Now winemaker Henry Kotze certainly doesn't bumble, but when one surveys the handful of South African superhero winemakers, he is very much a graduate of the Clark Kent school of subterfuge. In conversation, he is quiet, polite, and self-effacing; but in the cellar and the vineyards, he is a path-cutting pioneer worth watching.
Manifesting the Future
Being first at something isn't always appreciated. In a change-averse sphere like the wine industry breaking new ground can be quite a dangerous career move. Especially when there are assertions that South African wine needs to consolidate what it has achieved and "stick to what it's good at". The theory is that this is how we will conquer the international market and break into a golden age of vinifical and economic success. The plea is to keep things simple:
“Buy Cabernet from Stellenbosch, Chenin from the Swartland, and Savvy Bee from…well, who cares!”
But luckily for the blissful citizens of Metropolis, Henry (Danger) Kotzé’s love for new possibilities, rather than old certainties, is exactly what makes him such a valuable piece of the wine puzzle. Henry seems to have internalised the fact that change is one of the few constants in life. After all, South African Chenin Blanc - now viewed as the best in the world - wasn't always taken seriously. Neither was the Swartland, for that matter. Heck, our biggest export - Sauvignon Blanc - was only bottled in Africa after we got video games and Valium. So… hardly a timeless classic. In the bigger scheme of things, South Africa is a young and inexperienced wine region. But Henry doesn’t focus on the drawbacks of youthful inexperience. Nay, verily, he sees instead the freedom to try new things. Henry has wasted no time indulging this freedom, and the resultant body of work is quite beautiful to behold.
A fistful of firsts
When Henry joined the Morgenster team in 2009, under the then-owner Giulio Bertrand, he relished the opportunity to work with Italian cultivars like Sangiovese and Nebbiolo (don’t be fooled by its modest price; the cellar-aged Nabucco Nebbiolo 2014 is a veritable benchmark in its category).
And Henry’s Italian dalliance didn't end with the reds. In 2017, he became the first winemaker to bottle a 100% South African Vermentino, working with the team from Ayama wines. It was a supremely layered affair, over-flowing with silk, lemongrass, almonds, and spice. In that same vintage, he would become the first winemaker to bottle a 100% Bastardo do Castello under his own Pilgrim Wines label. The current vintage of this wine (although already sold out) is a fascinating cinsault-like expression, packed full of florals and candied fruit.
More recently he bottled South Africa's first Viura (although the Mullineuxs have since bottled the cultivar under its pseudonym, Macabeo). In contrast to the rather gregarious Bastardo, his Viura is a little more introverted. It's an impressively textured beastie that starts out shy, with ethereal notes of green apple, lime pith, and fynbos but opens right up (over time) into sweeter ripe, juicy citrus, dusted with crushed almond cracknel. Henry was also amongst a raft of progressive winemakers taking a fresh look at the potential of dry Muscat of Alexandria, bottling his offering under the Akkura label. The wine is more textured than a corduroy jockstrap and brims with white peach, honeysuckle, sea spray, and jasmine.
Anything but a gimmick
"But, so what?!" one might exclaim. "It's easy to be first in a one-horse race! We're in the wine business, not trinkets and oddities." But, again, this is something that Henry intuitively pre-empted. Which is why he pitched his remaining Pilgrim wines into decidedly more competitive categories by bottling a tight, bristling, pristine, thoroughbred of a Syrah from Stellenbosch, and a delightfully layered and chewy Old Vine Chenin Blanc from the Voor-Paardeberg. The overall impact of these four wines resulted in Pilgrim being named Platter Guide's Best Newcomer in 2021.
For the deeply doubting Thomas
But for the old-school skeptics, you might still be on the fence. How pedigreed can a winemaker really be if he’s still winning "newcomer awards", and fart-arsing around with grapes that sound like characters from Game of Thrones?
Well, it's funny that you should ask. Henry started his career under the institution of Andre van Rensburg - the Gamaliel of Stellenbosch. He then moved to Boschendal before making wine under Neil Ellis. He also directed operations at both Eikendal and Morgenster, and is head winemaker at Mulderbosch today. Henry is as close to a Stellenbosch lord as one can get without actually owning land. And if words don't convince you, then why not get hold of the Award-winning Morgenster Lourens River Bordeaux Blend 2014 - a wine that was named Best Bordeaux-style Red by the Old Mutual Trophy show in 2020. Or, if you can't find the 2014, the 2015 vintage is still some of the best value Bordeaux-style red available right now.
The Spirit of Bruce
While Henry's alter-ego may feel Clark-Kentish, his career approach is all Wayne. If we consult the literary canon, we’ll see that Bruce was trained by Ra's Al Ghul, where he mastered the art of the assassin, but then broke free of that mould to make the world a better place. In the same way, Henry was formed by the legends of Stellenbosch but then deviated to create new possibilities, and drive the industry forward.
But don't take my word for it. Compare his wines for yourself. Drink his Old Vine Chenin alongside the pioneering Viura. Or contrast his Helderberg Bordeaux Blend and Nebbiolo with his Stellenbosch Mountain Shiraz. Then, once the evidence has overwhelmed you, set yourself a reminder so that you don’t miss whatever edition comes next in the Adventures of Henry Danger Kotze.
