Dewaldt Heyns has an introspective, serious mein. 'People say I always look bedonnerd,' he protests mildly, with the gentle rolling ‘r’s’ of the Malmesbury brei, an accent unique to the Swartland wheat and wine region where he grew up as the son of a grape grower. 'But it's my normal look!'
Vintage 17
He’s anything but difficult, especially at home among the vines and wines of Saronsberg in the secluded Tulbagh Valley. And even less so around his family: bubbly wife Tania, busy little boy Sebastian ('My naam is Basti!') with his own emerging brei, and baby Nina, a contented cutie with Dad's dimple. 'Oh, she IS Daddy's little girl, totally pa verskrik!' laughs Tania.
Dewaldt Heyns was the quiet one in the group of firm friends, part of the Elsenburg Agricultural College class of 1995 that produced a clutch of some of the Cape's most talented winemakers of recent times. He and Pierre Wahl, David Nieuwoudt and Frans Smit were boarders together as students. All were to eventually become Guild members, as did another '95er, John Loubser.
'My first "proper" introduction to wine came on our first social out on the town at the beginning of our first year. Although I grew up on a wine farm, my dad was very strict. He believed that children should not be allowed any alcohol until they were adults. I went through my entire army conscription year without touching one single drop; takes some doing, hey? So, there I was, the quiet one, with all these other, really outgoing guys.'
Well, he surprised them! 'After a bottle of Tassies [Tassenberg, the legendary red wine beloved by generations of Stellenbosch students], I totally come out of my shell. All I remember was being a very happy chappie when we rolled into the hostel dining room for supper. Apparently, Tannie ‘Van’, our koshuismoeder [the equally legendary and beloved matron of generations of budding winemakers] was not impressed!'
He reverts to kind when speaking seriously and candidly of his commitment to Saronsberg. It was through good buddy Pierre Wahl, by then already an exciting new red wine cellar Rijk's across the valley, that he heard about businessman Nick van Huyssteen's plans to develop another red wine property on a sub-divided section of the original historical Twee Jonge Gezellen wine farm.
Mother Nature played her part, too. The idea was that fruit - both properties bought in 2002 were primarily orchards - would finance the gradual replanting of quality wine varieties and, eventually, the construction of a cellar. But a raging fire a few months later destroyed most of the fruit trees and a lot of the old vines and it was decided to forge ahead with new vineyards and winery.
The wines that emerged just a few vintages later reflected acknowledgement of the force of nature in the names chosen for them. Seismic, Epicentre (for the Nick and Fortis Wines partnership with Pretoria chef and restaurateur Fortunato Mazzone) and Full Circle evoked the devastation caused by the 1969 earthquake in the quaint little Cape Dutch colonial town of Tulbagh and its subsequent restoration.
'The chance to be part of building up a new wine farm, practically from scratch, appealed to me. I'd been involved in the early development of Avondale in Paarl. But I'm a red wine man, thanks largely to Kevin Arnold with whom I worked when he was at Rust en Vrede. He informed much of my thinking on red winemaking and was a great inspiration; my time spent thereafter graduation provided the groundwork for my later approach to viticulture and winemaking.'
Dewaldt was 'excited' by the chance to work in Tulbagh. Traditionally a white wine area, the valley was a decade ago just beginning to show what could be done with reds, especially when moving off the sandy, alluvial soils on the valley floor and cultivating cooler, hillside sites and less fertile ground.
'Working with Nick is fantastic. He's an inspiring businessman with extraordinary vision, but he's also extremely practical. And he's low-key, humble. His strong point is being the facilitator, the peacemaker, the diplomat, who brings people from all walks of life and different disciplines together to make a project work.'
Dewaldt shares are more than a few of these traits. It makes for a fairly seamless working relationship, with the winemaker relishing his 'independence and freedom to explore.
From the outset, the owner and winemaker agreed that the cellar is kept small, simple, workable so that everything could be handled by one person. 'I have an assistant now,' confesses Dewaldt. 'But that's to free me up to spend more time in the vineyards, which I really enjoy, at least as much as I do making wine. Plus the idea is that I get out into the market more often, especially as we're growing the range.'
Baked cheesecake recipe by Dewaldt Heyns paired with Dewaldt Heyns Weathered Hands Cherrin Blanc wine....
Oxtail recipe by cellar master Dewaldt Heyns offers the ultimate comfort food for winter, best served with a glass of fine red Saronsberg Sh...