Interview with Tim Hutchinson

Tim Hutchinson is the CEO of DGB (Pty) Ltd, one of South Africa’s largest independent wine and spirit producers and distributors. He has been with the company for 30 years and is currently the CEO of the group. A hands on person, Tim spends nearly half of his time travelling and visiting markets. I had a chance to catch up with him during his three-weeks visit to Asia.

DGB began as Douglas Green & Co in 1942. Through merger and acquisitions, and eventually a management buyout led by Tim himself, the company has grown to include 12 wine brands and 12 spirits brands. To date, the wines are available in over 100 countries. With the acquisition of Boschendal, one of the oldest wine estates in South Africa in 2005, the root of the group also extended back to 1685. The DGB brands available in Asia include Boschendal, Bellingham, Franschhoek Cellar, Douglas Green, The Beach House and Brampton.

Tim is proud to point out that in the UK, DGB’s two premium brands, Bellingham Bernard Series and Boschendal, have 67% of the South African wine premium category (over £15/bottle), while in the Philippines, an emerging market for wine, one in every two South African wines sold belongs to DGB. Tim attributed the success to his highly-driven international team. Instead of sending corporate personnel from the headquarters to each market, DGB identified locally based persons who speak the language and understand the culture to truly capitalise on the potential of each market. DGB’s international team consists of 13 nationalities speaking 15 languages. In Asia Pacific, the dynamic duo are Nick Sonderup, an Australian who speaks Mandarin and has been with the company for four years, and Hong Kong born Kenneth Lee who speaks English, Cantonese, Mandarin and Japanese.

DGB is committed to four key areas: vineyard management to make the best possible wine; tourism to build the brand; social responsibility to improve the quality of life of workers, and environmental responsibility to minimise the impact to the Earth.

Tim reckoned that as much as wine is about craft, it is also about technology. Since good wine is born in vineyard, it is important that winemakers know exactly the quality of fruits each vineyard site could deliver. At DGB, infra-red technology and helicopters are used to map the vigour of the vineyards in such a precision that enables winemakers to decide which specific area of vineyard to be picked and when for a particular wine. On top of state-of-the-art vineyard management, winemakers are also given free hands to experiment. It is true that most of the creations would be blended away but a few would make it to the production line. One such example was Bellingham The Bernard Series Organic wine Syrah 2012 that was recognised as one of the top 10 Syrah/Shiraz in the world at the 10th edition Syrah du Monde International Wine Competition 2016. Coincidentally, Bellingham was the first winery to produce Shiraz in South Africa in 1956.

DGB has long recognised that tourism is one of the driving forces to promote wine. With the weak economy and currency in South Africa, tourism industry in booming. Tim ensures his wine estates have hospitality facilities that would leave lasting memories to guests. Boschendal, home of an award-winning restaurant and elegant cottages, is one of the most visited wine estates in South Africa with 300,000-400,000 guests ever year. The Franschhoek Cellar, located on the Stellenbosch wine route, is a popular destination.

Like most South Africans, Tim admitted that the system under apartheid was unfair. DGB is putting things right now through various social and community projects. Douglas Green funded an educational truck that combined a mobile library of 5,000 books and computer room with 20 laptops that goes around underprivileged schools where children can borrow books and adults can learn computers. The brand also has a line of Fairtrade wine where the premium goes back to the community who then decide how the premium is invested.

Last but not least is the commitment to environment. In addition to using lighter weight glasses, managing waste and running recycling programmes, DGB planted a 10ha bamboo forest in 2011 with two objectives: to offset carbon footprint and to empower the community through job creation and new skill learning. This initiative won the Ethical Award at the Drinks Business Green Awards 2012. The latest project is the installation of 2,600 solar panels across the rooftop of its Wellington’s production facility covering 62,000 sqm, which is expected to produce 1.25 million kWh in its first year of full operation.


Tim doesn’t stop here. While the social and environmental projects are ongoing, he is also planning to introduce a new premium wine brand. He believes the future of South African wine lies in the premium range. Most customers in the world think South African wine is excellent value for money, meaning it’s a great quaffing wine. Unfortunately, this is exactly the Achilles' heel - the weakness of South African wine. When consumers look for more expensive wine, they will not look at South Africa. However, most premium wine estates in South African are too small and even though a few of them are well known in overseas markets, their limited volume do not allow them to make a big impact in the competitive wine markets. He hopes that South African wine estates could work together to grow the country’s premium wine category. Anyway, he is optimistic about the future. As the world is getting smaller, wine is well placed as an aspiration to the young generation.

