“Like tasting a sauce and adding more of this and less of that until it is just right for the chef’s palate, so the wines were constructed,I am really pleased the way the wines have turned out. Both have fruit-forward flavour components, but it is the complexity and depth of flavours that a chef looks for. For my palate, at least, I am happy to report that both wines met the criteria I was looking for. I look forward to introducing them to the wine-loving public in South Africa and Europe and, of course, to my clients at JAN. And I hope they play a role in helping the world to discover the magic of South African wines.”
With wine having played a profound role in the culinary journey which lead to his becoming South Africa’s first Michelin-starred chef, Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen has launched his first wines under his own label. Both white and red wines, named after his award-winning restaurant JAN which is based in Nice, France, are blended from grape varieties grown on one of South Africa’s leading organic wine farms, Org de Rac in the Swartland region. Both the JAN white and red are inspired by Mediterranean wine styles, which he has grown to love since living in the South of France.