Who are Meinert?

Established by Martin Meinert, Meinert is a small, boutique winery in the Devon Valley, within the region of Stellenbosch. Devon Crest Vineyards has steep south/west facing slopes planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinotage, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and a small vineyard of Semillon. Winemaker, Brendan Butler, is most famous for making a white wine from an Italian Merlot Clone, called the Italian Job and some of the best value premium red Merlot (made with a French clone) out of South Africa, as well as the award-winning Cape blend called Synchronicity. 

Highlights

Only produced in the very best vintages, Synchronicity may be considered a benchmark in its class, epitomising the unique terroir of Devon Valley in Stellenbosch. Meinert's flagship wine and the annual reflection of their prime Devon Valley site. Selecting the best batches of each of their varietals and blending according to the strengths of each vintage, seeking maximum complexity and balance. The latest release is the 2016 vintage, following in the footsteps of 2015 Synchronicity, which scored 90 Points in Tim Atkin MW’s South African Wine Report. Another stunning Meinert wine is the 6Chen 2018 which was awarded an incredible 95 Points by Decanter. 

Amazing South African Wines

Devon Valley is the perfect spot for growing Bordeaux varieties, but they also source wines from sites in the Hemel and Arde Valley, as well as from the coolest region in South Africa, Elim, to name a few. The vineyards from which Meinert selects fruit are some of the best in the country, but the truly wondrous thing about the wines Brendan creates is that they sing the story of their origin, with a purity and vibrancy that is hard to match.

South Africa is blessed with a wondrous climate and some of the oldest most complex soils on earth. These produce some of the best fruit available. The ability for Meinert to have all vineyard management done by hand as well as the harvest and berry selection before fermentation means you have some of the best quality wines available on the planet. The foreign exchange rate means that the wines are some of the best value on the market. Diligent work in the vineyard and the winery mean that Meinert offers some of the best and interesting wines in our portfolio. Top tips: Italian Job Merlot, Meinert Merlot, The Graduate Syrah, Printer Ink Pinotage. The Graduate Syrah is named after Brendan. He made the wine just after he graduated from the Cape Wine Masters and before he was offered a job at Meinert. He said he not would take the job without the winery agreeing to bottle the wine under the Meinert name and the rest is history.

Meinert in Trade

We recently were lucky to host Brendan Butler, Meinert’s winemaker and farm manager, as well as, Wilna Hofmeyr, Head of Sales and Marketing. Time in Trade is highly important for our producers and customers, as it allows the customers to understand the stories behind the products they are selling, bringing the producers and wines to life. Brendan and Wilna enjoyed attending events with a number of our customers across the country. This included a tastingat the View at the Shard followed by dinner at Kutir, hosting the Great Wine Company customers, then heading up North to various venues in Liverpool, York and Leeds. Both Brendan and Wilna were keen to acknowledge the importance of educating, whilst enjoying the wines in a dining setting. Some of the wines tasted included their fantastic 2023 German Job Riesling and the 2019 Italian Job Merlot, both aptly named.