The Solms-Delta Wine Company has relaunched, introducing two Rhône-style blends under the guidance of Tommy Hall, the director of global operations for a Fortune 500 technology company.
Hall, along with his family, has taken on the venture to continue the journey of land restitution and community upliftment initiated by Mark Solms in 2001.
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The relaunch also includes plans to revive the Fyndraai restaurant, the Museum van de Caab, and various human development and educational projects.
The Solms-Delta Wine Company has relaunched with two Rhône-style blends, thanks to a partnership with Tommy Hall, a director of global operations for a Fortune 500 technology company.
Director Mark Solms and Hall met earlier this year in February when the Hall family arrived at the historic Cape farm. Just a few months later, Solms and Hall launched the Solms-Delta Wine Company as a new, 100% black-owned family venture to continue Solms’ goals of achieving land restitution and community upliftment.
‘This is not about us coming in and buying up the farms that once constituted Solms-Delta,’ says Hall. ‘This is a separate company that has many of the same goals as Mark Solms, in terms of community upliftment, skills development and employment opportunities. However, we want to make sure that we do it in a manner which is both socially equitable and financially viable over the long term.’
Tommy Hall and Mark Solms plan to reopen Fyndraai, the renowned farm restaurant, and the Museum van de Caab, showcasing the shared social and cultural histories of Franschhoek Valley farms. The revival includes reinstating human development and educational projects for long-term upliftment in Winelands communities.
The initial phase focuses on rejuvenating neglected vineyards to create employment and training opportunities while establishing the Solms-Delta Wine Company brand. The first harvest from a small portion of the Delta farm vineyards is expected in 2024, with full production anticipated by 2026. Until then, grapes will be sourced from selected vineyards across the Western Cape.
Hall says some grape varieties will always be brought in from elsewhere because they’re either not planted on the farm, or they thrive elsewhere. ‘What’s key is crafting great wine under the brand of the Solms-Delta Wine Company. We’re about creating quality wines that are in line with our social and economic goals.’
‘We want to be involved in driving the change, especially in this corner of the Cape Winelands, where a large group of people have been historically disadvantaged,’ he adds. ‘In my job within the technology industry, every day is about problem-solving. Although I’m sure there are many complexities that I will need to come to understand, this seems to be a problem that can be tackled with some fresh perspectives.’
Solms is advising Hall on the establishment of the new company and further endeavours. ‘I am just thrilled that we have found a common vision to work together on some of the issues that were central to the founding of Solms-Delta more than 20 years ago.’
The two Rhône-style blends were crafted by consultant winemaker Francois Haasbroek, a highly respected specialist in Rhône varietals. ‘These wines are dynamic and full of wonderful tension. I believe the trend is towards wines with more vibrancy that are more fruit-forward. Wines [are] driven by clarity and liveliness, rather than just oak and tannin.’
The 2023 vintage varieties include Hiervandaan 2023 (a blend of Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre and Cinsaut) and Amalie 2023 (a white blend of Grenache blanc, Marsanne and Viognier).
‘Rhône whites are often overly focused on texture, richness and high alcohols, and they can be clumsy,’ says Haasbroek. ‘We chose to focus rather on crispness and tension; wines that are accessible when young, but with the ability to develop a balanced texture with age.’
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While investing in establishing the Solms-Delta Wine Company as a leading boutique wine brand, Hall sees the wines as a means to drive economic change in the farming community. ‘It was always paramount that we do something to help the local community of the place we are now choosing to call home.
‘And yes, it would be easy to simply send off a cheque, but we felt the need for something more. Something that we knew would have a long-term transformative impact. And we wanted to ensure that the hard work done by Mark and Richard Astor and their team over the past two decades, and the successes they achieved, didn’t disappear from history.’
‘There is still a tremendous amount of equity associated with Solms-Delta as a brand, and its parcels of vineyard in the Cape Winelands. There’s the historical connection of a farm dating back centuries, as well as the memory of the fantastic community work that was achieved there.’
The partnership also plans to revive the annual Oesfees, a harvest celebration with traditional music and Cape country cooking. In 2024, the Oesfees will celebrate both the new harvest and the revival of the community projects.
‘Despite the challenges of the last few years, everyone loves a Phoenix story,’ says Hall. ‘However the farms and workers came to be in the sad position they are in now, I know that together we are all going to rise from the ashes with this new partnership.’
The Solms-Delta Wine Estate, located on Delta Road off the R45, will be open to the public from February 2024. For more information, visit www.solmsdelta.co or email [email protected].
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Picture: Supplied