As for David Finlayson: he's the coffee pot. He's found himself almost as fascinated by the intricacies of coffee as a plant and a product as he is by wine. 'Experts have identified around 600 distinct and specific flavours in coffee; even wine only has about 450!'
A state-of-the-art Jura coffee machine is outdone only by the designer Smeg hob and oven in his and wife Lizel's ultra-modern, hi-tech kitchen.
The latest addition to the family of pets (which includes coffee-coloured Rhodesian ridgeback Leo and coffee-coloured daschund Fudge) is another coffee-coloured ridgeback called Java.
The house is grand in scale, vision, and vista. Says Lizel: 'We were living at De Zalze [Wineland and Golf Estate]. I was quite shocked when David Finlayson brought me up here among the vineyards one day, pointed down into this half-empty old dam in the side of the hill, and said: "This is where we're going to build our house."·
David says that, although he's not a follower of the feng shui principles of building, moving into the house with its east/west positioning on a hill with plenty of fresh air was accompanied by a noticeable decline in allergic symptoms in the family.
'Although I used to cook before I met my wife, Lizel is a great cook and totally into organic eating.'
Lizel's landscaping of the initially bare earth walls of the drained and partly excavated dam includes establishing fruit and nut trees (pecans and almonds), olive trees (the couple love olives), and an organic vegetable and herb garden.
While making no overt claims to organic wine growing, David Finlayson is intent on farming in as eco-friendly and sustainable a way as possible. He uses organic products and systemic sprays (twice a season as opposed to the norm of four times a year) against bugs and to encourage natural predatory insects.
He's also experimenting with permanent cover crops between the vine rows to curtail the need for chemical herbicides, While at the same time naturally replenishing the soil.
'Aphids are under control, thanks to the wasps and ladybirds. We do have ants, which spread mealybug in the vineyards, but mealybug also spread by air, so we live with that.' It's clearly tough for a perfectionist.
Family Time
The couple does what they can to be healthy. 'I watch what I eat because we have a predisposition towards high cholesterol in the family. But I'm still a meat man.' In which he’s aided and abetted by a father-in-law who’s a cattle farmer in the Eastern Cape.
Travelling to New Zealand on a wine visit, confesses to having been somewhat taken aback by having to braai on a gas braaier, 'But I became a bit of a convert; it’s so easy. I do have a trick, though: I put oak chips, usually used for smoking meat or fish, in the gas braai which gives the meat the typically smoky flavour.'
'I’m a Gemini: sometimes super positive, sometimes a worrier. Winemaking is more stressful than people think, dealing with financial risk and nature's vagaries. I'm trying to teach myself to live in the moment more.'
Surfing has always relaxed him and now he also mountain bikes. But what has recently gripped this quick, restless spirit is deep-sea tuna fishing. A special treat is chartering a boat, usually out of Hout Bay or Simon's Town on False Bay, to find longfin or giant yellowfin. 'The bluefin can get up to 450 kilograms or more! My ultimate, though, would be to catch a yellowfin on a fly reel!' Fly-fishing is a pastime long shared with his father.
In David's case, it's his daughter Daniella, at this stage more than son Callum, who is his keenest cellar companion and closest kitchen supporter. 'For Christmas 2011 her dream present was her own apron and a set of chef’s knives, and she was only 10.
Her favourite television programme? MasterChef.' As a toddler, the little girl would accompany David up the hill to the vineyards and down again to the Edgebaston cellar, on her tricycle: another Finlayson wine fundi and foodie the making, just like Dad.
Herbed ostrich fillet recipe by David Finlayson paired with Edgebaston Cabernet Sauvignon....
Tuna carpaccio recipe by Drainbow peppercornsavid Finlayson paired with Edgebaston Chardonnay....