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Flagstone Shines at the Stellenbosch & South African National Wine Show Awards Under Leadership of Winemaker Gerhard Swart

The winemaking team at Flagstone are celebrating their huge haul of trophy silverware at both the Stellenbosch and the South African National Young Wine Shows. At the Stellenbosch ward show, the team — led by Gerhard Swart – walked away with five class trophies, including Overall Champion White Wine for their unwooded Semillon (a wine destined for Flagstone Two Roads white blend) and the Overall Champion Red Wine for their wooded Pinotage, a wine destined to be the next award-winning Flagstone Writer’s Block Pinotage.

At the National Young Wine Show, Flagstone collected three class trophies and took home the Overall National Frank Myburgh Trophy for best Semillon and the Dr A I Perold Trophy for the best Pinotage.

“We are extremely chuffed with these awards,” says Gerhard. “These trophies prove that the Flagstone winemaking philosophy works.”

“I think the biggest influence on this extraordinary trophy haul has been the Flagstone winemaking team. Most of the cellar hands have been at Flagstone for at least eight years now, so they know their stuff. We have a brilliant assistant winemaker in Gerald Cakijana, and Gerhard Swart is one of the best winemakers I’ve ever seen anywhere in the world. And of course nothing would ever get done without our winery manager, Mia Pengilly,” said Bruce.

Gerhard’s career started a decade ago when he received his diploma in Cellar Technology from Elsenburg Agricultural College outside Stellenbosch. Since then he has picked up many additional qualifications and has embarked on his studies to become a certified Cape Wine Master. Before joining Flagstone he worked vintages at Hueges de Beauvignag at Pomerals (France) and at V Sattui Castello de Amoroso in Napa Valley. While working at Bonnievale Winecellar, Gerhard picked up a number of prizes, including three gold Michelangelo International awards, and 11 golds at the SA young Wine Show between 2002 and 2006. In his spare time, Gerhard loves spending time with his young family and spending time in the mountains on his bike.

“I believe these awards are just the tip of the iceberg for Flagstone. We have a passionate tradition of breaking boundaries and leading from the front and I am honoured to be part of it. We always have something special for wine lovers,” says Gerhard.

When a single cellar excels to this degree at the SA National Wine Show, it demonstrates firstly that the vineyards are beginning to perform at their best. It also shows that the winery is attuned to craft world class wines from these vineyards. That compatibility is essential.

But most importantly, it indicates that Flagstone has some exciting wine of the highest quality from the momentous 2009 to bottle in the future.

Flagstone wines can be sampled at Constellation Wines’ new tasting room at the historic Doornbosch Centre on Strand Road (R44), just past Dorp Street.

“It’s cool to open a simple tasting room where the emphasis is not on slick décor and fancy fittings but on what we care about most – our wines,” Gerhard adds. “We believe that they can stand alone and that all wine drinkers should do one simple thing: trust their taste.”

The new tasting room will be open Mondays to Fridays, 10am to 4pm (closed weekends and public holidays). Don’t hesitate to contact the winery on 021 882 8177 if you need any further info.