Goats Do Roam Wines
Charles Back, is not only the force behind Fairview and Spice Route but also the man behind Goats Do Roam.
The Goats Do Roam range is rare in that it is an amusing and original proposition allied to wines of stunning quality and value for money. Normally these ‘concept’ wines put more money into marketing than into wine; however Charles has done the opposite. Each of the wines in the Goats range evokes a wry smile, while the quality of each engenders a broad grin.
His quirky, irrepressible sense of humour led to the creation of the first Goats Do Roam label, which many with great amusement interpreted as a friendly jibe at the French – and in this case, the Côte du Rhône growers’ – sense of proprietary right when it comes to branding the source of a wine.
‘Not so’, says Back, though with the barely disguised air of a naughty schoolboy delighting in his own mischief. The ‘legend’ goes that some errant members of Fairview’s long-established goat herd, supplier of milk for Fairview’s internationally award-winning cheeses, took the gap when Charles Back’s young son Jason and buddy Justin had left open the gate to the paddock containing Fairview’s famous goat tower. The little group happily roamed among the vineyards, showing rare discernment by selecting the ripest berries off some of the choicest vines…
Thus was born, in 1999, what was for the South African wine scene an innovative blend using Rhône varieties such as Shiraz, Cinsaut, Carignan and Mourvèdre with a dash of local Pinotage, which Back had sourced from various vineyards (his own and others) around Paarl and Malmesbury.
Back has continued to have fun with the naming of each wine – and the design of each individual ‘olde worlde’ style label, with its endless witty allusions to the world of wine and goats! Besides additions to the family of Goats do Roam, there came the Goat Roti, then a pair of Goats do Roam in Villages. Wine lovers with a sense of discernment matched only by their sense of humour may look forward to soon meeting the Bored Doe, Goat Door and the bawdy… but we’ll leave it there for the moment.
Goats Do
Roam Wines - Fairview Wines, Suid-Agter-Paarl Road, Suider-Paarl 7646, South Africa
Tel: +27 (0)21 863 2450
Fax: +27 (0)21 863 2591
Web: http://www.fairview.co.za
