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by Jacoline Haasbroek
This announcement, made in the '40s by the then manager of Tulbagh Co-operative Wine Cellar (then the Drostdy Co-operative Cellar), Mr J Kupfer, represented an important directional change in the cellar's business strategy.
In contemporary terms, this approach is known as added value. Without fancy terminology to describe their actions, the cellar was already applying principles that have since become the norm for strategic planning in the wine industry. With their own distribution depots, brands, export and product diversification and improvement in place, the Drostdy Co-operative Cellar (now known as TKW) was already adding value in 1946. So much so that in June 1950, the Queen Mother launched the Windsor Castle (38 000 tons) with a bottle of Winterhoek sparkling wine from the cellar's own range of more than 21 brands.
Tulbagh Co-operative Wine Cellar (TKW) is the oldest and first co-operative wine cellar in South Africa. It was founded in 1906 and called the Drostdy Co-operative Wine Cellar, before the passing of the Co-operative Act and even before the founding of KWV. No wonder there is hardly anything new under the sun as far as the folks at Tulbagh Wine Cellar are concerned.
Paging through the biography of D J (Oudan) Viljoen, then secretary and later manager, it is obvious that the history, the fun as well as the suffering, has been bountiful. In 1964 things were so tough that the cellar sold half of its buildings and all its established brands to the then Distillers Corporation. Part of the agreement with Distillers was that the cellar would no longer be entitled to use the name Drostdy in the trade. The name of the co-operative was changed to Tulbagh Co-operative Wine Cellar in 1987, at which stage it reverted to selling all its wine in bulk.
With successes and setbacks galore, ebbing and flowing through the South African wine industry over the past century, TKW learnt valuable lessons from its own experience. The cellar gradually had to extricate itself from wholesale commitments and embark on direct marketing of its own products under its own name. "Our mission is to be a wine cellar who strives to add optimum value from the vineyard to the consumer by means of strong, focussed niche brands," says Marius Burger, manager of TKW.
The new approach to the cellar and its products is being taken seriously indeed, as proven by a gold award for both the Tulbagh Port and the Merlot at the most recent Young Wine Show. Stephan Smit, who boasts all the required winemaking qualifications, together with Schalk du Toit of VinPro (SA), acts as consultant to the Tulbagh Cellar members on new plantings, the right terroir and post-planting practices. "We capitalise on each of the various terroirs in the four different regions. We have completed almost 21% of the new red grape replacements," says Stephan, "and the new Shiraz plantings in particular look promising." Cellarmaster Michael Krone has visited several overseas wine regions and his style is focussed on the production of quality wines, each range in its own individual style.
TKW, once a prominent name in the wine industry with more than 21 brands (now the property of Distell), is back in the market. Never having competed in the bottled wine market, they are now in full swing.
The charming Afrikaans labels of yesteryear, such as Ryperd (jaunty young suitor on his horse), for a pleasant light white wine and Nagmaalswyn (an evergreen semi-sweet), have now made way for trendy names. The Village Collection, comprising light, delightful wines for everyday drinking, has earned its place in the value for money market. The range comprises, in addition to 500 ml and 750 ml bottled packs (R10,95 - R16,95), a convenient barrel bag. A neat 2 litre box with a tap is ideal for the fun-loving who enjoy their wine with a picnic or braai on the beach.
The Secluded Valley range (magnums only are available in supermarkets, priced between R26,00 and R49,95) offers a choice of a Chenin/Sauvignon Blanc blend, a natural sweet wine, Pinotage, Cabernet Sauvignon and a Vin Rouge red blend. The premium range, known as the Tulbagh range, consists of noble cultivar wines priced between R19 and R35. Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage and Merlot, truly wines befitting a queen. (Why does that sound so familiar?)
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"As from tomorrow we shall no longer be selling 'boerwyn' (vin ordinaire), but table wine instead. We'll simply filter the wine so that it will not look like 'vaaljapie' (cheap wine) and the selling price will be a sixpence more per gallon."
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