art, adventure, music, history, food, poetry, beer, social upliftment, surfing, wine and much more.
Peripheral vision (no.2). Gabrielle Raaff. Watercolour on Fabriano paper. 73.5cm, 77.5cm. Private collection.
Raaff ’s most notable earlier works in watercolour and ink,
act of painting to be a wrestling between intention and chance
capturing beach and city figures and aerial Google satellite
and an undoing of certainty. Working with the material properties
images of distinctly different South African neighbourhoods,
of diluted ink and watercolour – of painting wet into wet and
rely on a cool relationship between herself and the subject
of oil resisting water – determines the means by which a new
and revel in the abstract qualities of the view. Working with
image is created.
the ephemeral qualities of watercolour, water-based oil and ink, she layers diluted pigments on substrates such as paper,
The original photograph is extended, like the sound that
canvas, raw linen and primed board. Her figural works on
manifests an echo, such that a new and multi-layered embodiment
paper abstract people into studies of light and dark, devoid
of experience or place can be expressed.”
of context. The figures imply movement, intention, and a degree of familiarity while existing outside of a place or time. “My most recent works are a continuation of my interest in photography, and I often use found news imagery as a starting point for my paintings. I consider my personal
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Gabrielle Raaff www.gabrielleraaff.com
Jack Journal Vol. 3
Nikos Kazantzakis, Zorba the Greek. I felt once more how simple and frugal a thing happiness is: a glass of wine, a roast chestnut, a wretched little brazier, the sound of the sea. Nothing else.
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table of contents
06 08 12 20
why we produce Jack Journal Bruce Jack
contributors in search of the strange Don Pinnock
weaving a living through rugs, the story of oomama bethu (our mothers) Unathi Kondile
26 38 4
46 55 56
legacy of wood how trees live again Melvyn Minnaar
it’s still a tree Bruce Jack
for nature and for the people: conservation with a difference Heather D’Alton
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nguni cattle – a gentle african treasure Gregory Mthembu-Salter
the new nordic food story Michael Booth
riding high on a wave of wellbeing
70
“i never thought of myself as a cartoonist” Emily Flake
76 80 92 96 100 104
music makes miracles Su Birch
the national poetry prize 2020 winners shweshwe swish and sniff Fiona McDonald
carbon copies Fiona McDonald and Su Birch
capitalism with a conscience Biénne Huisman
raiders at the cape Justin Fox
Alison Westwood
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110
diary of a london restaurant owner 2021
126
Neleen Strauss
114 118
Derek Gripper
a meeting of two worlds Felicity Carter
eco-printing. inspired by nature and working with her seasons Rita Trafford
122
playing into silence: a concert guitarist learns the covid art of the online guitar ashram
why the best brands are now run by their customers Richard Siddle
130
the knackered mother’s wine guide Helen McGinn
132 136 140
and then there was fun Alison Westwood
the walk Adrian Kohler
144 152 160 162 164
andile dyalvane the gift Su Birch
liquid history Lucy Corne
a salute to the sun Fraser Crighton
foods of the world Emile Joubert
the scent of empires – chanel Nº5 and red moscow Karl Schlögel
we shared what brings us joy Aaniyah Omardien and Monique Rodgers
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why we produce Jack Journal This is a wine magazine that embraces the things around wine, things that touch our wine world, rather than being a wine-centric publication. Wine is central to so much of what we do, and when crafted within this multiplicity of influences, wine is enhanced by them. Despite what the scourge of social media vainly portrays, we are not defined by our circumstances, appearance or even talents. Rather, it is our fears, dreams, insecurities, resilience, irrationality and empathy that set our course on this multidimensional trajectory through life. These, and other building blocks of our character, make us and others interesting. Of course, Luck, and her conspirator, Timing, merrily wreak havoc and happiness along the way, dealing out both opportunities and dead-end disappointments. And all the time there is so much beauty … weaving in and out and around our fumbling and fuming. I am still some years away from a well-considered philosophical stance on this mesmerizing journey, but I have 6
made enough mistakes to know that the omnipresent unfairness and fragility of life is what makes it so addictive and precious. And so we need to let our meandering minds explore. Psychological and Cognitive Science studies have proven many times over that we walk among fellow fantasists. We have survived excruciating odds just to be sentient and here. And we battle on, hard-wired to procreate, because our brains have constructed a fantasy of existence, so we believe it is not only bearable, but sure to improve. On the other hand, true realists, of which there are a few, are unavoidably depressed. This fascinating facet of our curious minds means that we lack the ability to reason properly about most things. While we now accept that this is another survival trait, it means reasonable-seeming people like you and me are very often irrational. This shocking revelation (led by Stanford University research academics in the 1970s and replicated many times since) adds spice to our exploration.
