Charles Hopkins has been at De Grendel since the very beginning of wine-making on the Durbanville farm in 2005, when Sir David Graaff lured him away from Graham Beck with an irresistible offer to head up wine-making, and to design and build his own cellar. Charles is a lifelong student of wine and even after 30 years’ experience in the industry and multiple local and international accolades, he remains always curious to learn more on his wine-making journey.
In November 2019, he achieved a major milestone on this journey, with the award of his first five-star rating in the Platter’s South African Wine Guide, for the 2017 Elim Shiraz from De Grendel – a wine that is especially close to his heart.
Charles was born in Somerset West and grew up in Bredasdorp and Strand. He did his national army service after finishing school and then studied wine-making at Elsenburg before joining the old Union Wines, now DGB, and then Graham Beck. He is passionate about the process of making wine and finds the impact of soil, climate and viticulture practices on the end product especially fascinating. His other passion is helping young winemakers on their own journeys, and he has mentored more Cape Winemakers’ Guild protégés than any other Guild member.
Charles has been involved in all facets of wine-making in South Africa and has extended his learning by working two vintages overseas, one in France and one in California, as well as regular study tours to other wine-making countries. He has served the industry as a board member of the Cape Winemakers’ Guild and various producer associations. His wines have achieved gold and double gold, and scores of 95 and more, in local and international competitions and wine ratings.
Next Week
It's a Business Meeting. There's not much to say about that at this stage.
Last Week
Dickon Jayes gave us a very interesting talk about his entry into the Butane Gas Industry. What was particularly interesting was how he used his experience in the distribution of print media in a completely different industry and how he saw the gap. What was particularly interesting was his battle with the conservative attitude of gas suppliers and how he was eventually able to show them the value of his approach. Because of the interest generatedI will seek out more speakers of this type.
International - Canada
About 200 college students, faculty, and community members took turns swinging baseball bats at junkyard vehicles during a Car Smash for Charity event organised by the Rotaract Club of Vancouver-University of British Columbia. The fundraiser, held each of the past three years before final exams, “offers people a fun way to relieve stress or test their own strength, while supporting a wonderful cause,” says Sara Lee, a past co-president of the club. The event, held on the campus quad in April, raised more than $2,200 Canadian for education-related endeavours. A scrap car company delivered a Volkswagen and a Chevrolet and collected the remnants afterwards for recycling. “Our team is continually amazed at the response the event receives,” Lee says.
No comments:
Post a Comment