordeaux and Burgundy to hone her skills and we are proud with the
wines that she has created. We often say that we are “Powered by
Pinot”!
Our Shiraz is sourced from one of the finest vineyards in
South Africa with exceptional fruit quality.
The funky Farrago (read the
back label to find out the reason for the name!) is based on a unique Pinot
Noir-Cabernet Sauvignon blend.
The fortified Myriad is the only wine
that we make using the traditional ‘barefoot’ grape crushing style
(we just cannot find enough feet to produce the quantities of other wines we
would like to!). Each year BWC Wines hosts a grape footstomping gathering where
we invite friends to join us in this great experience.
Over the past few
years we have established a dedicated following for our boutique wines. We hope
you will join us and enjoy our wines as much as we do! The wines are available
in selected wine shops and served in some of the best restaurants throughout
South Africa, Switzerland and the UK.
All great wines need to be dressed
properly. Here too, we believe we have created something unique in our
collaboration with artist Hannetjie de Clercq. The wonderful labels on each of
our varietal vintages enhance the total experience.
Our wines are
exciting and fulfilling to make, the wines are terrific to drink and the
bottles provide a classic backdrop to any table.
Current
owners of the BWC Wines are:
Jeff Jolly, Cathy Marshall, Greg Mitchell,
Peter Oxenham |
BWC - The winemaker,
Cathy Marshall:
Cathy Marshall Shortly after completing a degree
in Physical Education at Stellenbosch University, Cathy decided that winemaking
was preferable to teaching. She enrolled at Elsenberg College graduating with a
Diploma in viticulture and winemaking in 1991.
Cathy has served
apprenticeships in South African wineries (Blaauwklippen, Delaire, Vergelegen)
and undertaken specialised training in France, Oregon, California and
Australia. She has been resident winemaker for Meinert Winery, Ken Forrester
Wines, Old Vines and Amani.
Cathy on why she is "Powered by Pinot". 'A
lot of people ask me why I choose to tackle such a difficult variety such as
Pinot Noir and the reason is that the greatest wines to my palate are the
Burgundies. It is also wonderful to work with a variety that demands attention
to detail both viticulturally and in the cellar and I love a challenge. In
South Africa, we are starting to take quantum strides in vine material, site
selection, barrel choice and wine making techniques which make it exciting to
be a part of.'
Cathy also enjoys Rhone wines. 'I want to work with a
variety that offers elegance, suppleness and be a blending partner for other
varieties like Grenache, Viognier and Mourvedre which is why I chose Shiraz.'
BWC - Annual Grape Crush:
Each year
BWC Wines hosts a grapecrush party. We gather our friends and crush about one
ton of grapes with our feet. The 2000 grapecrush saw the introduction of the
Barefoot Myriad, a dessert wine. A limited quantity (+/- 700 bottles) of Myriad
is produced each year.
This year we held two grapecrush parties, the
first at the Riebeek Kasteel home of Hannetjie de Clerq 2000 and the second at
Riverside Logde, a guest house in the Kouebokkeveld.
More information
(Click on links):
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