Gary Jordan is one half of a whole that is Jordan Wine Estate, the other is wife Kathy. When the couple first introduced themselves to the wine-loving public with their maiden vintage in 1993, the ever-gentlemanly Gary maintained that his wife would be doing the winemaking, he 'the tasting'.
Vintage 20
But from the start, when by their insistence both were credited as Jordan's wine-makers (the first husband-and-wife team in the Cape Winelands to be 'officially' listed as such), the lines have been happily blurred.
Theirs is a model of effective division and sharing of labour and skills. They have very different personalities: she's quick as a whip, talking a mile a minute, and is full of ideas; he's a man of the earth, rooted, thoughtful, precise, taking his time. But it's a partnership between two like-minded individuals: perfectionists who admit to being 'total control freaks'.
Of the two, it was Gary who started the ball rolling in the wine direction, courtesy of his parents Ted and Sheelagh Jordan.
Growing up in Durbanville, he spent weekends and holidays on his grandparents' grape farm in Wellington. 'I used to cycle there along the back roads with my friend Francois; my gran used to meet us halfway.'
Gary Jordan’s father Ted was running the famous eponymous family shoe business started by Gary’s great-grandfather Alfred Jordan in 1899. (This history is recalled in the naming of Jordan’s classic Cobbler's Hill blend of Bordeaux varieties.)
But after early retirement in 1982, Ted bought two grape farms in Stellenbosch in the Stellenboschkloof straddling the Bottelary Hills, with 360-degree views taking in both False Bay and Table Bay.
Father and son, with typical thoroughness, did extensive soil studies and preparations before starting to replant the vineyards in 1985.
Confit of Smoke Salmon on Avocado Pureé with creamed horseradish and cucumber jelly recipe by Gary Jordan...
Roasted springbok loin and frikadelle in red wine sauce recipe by cellar master Gary Jordan....