Trizanne Signature Wines
Cape South Coast - Elim
About Trizanne Signature Wines
Growing up, Trizanne Barnard was an adrenaline junkie. Her dad was too; he would take her bridge jumping, rock climbing, bungee jumping, and parachuting. These days, Trizanne has “hung up her ropes” and opts instead for the more tempered rush of barrel waves and shark fins beneath her board. Her love for the ocean is apparent in every aspect of her brand ¬– from her labels to the fresh, mineral flavor profiles that comes from her vineyards’ proximities to the Atlantic Ocean.
After graduating from Stellenbosch University with a degree in Viticulture and Oenology, Trizanne worked multiple vintages in Australia, France and Portugal. Her time at Moss Wood in Margaret River grew her love for energetic whites and particularly Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc blends. When she returned home, she joined Klein Constantia, and in 2004, she had the opportunity to start Anwilka with a team of South African and Bordelais winemakers. Her first release, the 2005 vintage, was hailed by Robert Parker as the best South African red wine that he had ever tasted.
For many winemakers, praise from Robert Parker on an inaugural vintage would be an incredible win. The Anwilka wines sold out immediately, and Trizanne’s name began turning heads. But to Trizanne, this was “probably the worst thing that could have happened to [her] as a young winemaker.” She didn’t have to graft, to learn the ropes of sales and marketing. And while she was proud of the “meticulous” red winemaking program that she had built at Anwilka, she was ready to return to what spoke to her soul: white wines from South Africa’s cool climate areas.
In 2008, Trizanne Signature Wines was born, focusing on the contrast be between the cooler climate vineyards of Elim for Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon and the hotter, drier Swartland vineyards for Syrah. Ultimately, Trizanne always seeks to make wines that remind you of their origin. “If you taste the Elim wine, and you close your eyes, you could imagine being near the ocean because you have salinity in the wines, there’s a minerality. It’s a wind ravaged area, and there’s a sort of wildness, and it creates these solid, structured, beautifully aromatic wines” she elaborates.
Today, her lineup includes three ranges: Seascape, Reserve, and TSW. She often incorporates used oak into her aging program for both her whites and reds, and ultimately seeks freshness and energy in all of her decision making. Her Swartland vineyard site is one of the district’s southernmost vineyards that sees cooling ocean breezes, which she found thanks to her friend Chris Mullineux. In Elim, she’s usually the first winemaker to start picking, as she prefers to pick when grapes are phenolically ripe but still have acid, which lights a fire under her peers. “I’m the instigator,” she says.
As for her packaging, there’s no doubt that Trizanne’s branding is related to her love of surfing. “Apart from how thrilling surfing is, it’s humbling. It’s where I can completely shut down. Surfing is where I lose all titles. When I’m in the ocean, I’m not a winemaker. I’m not a mother. I’m just present,” she says. “I don’t even see [surfing] next to my life. It’s just who I am, and so I decided to bring it into my labels.”
- Owner Trizanne Barnard
- Winemaker Trizanne Barnard
- Average Annual Production 3,000 cases
- Farming Practices Sustainable