At Wine Paris 2026, Carolyn Martin was part of a dynamic, panel-led tasting celebrating the diversity, innovation and global relevance of South African wine.The Expressions of Excellence session featured Creation (representing Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge) alongside Fryer’s Cove (West Coast) and Reyneke Wines (Stellenbosch) to highlight the extraordinary breadth of South African terroir, and to illustrate how ancient geology, extraordinary biodiversity, sustainability and innovation are shaping South Africa’s evolving wine identity.
‘Terroir in South Africa is not a theory in a textbook,’ said Carolyn. ‘It is something you can feel in the wind off Walker Bay, in the crunch of quartz underfoot, and in the energy of the people who work our vineyards.’
She then told the story of Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, where soils including Bokkeveld shale formed from ancient marine sediments over 400 million years ago, interlayered with Table Mountain sandstone up to 510 million years old, threaded with 560-million-year-old seams of quartz, all find expression in Creation’s cool-climate wines.
She explained: ‘The clay-rich shale soils provide excellent water retention and moderate vigour, giving wines with structure, depth and impressive length. The lighter sandstone–derived, sandy soils are well‑drained and slightly warmer, favouring earlier ripening, purity of fruit and lifted, perfumed aromatics. The pale quartz fragments running through the profile reflect more light and tend to stay cooler than the darker shale, helping to moderate local temperature and contributing to the sense of freshness, textural intensity and a distinctly mineral, citrus‑edged character in the wines.’
Carolyn introduced Ridge as the smallest and highest of the three Hemel-en-Aarde wards, with vineyards between 240 and 400 metres above sea level. ‘Here a natural vortex channels cooling ocean breezes, and the southeaster, known as the Cape Doctor, keeps vines healthy. Due to elevation, temperatures can be 12 degrees cooler at night than midday – this rhythm locks in natural acidity and colour, creating wines with tension, texture and ageing potential. Ripening happens 7–10 days later than the rest of Hemel-en-Aarde, achieving full phenolic maturity at lower sugar levels.’
Carolyn then told delegates that Creation was a sheep farm until 2002, and that starting with a blank canvas was a risk but mostly a wonderful opportunity: ‘We could choose virus-free plant material and plant according to terroir,’ she said. ‘Within a few years, Creation will be farming the oldest Pinot Noir in South Africa, with a clear path to genuine old-vine expressions over the coming decades, under the custodianship of 4th and 5th generation winemakers Jean-Claude and Glenn Martin.’
Sustainability is of paramount importance at Creation, a WWF Conservation Champion, where indigenous high-altitude fynbos surrounds the vineyards, natural vlei areas have been preserved, beneficial insects are used for pest control, and wildlife corridors connect the farm to the mountains and ocean – all helping to balance the ecosystem naturally. ‘Nature is not a backdrop here,’ said Carolyn. ‘It is the engine of innovation. Beyond the vineyards, too, we say wine and wellness share one common denominator: nature. We design locally sourced, seasonal menus co-created with nutritionists. Guests literally taste the terroir in the glass and on the plate.’
At Creation, terroir includes the flora, the fauna and the people. ‘A permanent team tends the vines year-round, building an intimate understanding of each vineyard and slope,’ said Carolyn. ‘As a founder member of the Pebbles Hemel-en-Aarde Project, we support education and opportunity for young people from previously disadvantaged communities. Six Pebbles graduates currently work at Creation, and many team members develop into qualified sommeliers through SASA, ASI and WSET programmes.
‘Empowering people to create a legacy for themselves, their families, their community and the land is regenerative leadership,’ stated Carolyn.
It was then time to taste two of Creation’s wines, with Carolyn explaining that undulating hills have created a mosaic of aspects and meso- and microclimates, with each pocket capable of yielding a distinct expression of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. ‘This has led us to a clear tiered focus: our Estate and Ridge ranges articulate our appellation’s broader signature, while The Art of Creation series captures micro-sites.’
She explained that the Art of Chardonnay 2024 is from one small south-facing slope at 264 metres above sea level. Hand-harvested, fermented in new and second-fill French oak, then left on lees for ten months without fining or filtration, the wine’s steely tension and mineral precision are expressions of the seams of quartz running through the soil.
The Art of Pinot Noir 2024, meanwhile, is drawn from a single southeast-facing parcel rooted in decomposed Bokkeveld shale – a site that delivers inherent tension and purity at a naturally moderate 13% alcohol. Spontaneous fermentation, including a considered proportion of whole bunch, builds aromatic lift and fine chalky tannins rather than weight. Twelve months’ élevage with 30% new French oak, followed by second and third fill, frames the fruit without obscuring it and underlines the wine’s precision and length.
‘What is most compelling,’ said Carolyn, ‘is the articulation of place. It is a poised, ageworthy Pinot that captures the mountains, the ocean influence and the vivid biodiversity of Hemel-en-Aarde into a single, finely etched glass.’
Carolyn concluded by discussing excellence in the South African context.
‘Excellence today is not about catching up with established regions; it is about leaning into what is uniquely ours: ancient soils, dramatic topography, extreme biodiversity and innovation grounded in community.
‘When you taste Creation’s wines, you are tasting a philosophy: that farming and nature go hand in hand, that fine people create fine wines, and that true terroir only emerges when soils, plants, animals and humans are in balance.
‘The glass in your hand is not only an expression of excellence – it is an invitation to imagine what this ancient corner of the Cape can become over the next fifty years, vine by vine, person by person, season by season.’