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by Jacoline Haasbroek
Born in Germany, raised beside the French border, and embracing an Italian outlook on existence: To enjoy life, relax and take things easy. That is how Helmut Wilderer has been spending his days since turning his back on the demanding 15 hour days of being a restaurant owner.
Wilderer’s Distillery, painted in earthy, buttery shades, is situated three kilometres from Paarl on the road to Franschhoek. Small, but effective, neat and exact, as befitting its German proprietor, a distiller of eau de vie.
Helmut Wilderer never dreamt of owning a distillery in South Africa. In 1994, on a Blue Train trip from Sun City to Cape Town, he was so impressed by the friendliness and relaxed lifestyle of South Africans that the notion to move here took root.
When the opportunity presented itself to acquire a distilling licence, all his plans fell into place. In June 1995 he moved lock, stock and barrel to South Africa, bringing with him his own specialised German distilling equipment, and started a distillery on the farm Rosendal outside Stellenbosch.
His first product, made of Gewürztraminer husks from Simonsig Estate, won a gold medal in Austria in 1996. The fact that South Africans were used to the harsh taste of the cheaper Italian grappas often served by local restaurants meant that Helmut had to work very hard to market his product locally.
Since the 1999 foundation of the Grappa Distillati Association in South Africa, the first members being Meerlust, Chamonix and Wilderer, the public’s knowledge and experience of South African grappa has increased. In addition, the whole debacle surrounding the name grappa gave the product a lot of exposure. Helmut exports his grappa under the name Cape Husk, in particular to Germany, Namibia and Belgium.
Keen to settle down in a place of his own, he started looking around for a piece of land and purchased a little farm of two hectares outside Paarl in 1999. In January 2000 he moved in and on 7 October 2000 Wilderer’s Distillery and Restaurant held its first Oktoberfest!
Helmut is very selective about the purchase of fruit and husks for distillation. "I am forever looking for the right quality and only use healthy fruit, without any sulphur or other chemical treatments. Since I am prepared to pay for quality, most wine farmers are keen to meet my standards."
The big challenge in distilling is the fermentation process. "Since the husks are fairly dry, there is not a lot of juice in the fermentation bin. Air can easily penetrate the husks and promote bacterial growth." These bacteria cause the wild, harsh taste characteristic of many grappas. Wilderer ferments his husks using specially imported yeasts from Germany at a controlled temperature of 18°C in 200 litre containers. Fermentation lasts three to four weeks. His grappa capacity is 10 tons at a time. Helmut also distills a variety of fruit schnapps and does bottling on the premises.
Ever wondered why grappa is so expensive? According to Helmut he obtains about two to three litres of distillate from 100kg of husks. The difference between ordinary grappa and quality grappa lies in the expertise of the artist, for the distiller has to make a fine distinction between the head, heart and tail of the distillate. Wilderer’s Distillery proudly displays an entire wall covered with medals and awards, including a world-class award for its Morio Muscat Grappa which was conferred at the 1999 ProWein competition in Germany, in which 165 grappas from 11 countries participated. Proof indeed that the master knows how to capture the heart of a grappa.
According to Helmut a good grappa has typical grape tastes on the nose and palate, its mouthfeel is soft, without any burning sensation (which many producers try to hide by adding sugar). He himself does not use any sugar in his distillation, a prerequisite for participation in international competitions.
Wilderer’s product range consists of two grappas, the Grappa Barrique Muscat - matured in French oak, aromatic, soft and elegant, ideal with Espresso - and Cape Husk Gewürztraminer. The schnapps range offers a choice of Williams Birne (pear), Aprikose (apricot), Cherry, Pflaumen Wasser (plum), Obstler (apple and pear, a favourite German chaser with beer) and Cape Fynbos Herb - bitter, timeless, earthy, elegant and healthy. A three-year-old wood matured apple schnapps will be released in 2002.
One simply cannot sport shabby shoes with a new outfit, therefore Helmut goes to a lot of trouble with packaging. His unique, at times humoristic packaging has even secured a couple of international awards. A nine month wood matured grappa and cigar combination in a 500 ml bottle, made especially by the glass blower so that the cigar fits into a tube inside the bottle, holds the promise of hedonistic pleasures. Humoristic African drawings, lobsided little houses and a wire bicycle in a frame with two flasks, constitute his millennium packaging. Table Mountain also makes its appearance in the trilogy pack consisting of a pear, plum and apricot schnapps. Equally special, true to its environment, is the Cape Fynbos Herb Bitter, made from more than 30 fresh, local herbs from the immediate surroundings, without any artifical flavourings, colourants or sugar additives.
Grappa was initially considered a by-product of wine, fermented to prevent wastage by randomly mixing the husks of various grape varieties, all thrown together. That was before the Italians discovered the true value of a good grappa at ten in the morning with their Espresso. Crowded coffee shops in the mornings testify to the popularity of this Italian delight - an excellent combination and for folks on the run, a brilliant kick start to the day.
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Right: Helmut Wilderer exchanged the rat race for rural tranquility.
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