“If a single South African wine personality made news this year, it would have to be the audacious, inimitable and effusive Jack,” declared the judges.
Constellation Brands Inc, the world’s largest wine company purchased Flagstone Winery in October. Bruce Jack however, remained the chief viticulturalist, winemaker and marketer of Flagstone.
“South Africa makes fantastic premium wine,” says Jack, “and it’s about time the rest of the world got wider access to it. I’m excited by what Flagstone can achieve through initiatives with Constellation.
Flagstone has also been named Winery of the Year by Michael Olivier in his new wine-guide-with-a-difference, Crush -100 South African Wines to Drink Now.
Olivier writes that, “Flagstone has been called the most exciting winery in South Africa. What it does is to produce a range of stunning wines at almost every price point possible, from the entry-level Cellar Hand Chenin Blanc to the über-premium Mary le Bow.”
“I’m really chuffed with this accolade, because it reflects so directly and positively on our farmers and the amazing Flagstone team. It all starts with respecting the ground the grapes grow in, without respecting nature, you’ll never get anywhere. The Flagstone team takes a holistic, long-term approach, without getting bogged down in all that pretentious nonsense about what is really a very simple process and I think the results speak for themselves,” said Bruce.
Michael Olivier’s book Crush – 100 Wines to Drink Now, which named Flagstone Winery of the Year, has just been awarded Best Wine Guide in South Africa by the international Gourmand World Cookbook Awards.