Marc Kent van Boekenhoutskloof verkozen tot Wijnmaker van het jaar

Marc Kent - Diners Club Wijnmaker van het jaar 2008

The 2007 Diners Club Winemaker of the Year is one of the country's most passionate - and consistent - Shiraz aficionados: Marc Kent, for the Boekenhoutskloof Syrah 2005.
It's a gloriously sunny Spring morning at Boekenhoutskloof in Franschhoek. A few metres away Marc Kent's wife Brigitte is seated on a large blanket spread out on the lawn under a shady oak tree where five-month-old twins Drew and Carter gurgle happily with their toys.

This picture of domestic bliss is far removed from the image anyone would have had of Kent nine years ago, when he was a finalist in the 1998 Diners Club Winemaker of the Year competition - also for Shiraz. He admits to being embarrassed by the widely held perception of him as an "angry young man" but concedes that he used to shoot his mouth off first - and regret it - later. "Years ago I was more outspoken and less sensible. I guess I had too much energy and no place to vent it. I like to believe that I've softened and that life experience has changed me."
There's no doubt that he's mellowed over the years, perhaps as a result of having his achievements recognized by his peers and the rest of the world - yet acclaim has never been his motivation. Kent has always been focused on one thing and one thing only - wine quality, specifically for Boekenhoutskloof Syrah.
"Look at this picture," he says showing a photo of the 1998 Diners Club Winemaker of the Year finalists that's been stuck on his office wall for nearly 10 years; "I was the youngest guy there by a long shot." He's part of an elite group ranked alongside the 1998 winner Danie Malan of Allesverloren: Johan Malan of Simonsig, Ross Gower, then of Klein Constantia, Pieter Ferreira of Graham Beck, Carl Schultz of Hartenberg and Chris Kelly who was with Stellenbosch Vineyards at the time.

Kent also points out that that was probably the last time he wore a tuxedo… "It's one of only three competitions that Boekenhouts has ever entered." He's proud of that fact, especially since the wine that was one of the finalists then was the 1997 Boekenhouts-kloof Syrah, the first ever from the Franschhoek cellar. Apart from these two Diners Club competitions, the 1998 Veritas Awards is all that Boekenhoutskloof has participated in. So why now? "Well, Tim (Rands, one of Kent's partners in Boekenhoutskloof) said if I make myself out to be one of South Africa's top producers of Shiraz I mustn't run scared - I must prove it." That he's done - and won himself a return airfare to any wine country in the world, along with R15 000 for travelling expenses.

Although pleased to have won, Kent really doesn't need to prove himself or Boekenhoutskloof Syrah one of the country's best. The wine is already considered a South African icon, occupying number one spot in WINE magazine's annual classification of top Shiraz producers on the basis of it's performance in WINE tastings over the past five years, one of only 23 wines rated 5 Stars in the magazine (twice) and with no fewer than six 5 Star ratings in the annual Platter guide.
Boekenhoutskloof has never taken out an advert, never issued a press release and never hosted a media launch. "Everything we've achieved has been through one-on-one marketing, word of mouth or third party endorsements from individuals such as Jancis Robinson, Robert Parker, or publications like Platter, Wine Spectator and WINE magazine. It's the wine that speaks for itself, not PR or publicity."
And since Boekenhoutskloof was established in 1996, production has risen from a 6 000 bottles of wine a year to an astounding 1.7 million! That includes the Porcupine Ridge range, the Wolf Trap and the immensely popular Shiraz-driven blend The Chocolate Block.

"My partners have never interfered - they've allowed me to do what I do best. And it's important that they have faith in me," Kent says. "It's been a good trot..."
"Winning the Diners Club Award is not only a fantastic achievement for me and Boekenhoutskloof but also for Franschhoek - especially since Gottfried (Mocke of Chamonix) won last year. Franschhoek's been good to me and it's important that I'm a good ambassador. It's exciting for the valley - and such a beautiful place to live!"