Boschendal is available from Royal Oak,
Bellingham is available from wine'n'things,
Brampton is available from Cellarmaster Wines

The Birth of the Wellington Wine District

If someone mentioned wine from Wellington, how many of us would associate it with South Africa rather than New Zealand?

Wellington was a ward (sub region) of Paarl until last month. On 21st September 2012, it was officially demarcated as Wellington District, on the same level as Stellenbosch and Paarl. Being a district instead of a ward also means that, if it so chooses, it could one day subdivide the district into wards although it is too early for that at this stage.

Duimpie Bayly, Chairman of the Demarcation Committee of the Wine of Origin System in South Africa, was proud to announce the birth of this new region. He explained that the distinctive terroir of Wellington differentiates this little region from Paarl and justifies demarcating such a small area.

Wellington District has only just over 20 producers. Apart from the co-ops, most are small to medium size estates. The soil is mainly decomposed granite from Groenberg (Green Mountain) which is an extinct volcano. Vineyards in the foothills of the Hawequa mountains benefit from the various mesoclimates created by the folds and valleys of the mountains. Not only does the Hawequa acts as a rain barrier, it also channels the south-easterly winds (the Cape Doctor) down the valleys. Summer may be hot but there are cool pockets where vines are sheltered from the strong afternoon sun by the mountains. Some vineyards on the slopes can be 3ºC cooler than the valley floor. I agree that this terroir is definitely different from that of Paarl. In 2010, it was proclaimed ‘Top Wine Area’ at the South African Terroir Awards.

Wellington produces more than its fair share of award-winning Pinotages, a unique South African cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault. The rich chocolate-coffee easy drinking style, exemplified by Diemersfontein, is particularly popular among young consumers, while the more complex Cape blend with at least 30% Pinotage, such as Doolhof Minotaur 2008, appeals to more experienced drinkers.

Wine consumers have a love-hate relationship with Pinotage. Dave Hughes from The Pinotage Association admits that producers in the early days did not know how to make it, and the result was a green and bitter metallic taste (some people called it rusty nails). But with more understanding and experiment, Dave maintains that Pinotages these days are in much better shape, and consumers should not judge them from past history. Whilst I agree, I also think it’s fair to say that Pinotage is an acquired taste. It has to go with the right kind of food, like robust-flavoured Shanghai or Peking cuisines, or, as South Africans prefer, the braai (barbecue). Pinotage’s fruitiness and smoky aromas complement the sweetness of the food.

If you are a Cabernet fan, I would strongly suggest you try the Mont du Toit Le Sommet 2003, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. At nearly 10 years old, the blackcurrant fruit is well integrated with the tertiary aromas of truffles and preserved eggs.

Wellington whites are fairly full bodied because of its hot summer. I like the barrel fermented Chenin Blancs, notably Nabygelegen and Diemersfontein Carpe Diem, which are food-friendly and structured without being overly heavy. Those who prefer lighter style whites will be pleasantly surprised with the refreshing Signatures of Doolhof Sauvignon Blanc at only 12.5% alcohol. The vines are planted on a slope and only exposed to the cool morning sun.

Wellington has long lived in the shadow of Paarl but with this elevation of status it can be more proactive in marketing. South African wine routes are world famous but most tourists stick with the more well known Stellenbosch and Franschhoek regions. I have to admit that Wellington town is not as vibrant as Stellenbosch and certainly lacks the sophisticated touristy atmosphere of Franschhoek. But these are compensated by its tranquil and relax feel. The surrounding scenery is just as spectacular as Stellenbosch. If you like nature, you will not be disappointed. The Wellington Wine Walk is a 40 kilometre 3-day guided walk in the winelands and surrounding fynbos (the native small bushes of South Africa) that incorporates luxury accommodation and wine tastings—not a bad ‘exercise programme’ for wine lovers. If you are very lucky, you may even be able to glimpse the endangered Cape leopard. By the way, Wellington is only one hour from Cape Town and 30 minutes from Stellenbosch so there’s no excuse not to drop by.

Wellington is also known as the cradle of vines. Not only do its 28 nurseries supply over 90% of all vine cuttings to South African producers, they also export to countries including China and Uruguay. At the celebration dinner for the official launch of the Wellington Wine District, each guest was given a young vine to signify the new beginning of Wellington, a very meaningful idea indeed.

The South African wine industry will always be dominated by Stellenbosch, its big brother (like Bordeaux to France), but I hope we wine lovers will give a chance to its little siblings. Wellington may be the latest one but I’m sure there will be more to come. South Africa prides itself as a fauna rich and biodiverse wine kingdom and only by having more demarcated regions can we truly experience the diverse wine styles offered by this Rainbow Nation.

Congratulations Wellington!

Abridged version was published in the South China Morning Post on 1st November 2012