Fifty Not Out Hamilton Russell

Raymond Blake meets Anthony Hamilton Russell in Ireland at the 50th anniversary of one of South Africa's most celebrated wine regions founded by Anthony's father

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Thursday, 27th February 1975 may yet come to be remembered as a red-letter day in the history of South African wine, for it was on that day that advertising executive, Tim Hamilton Russell paid 53,000 Rand to purchase 170 hectares of undeveloped land, well removed from the heartland of the South African wine industry formed by the Stellenbosch-Paarl-Franschoek triangle. It was the end of a long search for a cool, southerly site on which to grow the grape varieties for which Hamilton Russell Vineyards is now renowned: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. A little inland from the fishing port of Hermanus, in the appropriately named Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, which translates as Heaven on Earth, lay what was to become one of South Africa’s most celebrated wine regions. Heads must surely have been scratched when news broke of the purchase, and it was to be some years before Hamilton Russell’s prescience was acknowledged, both at home and abroad. Fifty years later, to the day, his son, Anthony Hamilton Russell visited Ireland, home of his ancestors, to celebrate the anniversary with a series of tastings and masterclasses, culminating in a dinner that I helped to organise, themed to showcase a selection of his wines. But what of the half-century book-ended by these dates? The first vintage, 1981, followed six years after the purchase, and a decade later in 1991 Anthony joined his father in the business, before buying him out and taking over completely in 1994. The 30-plus years since have been a period of continuous development and expansion, not only of the Hamilton Russell brand but also the associated labels Southern Right, launched in 1994, followed by Ashbourne in 1996. Keeping them separate right from the beginning was a sensible decision, for it ensured that the main brand was not diluted by its stablemates. Each has been successful but, in addition to those achievements, it can also be argued that few people have done as much as Anthony Hamilton Russell to raise the profile