‘Winemaking is a sport. Intermingled with a bit of instinct and art. Poetry is also required. All these facets are strongly influenced by the paradoxes of climate and weather… This is my general philosophy, but when I narrow it to test match cricket – the game in its most classic, serious, most stamina-sapping form – the allusion is surely to the most demanding, and yes, testing, grape of all, pinot noir, and to my battle with it here in the hills and vales behind Hermanus. I pace myself like an opening batsman during the harvest. I guard against exhaustion… fatigue leads to mistakes… The flashy, reverse-sweep sort of wine is not me. But I equally believe that a passionate and competitive spirit is essential in the making of great wines.’

Peter Finlayson’s passion is expressed in his unique descriptions of his wine range.

“During a barrel tasting of the new wines from the 1996 vintage I struck on the idea of a blend of the most impressive barrels, the Tête de Cuvée concept was born.” Tête de Cuvée Galpin Peak Pinot noir.

“I have maintained that Pinot noir is like opera! When it is great it is pure seduction almost hedonistic. There is no middle road.” Galpin Peak Pinot noir.

“An orchestra of flavours performed from the notes of different Italian and French cultivars.” Hannibal.

“The most malleable of all white grapes. It is the easiest to be good at, but the most difficult wines to be really great at!” Chardonnay.

“Sauvignon blanc is a lifelong tease, a difficult variety to master. The easy way out is to harvest relatively green and exploit the under-ripe grassy flashes resulting in naïve wines.” Sauvignon blanc.

“Each new wine is like a new child displaying uniqueness, offering promise, evoking a range of emotions, without any guarantees. I get to be involved in the initial development, giving my all but once bottled, and released into the world, I have to stand back and let go, quickly watching it develop and make its mark or accept criticism in the face of its exposure.”