False Bay Vineyards

If you are lucky enough to be flying somewhere (Cape Town surely!) with Emirates at the beginning of this year, you can grab a 1/4 bottle of our False Bay Sauvignon Blanc on-board.

Emirates are famed for the ultra-high standard of food and wine service on all their flights, having won many awards, including Frequent Business Traveler’s ‘Best Airline Food and Wine’ in 2013.

As we don’t follow the popular recipe of adding ascorbic acid to our Sauvignon Blancs, nor ferment with the often-used aroma enhancing “designer” yeasts, you can expect a more restrained and delicate style than typically encountered with this popular grape variety. This natural elegance and drinkability will make for a great aperitif, but will also fair well with any seafood dishes or salads served on board.

Better grab a couple of 1/4 bottles then. Bon voyage!

False Bay Wines is a range of truly fine wines of real individual character and a sense of Cape terroir adventure at an affordable, everyday price..

This easy-drinking yet quality driven collection is crafted by a passionate team led by winemaker Nadia Barnard, a traditionalist at heart and custodian of the Waterkloof Cellar on the elevated outskirts of the Helderberg Winelands.

Waterkloof is best known for elegant European style wines, but with additional winemaking capacity and a wealth of excellent vineyards in and around the Cape Winelands to pool from, the cellar also produces this significant, pocket-friendly tier which inspires everyday wine enjoyment.

Named after the bay which frames Waterkloof’s eagle’s view from the top of the Schapenberg outside Somerset West, False Bay Wines is an extension of the estate’s wine portfolio which fully adheres to the Waterkloof philosophy of uncompromised quality and is exceptional value for money.

The False Bay collection captures the true, individual character of the vine and the distinctive adventures in terroir as opposed to relying on winemaking techniques that lead to wines with a generic sameness from vintage to vintage.

In her quest to unlock nature’s true potential, winemaker Nadia Barnard works closely with various viticulturists in and around the Cape Winelands in identifying the best vineyard sites for a particular varietal.

It is a cornerstone of the False Bay winemaking philosophy that the vineyard must always and will always matter and to never lose touch with the unique factors and characteristics that individualise the wines of different regions.

The False Bay range fits the definition of character, quality and personality where the character is defined by the terroir, the quality determined by people and the personality by the weather.

False Bay Wines fosters a traditional Old World winemaking style and stays true to a well ensconced ‘slow wine mantra’ in terms of winemaking as well as wine enjoyment. Expertly designed, the gravitational cellar accommodates time-honoured winemaking practices such as open top wooden fermenters for red wines; whole bunch pressing for white wines to guarantee gentle extraction, and the use of gravity to avoid excessive pumping of the wine. In pursuit of more individually styled wines, the winemaker relies only on naturally present, wild yeasts during fermentation.

Paul Boutinot Owner

“Paul has built a thriving business doing things differently from his competitors.”

His father, a Frenchman who escaped the German army marching on St Malo in 1940, opened a restaurant in Stockport, following the end of hostilities. It was based on the French model of mother front-of-the-house and kids peeling potatoes as soon as they’re old enough. But Paul was not keen, and fell into the wine trade after a less than brilliant scholastic career. Following a classic apprenticeship in the wine trade in the early 1970s, Paul launched his own wine import business in the UK in 1980, which he subsequently sold in 2013. Paul has built a thriving business doing things differently from his competitors. His private investment in Waterkloof is, therefore, not that of the archetypical foreign-based lifestyle investor, but rather as a hands-on dedicated entrepreneur-cum-winemaker. It is his outspoken desire to produce truly fine wines, consistently with a defining sense of origin from Waterkloof.

Nadia Barnard / Cellarmaster

Nadia grew up in the Stellenbosch region with its omnipresent vineyards and was introduced to the wine culture and lifestyle from a very young age. Her career choice came natural and Nadia followed her dream of becoming a winemaker and completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture (BSc Agric) specialising in Viticulture and Oenology at the University of Stellenbosch. The pursuit of quality winemaking saw her working for small family-owned wineries in Australia, New Zealand and France before a combination of destiny and good judgment brought her back to South Africa and ultimately to Waterkloof Estate in 2009 – when she joined the winemaking team for their maiden vintage in its new state-of-the-art gravitational cellar. Nadia is very much a nature lover and therefore likes the natural winemaking philosophies which are practiced at Waterkloof.

Claudia Young-Kelly /Sales and Marketing Manager

“The wine industry is a fascinating, yet complex and intricate trade with many diverse personalities and perplexing situations.”

Nowadays, Cape Town born Claudia thanks her lucky stars for accidentally entering the wine business after completing a BA Honours degree in Political Science. She started her career in a wine tasting centre, but eventually managed to gain valuable management experience in every facet of the sales and marketing process. Does she ever make use of the knowledge she acquired at university? “Yes, every day!” “The wine industry is a fascinating, yet complex and intricate trade with many diverse personalities and perplexing situations.” She has no regrets and loves the fact that she lives in breathtakingly beautiful Stellenbosch, surrounded by ancient oak trees, impressive mountains and bounteous vineyards. She embraces the industry she works in and incorporates good food and wine into her life. “Most people wait for a special occasion to enjoy the good things in life. I get to enjoy it almost every day. I tell myself constantly: Claudia, you’re a lucky, lucky girl…”

Louis Boutinot / Export Manager

What kind of wines does he enjoy? “Those which have a real sense of place, which reveal a little more of themselves and their origin with each sip from the glass, ones that take you on an adventure that’s worth every penny you paid for it!”

Whether dusting bottles in a shop, scrubbing barrels in a Spanish bodega or travelling the world selling wine, Louis’ passion for all things vinous is unquestionable and with a surname like Boutinot, unsurprising. Having worked in wine retail, export sales and as a cellar rat, he firmly believes that working in such diverse sectors of the industry will stand him in good stead as he embarks on his “dream job” (if you can call it a job) with Waterkloof and False Bay. What kind of wines does he enjoy? “Those which have a real sense of place, which reveal a little more of themselves and their origin with each sip from the glass, ones that take you on an adventure that’s worth every penny you pay for it!” Apart from wine and the food, friends and family that go with it, he enjoys taking part in a wide range of sports, including tennis and cricket, and is relishing the prospect of pursuing his interest in wildlife whilst in South Africa.