Bobby Wallace continues the family legacy by making premium, individually unique, small-batch wines from South Africa’s top wine-growing areas. Initially, the brothers started the project as a bonding exercise to create a distinctive South African Chenin Blanc from Elgin. The project now gains momentum and firmly places Off The Record Wines among South Africa’s new wave wine producers.
The opportunity arose when Bobby found scarce Wine of Origin Elgin Chenin Blanc grapes for sale. The brothers purchased the grapes and set out to produce a wine with broad appeal. They refused to compromise and created the wines they had always envisioned. Both brothers worked full time for other wine brands, so they completed all winemaking, tasting, bottling, and strategizing after hours to avoid conflicts of interest.
The brothers had limited exposure to cool-climate Chenin Blanc but felt extremely encouraged by the response to their first vintage. Customers made numerous requests to purchase the wine on release. Off The Record quickly achieved cult status, and the wines remained available for only a short time each year.
After producing three vintages of Chenin Blanc, Bobby decided to expand the range. His fascination with Syrah made it the natural next step. Winemakers can approach Syrah, like Chenin Blanc, with many philosophies. However, vineyards always remain the key element. Bobby eventually found a unique, high-lying Syrah vineyard on the Ceres Plateau. The project has proved extremely rewarding, and Off The Record Wines now proudly announces the launch of its Syrah. What started as a dream has now become a full-time commitment from Bobby to pursue making the best possible wines for Off The Record.
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