It also explains why the technological revolution of connectedness is both so freeing and so damaging. Clear communication is no longer enough. Fact-based insight and rational arguments hardly compete for the limelight. Truth, never a requisite of political or neocapitalist success, is now even less evident. And over the din of our collapsing ecosystem the new screeching soapbox, social media, is overwhelmed by a cacophony of ill-informed, unquestioning (often unthinkingly regurgitated) semi-opinions. This riptide of bilge is not, in itself, a bad thing. What role it will play in the ongoing development of our coping and survival strategies as a species remains to be seen. But, if you are reading this, you are not alone in believing that we also need to keep offering a counterpoint, a balancing buffer against the flood of fools. This doesn’t mean trying to swim against the riptide, which like an ocean riptide will always drown you. We must swim perpendicular to the inescapable Jack Journal Vol. 3
wash of senseless noise that’s sweeping so many out into the deep sea of idiocy. We can do many simple things. We can read to small children. We can force ourselves to remain inquisitive. We can try to see things from another perspective. And we can practise patience (if not acceptance) when it comes to views that challenge our beliefs. We can read widely and surround ourselves with people who think before they talk. We can be inclusive and generous and forgiving. And we can keep exploring. And this is why we produce Jack Journal.
Jack Journal is an authentic voice – it reflects our vision as a family-owned, but widely collaborative, wine business. It is informed by our own dreams and isn’t trying to be popular or popularist. Jack Journal was born of an intense desire to find meaning in things and to explore this chaotic thing called life. It is not trying to be idealistic or superior. It is naturally inclusive and not dumbed
down – which is precisely how we make wine. Jack Journal is reflective of the signposts along this wine journey that point to delicious wanderings, often resulting in revelation, offering solace and adding joy – and these are the same reasons we craft wine.
Bruce
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contributors
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MICHAEL BOOTH
LUCY CORNE
is the author of seven non-fiction books including the international best-selling, award-winning The Almost Nearly Perfect People, and Sushi and Beyond. He writes regularly for a wide range of newspapers and magazines around the world including The Sunday Times, Monocle and Condé Nast Traveller. www.michael-booth.com.
is a beer writer and the editor of On Tap, South Africa’s only beer magazine. She is Africa’s first Certified Cicerone – akin to a beer sommelier – and the founder of South African National Beer Day. Lucy is a big fan of pilsner and IPA but also has a deep fascination with traditional African beers. www.lucycorne.com.
SU BIRCH
FRASER CRIGHTON
is a distinguished international marketing and promotions specialist. As CEO of Wines of South Africa, she received the Drinks Business Woman of the Year award. She runs her own marketing business called Thinking Seahorses and has embraced the challenge of producing the Jack Journal. She also volunteers as an English coach in a local township school. www.thinkingseahorses.com.
moved to South Africa from the UK in 2010 after training as a winemaker. As real beer wasn’t a thing at that time in South Africa, Fraser decided to change that and 12 years later he is still brewing craft beers. Instagram: @fraserchrightonphotos
FELICITY CARTER
HEATHER D’ALTON
is the Executive Editor at Pix, the wine discovery platform launched in late 2021. Previously she worked for Meininger Verlag, Europe’s biggest wine and spirits publisher, where she built Meininger’s Wine Business International into the world’s premier wine business magazine, with correspondents from 30 countries and subscribers in 38. Her work has also appeared in The Age and Sydney Morning Herald newspapers in Australia, and in The Guardian USA, among others. She is an international wine judge and speaker. www.pix.wine.
