Until the turn of the millennium, the couple were doing it all themselves. But when the export-oriented Bradgate range (named after Gary's great-grandfather Alfred's home in the UK before starting his South African shoe business) was introduced, assistant winemakers were brought in. Sjaak Nelson, a stalwart since 2002, freed Gary up to spend more time in his beloved vineyards.
'They say the best fertiliser for a vineyard is the owner or winemaker's footprints.'
Earthman Gary is most at home among the vines, in his sturdy boots and battered hat. Short and stocky, freckled from the sun, he's a chip off the old block. Tiny, weatherbeaten Ted remains a familiar sight, smiling from the driver's seat of the tractor taking a wagon-load of visitors around the farm, or perched atop the monster mechanical harvester he manhandles with great dexterity at an alarming angle along the contoured hillside vine rows.
When mechanical harvesters first started being used in the Cape Winelands in the late 1990s, the issue of possible harm to small wildlife, including chameleons, in the vineyards was raised. And Chameleon was the brand name chosen by nature and animal-loving Jordans for their popular, long-established entry-level wines: a white blend, a red blend, and a rosé.
The nature and animal-loving couple had originally been delighted with the choice, made during their maiden 1993 harvest when little 'Alexander the Grape' kept carting chameleons indoors from his forays out on the farm. Jordan having always been farmed in an eco-friendly manner, the trees and shrubs around their dam had become home to a thriving population of the increasingly rare Cape dwarf chameleon, endemic to the greater Cape Town area.
The concerned wine grower approached the South African National Biodiversity Institute based at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens to conduct an initial study. It found that chameleons' preferred habitat was natural indigenous fynbos vegetation, and not the vineyards often found adjacent. This inspired the creation of the Jordan Chameleon Research Bursary to encourage ongoing research into the little creature, through partial funding of PhD studies from a percentage of the proceeds of Chameleon wines sales.
In 2001 Gary Jordan was inducted into the Cape Winemakers Guild in recognition of Jordan's meteoric, but consistent rise in the ranks of the Cape's leading wineries. But given Gary and Kathy's equal partnership and involvement in Jordan, and in acknowledgment of her considerable oenological and tasting skills, Kathy is officially invited by singular arrangement to all the Guild's technical tastings: the raison d'etre of this group of wine artisans.
Gary is also recognised for his excellent palate, serving on major wine show panels (the annual Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show since 2007) and lecturing for the Wine Judging Academy (offering annual courses and certification to improve and standardise the level of wine judging in the industry).
From the start, Jordan's wines impressed with a rare combination of rich fruit and subtle oaking providing elegance and accessibility: a marriage of Old World and New World. And while this made for wines enjoyable on their own, the Jordans have always stated that what they make should also complement food, earmarking restaurants, and top game lodges locally and serious eateries overseas.
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....