Eben Sadie started his winemaking career working for Charles Back’s Spice Route – labelled wines before breaking off on his own in 1999. Over the past decade he has acquired the reputation as the most innovative, even anarchic winemaker in South Africa. He is a great believer in blends, rather than single varietal wines, and in terroir. Sadie eschews what he regards as the obsession in South Africa to plant French varietals and instead sees Mediterranean vines as the most suited to the Swartland region which is where he has established his winery. He is scathing of the bureaucracy within the South African wine authorities which prevent him from planting Spanish, Italian or Portuguese varietals.