is a conservation communications specialist. She spent more than a decade working as a business journalist in London, Johannesburg and Cape Town before changing tack to follow her love of nature. She’s the co-owner of LoveGreen Communications, where she works with wonderful clients who care deeply about our natural world. www.lovegreen.co.za
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JANNEKE DE KOCK
DEREK GRIPPER
works as an illustrator and designer for Archival studio in Cape Town. www.archival.co.za
creates original music from his diverse influences and spent many years performing and recording his own translations of Bach’s violin and cello music, infusing his interpretations with his lessons from the oral traditions of Africa. He has transcribed note-for-note the complex compositions of Malian kora player Toumani Diabaté and has found a way of playing them on six-string guitar. He has performed with classical guitar legend, Paul Williams, with Diabaté and his Symmetric Orchestra, and with Trio da Kali at Carnegie Hall.
ROHAN ETSEBETH
ALLENDRE HINE
runs Archival studio, a small design and illustration studio that mostly does packaging design. He has finally put some work on a website. www.archival.co.za
is a strategic creator and a lover of crafted design solutions, film, coffee and meaningful conversations. Ali is a graduate of the Red & Yellow School of Logic & Magic. She is the main designer on Jack Journal. www.behance.net/Alihine
JUSTIN FOX
BIÉNNE HUISMAN
is a travel writer, photographer and former editor of Getaway magazine. He is the author of more than 20 books, including The Marginal Safari, Whoever Fears the Sea, The Impossible Five and Beat Routes. His latest World War II novel, The Cape Raider (Penguin, 2021), is available in bookshops and on amazon.com. https://justinfoxafrica.wordpress.com
is an award-winning South African journalist with an MA in Creative Writing from Royal Holloway, University of London. She has worked for the BBC, the Sunday Times, Daily Maverick, Getaway magazine, Open Skies, and more. Instagram: @biennehuisman
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EMILE JOUBERT
MELVYN MINNAAR
is a communication consultant in the Cape wine industry who writes fiction in his spare time, having published various short-story collections.
has been writing about art, wine and related existential issues for various local and international publications for many years. The creativity that underpins these subjects is an enduring personal passion. He has served on a number of cultural bodies and institutions. Veritas honoured Melvyn in 2018, recognising his history of cultural involvement, opinions about art and wine, the politics of such and his appreciation for talent.
ADRIAN KOHLER
HELEN MCGINN
is one of the world’s leading masters in puppetry. He is co-founder and artistic director of Handspring Puppet Company. Their productions have graced many a global stage including the West End and Broadway. He has not quite managed to retire yet but when he is at home, in South Africa, he enjoys a morning swim in the Kalk Bay tidal pool. www.handspringpuppet.co.za
is a drinks writer, international wine judge and the author of the award-winning Knackered Mother’s Wine Club blog and book. She spent almost a decade as a UK supermarket buyer and writes about drinks for the Daily Mail and appears regularly on BBC1’s Saturday Kitchen and ITV’s This Morning as their wine expert. Her best-selling debut novel, This Changes Everything, was published in February 2021, and her second fiction book, In Just One Day, was published in August 2021.
UNATHI KONDILE
GREGORY MTHEMBU-SALTER
is the founding editor of South Africa’s first daily isiXhosa newspaper, Isolezwe lesiXhosa, and the weekly Iphepha Lam newspaper. Kondile is currently based in the Eastern Cape where he continues to develop rural community journalism. He holds an MA in Media Studies (UCT) and has freelanced for a number of media companies locally and abroad. Instagram: @unathikondile
is a researcher and writer who lives in Scarborough, near Cape Town. After paying lobola in cows for his own marriage over 25 years ago, Gregory became drawn to the rich theme of South Africans and cattle, eventually writing a book about the subject, entitled Wanted Dead and Alive. Gregory runs Phuzumoya Consulting, specialising in research on political and economic landscapes of Southern and Central Africa, and particularly the Democratic Republic of Congo.
