Lifetime Rights
As a geologist, Gary Jordan thinks in millions of years.
And it shows. It was serendipitous when his wife, Kathy Jordan, the other half of this dynamic duo, agreed to be the first subject in our new series on Cape Winemakers and Winos, entitled Rooted. The premise? To be a winemaker in South Africa today is a feat in and of itself, and therefore an inherent success merely to put a bottle of wine on the table. This year we’d like to explore the milestones and struggles that PUT that wine on the table and the lessons that were learnt getting there. The winemakers and winos of South Africa provide us with rich ore to mine, with their kanniedood (never say die) spirit and big personalities. As such, Kathy was the perfect candidate to kick-off the enormous task we have set ourselves in capturing the South African wine industry. We hope to do it justice.
A Project Abroad
The Jordans are a hardy bunch, mindful, hardworking and forward-thinking as evidenced by Jordan Wine Estate in Stellenbosch. Today the estate extends way beyond its perimeter, across continents, where Kathy, Gary, and their daughter, Christy are in the process of setting up a Winery and Gin Distillery on a Medieval Estate in East Sussex, entitled Mousehall. Kathy calls it their ‘Retirement Project’, though the scope of it doesn’t SAY “retirement”.
Problem Solved
Kathy’s diminutive stature belies her grand aspirations and achievements. When asked what struggles or failures have defined their journey she laughs and says that the life of an entrepreneur is fraught with all manner of failures, but that they don’t stay failures for long. Case in point, their first Chameleon blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, the result of a pump-over gone wrong, but then also RIGHT given the wine. What I came to understand of the Jordans was that there ARE no failures, merely problems solved. Having started the operation on a shoestring, pun intended given Gary’s family’s background in the shoe business in South Africa, no task was too big for these two. Gary’s parents purchased the now 164ha property in 1982 and started farming in earnest. In 1985 Gary and Kathy joined the business in full and designed and supervised the building of the cellar themselves. In 1993 Kathy and Gary introduced the first Jordan vintage.
The Golden Thread
Today Jordan wines is many things. It includes a range of award-winning wines, a restaurant run by famed chef, George Jardine, a bakery, a tasting room, luxury suites, a restaurant in London called High Timber and now a Medieval estate called Mousehall, where the Jordans will be making Gin and English Bubbly in the years to come. But it is the mindfulness inherent to Gary’s geological approach that acts as a golden thread to their various concerns.
The List
Of successes, there are many and I'll attempt to do the MAIN ones justice here. There is Kathy’s Women in Wine Initiative that operates both in South Africa and abroad, which is now being run by Premium Independent Wineries of South Africa (PIWOSA). The South African arm functions mainly as an upliftment and educational program, assisting women in wine hospitality, who don't have the means to study further, to attend the WSET wine courses and experience winemaking first hand. While the International arm functions as an ambassador to South African wine by allowing women from all over the world to come and work a vintage in one of the 11 PIWOSA participating wineries here in South Africa. Through this initiative, Women in Wine, London, was co-founded by one of Jordan’s first international candidates, Regine Lee, now MW and enjoys an evergrowing membership. Kathy says that it encourages the candidates to build a close relationship with other participants and a network within the industry.
Lifetime Rights
Jordan Luxury Suites. Originally the homes of Jordan’s farmworkers, Gary had always been concerned about the fact that agricultural law only allowed lifetime rights to his employees, meaning that upon their death the family would have no claim to their homes. Gary then proposed to purchase homes for these families outside the farm, offering them full title deeds to their property and so doing, a legacy. The vacated houses on the farm became Jordan Luxury Suites and employ a number of the grown-up children of the original employees - effectively completing the circle.
30 Years
Jordan is the first farm to plant the Greek, drought-resistant varietal Assyrtiko (for commercial use), though when they first started campaigning to bring it to South Africa, 30 years ago, climate change wasn’t as much of a focus as it is now. Kathy, whose grandfather was Greek, had fallen in love with the unique characteristics of this ancient varietal while visiting Santorini with Gary, over 30 years ago. As the luck of the Jordans would have it though, the planting of these grapes in 2019 on top of a granitic hill with gusty sea breezes couldn’t have been better planned and we look forward to the wine’s release in a few years’ time.
Timing
The Jordans’ recent purchase of Mousehall in East Sussex, seems to speak to their TIMING, being early adopters of English Bubbly, what with the category having taken-off in recent years due to the effects of climate change and England warming up enough to experience more reliable summers. They are also in the process of planting botanicals and setting up a gin distillery to produce East Sussex gin, the prospect of which makes us a bit impatient. Their success is seemingly tied up in this can-do attitude and genuine interest in what they do. Make no mistake, they are working the grounds themselves, as well as having taken on a flock of Dorper sheep they bought from a South African breeder in the UK.
Insider Deals
On the side, Jordan runs a number of charitable initiatives, of which our favourite is their winter clothing drive. The whole premise being that you bring old clothes and they give you wine in return. Last year they collected over 15 tons of clothing and distributed it around a number of key charities in the area.There's even a Chameleon Bursary which runs on a percentage of their Chameleon range’s sales that goes toward the research of African reptiles - once again speaking to Gary’s scientific roots.
It would seem to me that the Luck of the Jordans is hard-won, and yet they make it seem effortless. Kathy says that one of their other great successes is the involvement of their children in the business, Christy helping setup the Gin Distillery, and Alex, their son, more recently joining Jordan Wine Estate in Stellenbosch. Given ALL of the above, my closing question seems redundant: Why do you make wine in South Africa? Isn't it obvious?
