The Fairview name guarantees a standard of quality, a distinctiveness of
variety and origin, and an approachability that is a brand trademark.
Ripe fruit is at the core of each and every wine, with wooding always
done judiciously, invariably combining new oak with the use of second-,
third- and fourth-fill barrels. Back and his winemaker Anthony de Jager
keep the craft of winemaking simple: ‘Going back in winemaking is the
way forward…’ Which translates into a belief in the basic, traditional
methods of winemaking, aided by modern equipment and design, including
sorting tables, basket presses, wooden fermenters, small tanks for
individual vinification of particular vineyard blocks or sites.
The
result is a portfolio of wines that falls deftly mid-way between New
World fruit richness and showiness, and Old World tannic structure and
elegance; Fairview’s wines always strive towards, and invariably
achieve, a rare balance. What always sparks added interest is that with
each new vintage, there is something new: whether it be the expression
of the vagaries of the vintage, the discovery of a new vineyard site,
the bottling of a new variety, the experimentation with a new way of
melding fruit and wood.