FIONA MCDONALD
AANIYAH OMARDIEN
Words and wine are how Fiona McDonald earns her crust. Trained as a news journalist, she accidentally got involved in wine and life took a fortuitous turn, via vineyards, cellars, editorship of WINE magazine for eight years, and ultimately led to her chairing tasting panels at global competitions such as the International Wine Challenge, International Wine & Spirits Competition, Concours Mondial de Bruxelles and Decanter World Wine Awards. Locally, she writes and tastes for the annual Platter Guide when not disappearing down fascinating internet rabbit holes ...
Aaniyah’s work connects people and nature. While at World Wildlife Fund from 2001 to 2010, she managed the SA Marine Programme. She is the founder and director of The Beach Co-op (TBC), a not-for-profit company that evolved from the work of a group of volunteers who started collecting marine debris at their local surf break, the rocky shore at Surfers Corner in Muizenberg, Cape Town. www.thebeachcoop.org
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DR DON PINNOCK
NELEEN STRAUSS
is an investigative journalist, photographer and travel writer who, realising he knew little about the natural world, set out to discover it. This took him to five continents – including Antarctica – and resulted in five books on natural history and hundreds of articles. He has degrees in criminology, political science and African history and is a former editor of Getaway travel magazine. The Last Elephants is his 18th book. He lives in Cape Town.
Neleen is the owner/manager of High Timber restaurant, London. She loves test cricket, safari, Negronis and opera. She knows her opinion is not a fact, but loves debating. Instagram: @hightimberrestaurant
GABRIELLE RAAFF
RITA TRAFFORD
is a full-time contemporary artist living in Cape Town. She works with ethereality, using ink, watercolour and water-based oil to express the form and emotion of her subjects. She has had five solo shows, exhibits extensively locally and abroad, and is preparing for her next solo show in the first quarter of 2022.
is a qualified chef, an unqualified artist, a mother of two wonderful children who have recently flown the coop, a doting (not all the time) wife to a talented winemaker, parent to three foster dogs, and proud mamma to a few chatty free-range hens. Living with all this against a backdrop of mountains, vineyards, old oak trees and spectacular fynbos, one can only be in awe of the surrounds.
KARL SCHLÖGEL
ALISON WESTWOOD
is a historian, writer and Professor Emeritus, living in Berlin. Besides visiting scholarships to Budapest, Oxford, Uppsala and Los Angeles, he travelled for decades in Russia and Central Europe writing about cities, Stalinism and urban cultures. Among his many books are: Moscow 1937 (Cambridge 2012), In Space We Read Time (New York 2016), Ukraine. A Nation on the Borderland (London 2016), The Soviet Century (forthcoming, Princeton). He has won many awards including the ‘Orden pour le mérite für Wissenschaft und Künste’.
has been travelling to and writing about Africa’s top destinations for more than 15 years. Her writing and photographs have appeared in various magazines and online publications, as well as a book or two. The Cape is her favourite place in Africa, at least partly because of the wine. Instagram: @alisonwestwood
RICHARD SIDDLE is an award-winning business editor with over 25 years’ experience working across diverse fields including wine, drinks, computing, grocery retail, convenience and travel. As well as running his own editorial and business consultancy, he launched a B2B website for the premium wine trade, http://www.The-Buyer.net, with his business partner, Peter Dean – a digital-only platform that provides insight and analysis to help drinks producers understand and work more closely with the trade buyers they most want to work with, be it distributors or sommeliers and restaurateurs.
Editor: Su Birch Design: Allendre Hine & Rohan Etsebeth Jack Journal is a Bruce Jack Wines production. Please contact the editor at editor@jackjournal.com with comments, questions and ideas for articles. Bruce Jack Wines Limited. Registered address: c/o Seles Group, 2a Charing Cross Road, London, England, WC2H 0HF
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