Meinert Wines

Martin Meinert, owner, farmer and winemaker, is behind many of South Africa’s foremost wines. Besides the Meinert Wines, which include the highly rated Synchronicity, Devon Crest and Merlot, he makes the iconic FMC (Forrester Meinert Chenin) for his friend Ken Forrester as well as the rapidly emerging Cape superstar, Eagles’ Nest Shiraz from Constantia. Martin was also responsible for establishing the new Vergelegen winery from 1989 and the Cape showpiece’s wines between 1992 and 1997.

CELLAR MASTER
Martin Meinert, owner, farmer and winemaker, is behind many of South Africa’s foremost wines. Besides the Meinert Wines, which include the highly rated Synchronicity, Devon Crest and Merlot, he makes the iconic FMC (Forrester Meinert Chenin) for his friend Ken Forrester as well as the rapidly emerging Cape superstar, Eagles’ Nest Shiraz from Constantia. Martin was also responsible for establishing the new Vergelegen winery from 1989 and the Cape showpiece’s wines between 1992 and 1997.

Born and partly schooled in Windhoek, Namibia, he briefly and misguidedly studied Civil Engineering for a short while after leaving Rondebosch Boys High School but instead became a journalist, working for the now defunct Rand Daily Mail in Johannesburg. It was during this time that his interest in wine grew to the extent that he decided to study oenology.

He graduated from the University of Stellenbosch in 1984 with a B.Sc. Agriculture (Viticulture and Oenology) cum laude and was awarded the Professor I. Perold medal as one of the top two final year students in the Faculty of Agriculture.

His first appointment was as assistant winemaker at Simonsig Estate from 1984 to 1986 after which he left to travel. He and his family visited Australia, New Zealand,France and America and he worked a vintage in Sonoma County, California.

On his return to South Africa he joined the Bergkelder (Distell) and in his two-and-a-half years there worked as a viticultural advisor, consulted to Uitkyk and Meerendal and was responsible for the company’s sparkling wines, including the maiden bottling of Pongracz.

He has travelled extensively. In 1992 he worked at Chateau Lafite Rothschild in the Medoc, and in 1994 at Los Vascos in Chile. He has returned to California, France and Australia several times and has also visited Portugal, Argentina and Italy.

Besides assisting Ken Forrester and Eagles’ Nest Martin makes three red wines for the Elgin Vintners and has in the past consulted to Morgenhof, Sylvan Vale, Stonewall and Graceland.

Between 1994 and 2001 he was a member of the prestigious Cape Winemakers Guild. With Ken Forrester and two further partners he owns the popular wineland restaurant 96 Winery Road.

OUR LABELS
The distinctive Meinert labels have their origin in the colours of the Devon Crest vineyard: red-brown soils, dark green vine leaves and the sky overhead. Designer Athol Moult of Pitchblack was briefed that the front labels should be clean and uncluttered, yet distinctive. It turned out that the choice of “burnt orange” as the lead colour was fortuitous as the bottles stand out anywhere and it has become one of our distinguishing features. The handwriting is that of winemaker Martin Meinert, who feels that his boutique style wines should have a distinctive personal stamp.

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