I was born and bred in the Cape Winelands and had the privilege of growing up on three wine estates – close to the soil, close to the people. I know about the struggle and effort it takes to raise a vineyard and about all the hands and hearts that go into it. I have never underestimated the tenacity it takes to cope with the vagaries of the weather, water shortages, power outages, fire, political interference, viruses in the vineyard – and now COVID-19. A vintage represents a year in history, and this one will indeed be remembered.
The reality is there are just some things that are out of one’s control, and there is nothing that can prepare you for what is coming. With that in mind, my creative, flexible and ever-gracious team just behaved like superstars. For some, flexibility was tougher than for others, but we all learned to do some Mind Yoga and to believe in miracles!
Innovation is often born out of adversity and our brand-new ‘Summertime Story of Creation’ menu is a prime example. The name was inspired by one of George Gershwin’s most evocative compositions, ‘Summertime and the livin’ is easy’, and we regard the menu as a joyous serenade to summer. It is about grace and gratitude – and I can tell you that our Gratitude List for 2020 is impressive!
Let’s start by simply saying: WE MADE IT! By doing some agile (and not always so easy) pivoting, we managed to stay connected, in spite of the many odds stacked against us and the wine industry as a whole. Please click here to read more in Chris Boiling’s article.
A proud achievement was getting the best scores ever from Tim Atkin MW for our 2019 Art of Pinot Noir (97 points) and our 2019 Art of Chardonnay (96 points). In fact, we received great scores across the board in his 2020 South Africa Special Report. Thank you Tim! Please click here to read more.
We would also like to thank Greg Sherwood MW for taking the time to review our wines and write his in-depth tasting notes which are always a joy to read.
Last month it was announced that Creation is Great Wine Capitals’ (GWC) 2021 Global Winner for Innovative Wine Tourism – jubilations and celebrations! Earlier this year our trendsetting ethos was also acknowledged at the 2020 Wine & Food Tourism Awards when Creation was one of the top three honourees in the Innovation category.
The support we as an industry received from local and international journalists during the lockdown and the ban on alcohol was simply tremendous. A big thank you to all who helped to turn things around. To quote but one example: Richard Siddle from Drinks Business in the UK interviewed us when the entire wine industry was at their wits’ end and his impactful article can be read here.
I would also like to make special mention of the assistance received from experts in industries ranging from tourism to virtual technology. Many thanks for sharing your valuable knowledge and for encouraging us to step out of our comfort zone. This resulted in many successful online training sessions, webinars and virtual tastings, across the globe. Simply click here to view an example.
On behalf of our community, I would like to express our appreciation to all the teachers, lecturers and friends who helped our children to cope with a tough academic year. Also to all doctors and other health workers dealing with our questions and working on the front line, our warmest gratitude and respect.
Thank you to all our suppliers who went out of their way not to let the side down. Thanks to your stalwart assistance we have even been able to launch some exciting new products such as an all-natural bespoke tonic water specially created for our Creation Gin. More good news is the re-launch of our Paradoxical Wine and Chocolate Pairing, now more decadent than ever!
To our friends, family and team members: Thank You … Merci … Danke … Enkosi … Dankie!
You are our sounding board and our inspiration; our champions and our best critics. In short, you are the wind beneath our wings.
To our loyal clients: you are our VIPs and we value you tremendously. Thank you for your patience, kindness and understanding when our logistics partners toppled over post lockdown and we had to find new solutions. Thanks for sticking with us through thick and thin!
Have a truly blessed Festive Season
Sending all our Love
JC, Carolyn Martin and The Creation Team