On Friday the 19th of November we are joined by Carolyn Martin from Creation Wines, for the second edition in our regular season of Cellar Talks. Carolyn runs Creation Wines together with her husband Jean-Claude Martin. Together we will talk about their career in wine, the winery, their great wines and the Walker Bay region in South Africa.
About Creation Wines
Creation wines is one of South Africa’s top producers, delivering stellar results year after year and continuously growing. The winery was founded in 2002 by Jean-Claude and Carolyn who saw great potential in the Hemel en Aarde ridge close to the town of Hermanus.
50 hectares of vines make up a beautiful estate. The winery recently even got chosen as one of the most beautiful wineries in the world (ranked 10th in the top 100). Located in the Walker Bay appellation they have great potential for a large selection of grapes including Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Chenin Blanc and some additional Rhone grape varieties.
The wines of Creation are recognised all over the world, with their cornerstone varieties (Chardonnay and Pinot Noir) now receiving excellent scores in the international press. Recently Master of Wine Tim Atkins awarded the wines scores up to 96 points for Robert Parker. On top of that they have not only once but thrice won the Great Wine Capitals (GWC) of the World Award for the Most Innovative Wine Estate in South Africa. In 2021 the estate was the Global Winner of this prestigious award.
Tourism and hospitality, like in many South African wineries, also play a big role at Creation In fact, great food along great wine have become one of Creation’s main attractions for which it has won the KLINK Wine Tourism Award for Best Food and Wine Pairing on a Wine Farm four times.
About Carolyn
Carolyn Martin is the co-owner and marketing director of Creation Wines. Born and bred in the Cape Winelands and being a third generation wine estate owner, it can be said that Carolyn’s passion for wine is in her genes. Having completed her university studies at the Michaelis School of Arts in Cape Town, she moved to London where she eventually launched her own design company, focusing on the development of world-renowned brands such as Laurent-Perrier.
In 1999 Carolyn married the Swiss winemaker, Jean-Claude (JC) Martin and settled in the Winelands of Neuchâtel where JC was a director and co-owner of the famous winery of Grillette. Three years later the couple bought a small tract of land on the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge in South Africa’s famous Walker Bay Wine Region. The rest, as they say, is history.
About the Tasting
In the show we will also be tasting on of Creations wines; the 2018 Pinot Noir Reserve. This wine and other Creations are imported in The Netherlands through our friends at Vinites, and available through their retail channel. If you want to join us for the tasting there are still some limited numbers available through retailers and webshops.
We are looking forward to talking to Carolyn and learning from her background, experiences and the winery. Be sure to tune in on Instagram Live through our Dutch Wine Apprentice account on Friday the 19th of November, 19:30h CET.
Click here for instructions on how to follow a live show on Instagram Live. If you have questions for our guest you are welcome to prepare them and e-mail them to us or send them as a direct message on our Instagram account.
You can find a link to the recording of the show here.
