​The Creation Mission​​​​​​​​​​

In combining the rich gifts of nature and our unique terrain with the considerable skills of our dedicated team, Creation strives to reward the wine lover with wines of rare balance, elegance, distinction and finesse.

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What's in a Name?​

Imagine the vista: 35 hectares of virgin land, never planted to vines before. A unique little enclave of fynbos-clad hills and valleys teeming with indigenous fauna, with the Babylon Toren Mountain towering in the background and the glittering waters of Walker Bay only a few kilometers away ... It is the soul of our land that inspired the name, ‘Creation’, and as proud custodians, we are committed to conserve our natural heritage.

But Creation is also named for the exuberant spirit of innovation prevailing on our farm. We were the first in the Hemel-en-Aarde to grow and produce a Bordeaux-style blend. We were also the first producer in the Hemel-en-Aarde with a Grenache vineyard and the first in the area to bottle a single-variety Viognier and a Semillon.

And so our name is not only a tribute to the riches Mother Nature has bestowed upon the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, it also refers to the virgin land in which our vines were established and last but not least, it is a promise of constant innovation.

 

 

Written in the Stars​​​​​​​​​​

The story of Creation is as exciting as its spectacular setting on the lofty Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge. It is the story of an idealistic young winemaker, Jean-Claude (JC) Martin, and his wife, Carolyn (née Finlayson), who upon discovering their little piece of paradise in the maritime appellation of Walker Bay, named it ‘Creation’ and set about taming the wilderness. But let’s start at the beginning …

JC hails from the Old World - Switzerland, to be exact - where he spent his childhood holidays playing in his grandmother’s vineyards on the northern shores of Lake Bienne. At the tender age of 14 he decided to become a winemaker and he was all of 20 when he realized this dream! Having qualified as a viticulturist and winemaker, the inventive JC made his first wines in a converted garage. The equipment was basic but the results impressive and this was the start of an illustrious career which today finds expression in the highly acclaimed Creation wine range.

Carolyn grew up in the Winelands of New World South Africa, where as a little girl she loved picking berries in her grandmother’s garden. Her grandfather, Maurice Finlayson, owned Hartenberg on the slopes of the Bottelary Hills and it was here that the young Carolyn was introduced to the art of winemaking. When the family left Hartenberg, her father, the acclaimed winemaker Walter Finlayson, went on to put first Blaauwklippen and then Glen Carlou on the world wine map.
The tale of how JC and Carolyn met and fell in love, spans continents and could fill volumes. Well, wine, they say is the official beverage of romance … Suffice to mention that in the autumn of 1999 they were married on St Peter’s Island on the Lake of Bienne in the monastery where the famous philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau once lived.

Back to Creation. It was in 2002 that the Martin couple first travelled the rustic Hemel-en-Aarde Road that winds its way along the slopes and valleys of the scenic Babylon Toren Mountain. What they discovered at their journey’s end surpassed their wildest dreams: a small, undulating tract of virgin land perfectly suited to wine-growing. However, to establish a winery from scratch in a remote corner without cell phone reception or facilities like fresh running water required robust resilience. One of the first challenges was the establishment of their vineyards. Hard work, to say the least. Other challenges included recruiting the right team, getting the Creation trademark registered and convincing their target market that the Swiss don’t only produce chocolate, cheese and watches!

But like its owners, Creation’s destiny was written in the stars. And this was made abundantly clear when the first grapes were harvested in 2006 - the quality was fantastic. The completion of the custom-designed production and maturation cellar in 2007 was another highlight as was the opening of the tasting room in November 2008. Today, more than a decade after the first fledgling vine took root in the virgin earth, Creation clearly lives up to its evocative name. Constant innovation has positioned it among the Cape’s trendsetting wineries while a steady flow of prestigious accolades has elevated it high up among the star performers.

 

South African Riches, Swiss Precision​​​​​​​​​​

Perched on the picturesque Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge near Hermanus, Creation falls under the appellation of Walker Bay. Fringing the south-western shores of the Atlantic Ocean, this highly acclaimed wine region is among the coolest in South Africa and renowned for wines rivalling the world’s best. From the outset our intention has been to make the most of this rich potential. Thus, owner and cellarmaster JC Martin set out with Swiss precision to select 22 hectares of prime land to establish virus-free strains of the finest varietal clones.

Meticulously chosen for their suitability to the soil and prevailing climatic conditions, our vineyards are planted on slopes reaching up to 350 metres above sea level, a mere 7 kilometres from the ocean. The main component of the soils is heavy clay with an overlay of shale, which, in combination, provides not only good drainage, but also excellent water retention. In spite of the relatively low rainfall (mainly during the winter months) of 580 mm, our vineyards require minimal supplementary irrigation. Summer temperatures rarely exceed 30° C and during the ripening season (February to April) the cool ocean breezes bring welcome relief. Thanks to these ideal conditions we can rely on natural, prolonged ripening and therefore a greater concentration of flavour in the grapes.

To do justice to the well-balanced, full-flavoured fruit yielded by our vines, we have fitted our production cellar with state-of-the-art winemaking equipment imported from Germany, Switzerland and France and our maturation cellar with superior quality 225-litre French oak barriques.

This brings us back to our Swiss-trained cellarmaster, JC Martin, who boasts more than 20 years’ international experience. Expertise he now brings to bear transforming Nature’s rich bounty into wines reflecting the heart and soul of our unique terroir.
JC qualified as a winemaker and viticulturist in 1991. Having honed his skills on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, he today applies his talents to create a much wider repertoire.