Silwood Graduate Natasha Jacka Establishes Distinctive Wine Brand After Culinary Career

Natasha Jacka developed an interest in wine through her culinary travels. Her journey culminated in the launch of her own wine brand in 2021.

Food and wine naturally go together, so unsurprisingly Natasha Jacka’s interest in wine was sparked in a chef’s kitchen, where staff would taste various wines to pair with their dishes. “With food, I understood exactly how all the ingredients fit together to make up what’s on the plate, but wine presented an intriguing mystery,” she says. “I couldn’t quite wrap my head around it and I was always grilling the somms to learn more.”

After working in restaurants throughout Europe for many years, Natasha, a graduate of the Silwood School of Cookery in Cape Town, landed a job at The Tasting Room in Franschhoek, where she worked under celebrated executive chef Margot Janse. When Margot announced her resignation in 2016 after 21 years in the industry, along with the restaurant’s closing, Natasha had to weigh her options.

The change in circumstances presented her with an opportunity to delve deeper into winemaking, something she’d always wanted to do. So she approached fellow Noordhoek resident Duncan Savage. He’d just resigned as winemaker at Cape Point Vineyards, but was able to introduce her to his successor, Riandri Visser.

With Duncan gone and the 2017 harvest imminent, Riandri needed all the help she could get. Natasha was quickly hired and thrown in at the deep end, washing barrels, cleaning the cellar and generally learning the ropes. “Fine dining is a high-stress environment of working 20 hours a day, six days a week, so fortunately I was prepared for the hard work and long hours,” she says.

Once the harvest was in, Riandri put her to work in the vineyards. She emulated Riandri’s impeccable work ethic and attention to detail, and ended up staying the full year, after which she enrolled at Elsenburg. “I knew I wanted to have my own brand one day and it was either that or spending years working for other people to build up a good knowledge base.”

A pandemic launch Natasha graduated in 2020, just as Covid rolled in, forcing her to move back in with her parents in Noordhoek. Champing at the bit to get started, she persuaded them to help her plant her first vines in the back garden. They relented and the following year she planted 750 Syrah vines and 650 vines for a white blend, comprising Grenache Blanc, Verdelho, Chenin Blanc, Colombar, Roussanne and Sémillon – all stok-by-paaltjie to endure the Cape Peninsula’s ferocious Southeaster. These two wines are still only available in magnum format. “I love how Chenin expresses terroir,” she says. “I also love the texture of Grenache Blanc, while the Colombar provides acidity and the Rousanne and Sémillon add further texture and something cool.”

After a year of planning and strategising, Natasha launched Alinea in 2021 with two 600-litre barrels of wine from selected vineyards. Her first release, an inspired 2021 Alinea Sauvignon Blanc from vineyards in St Helena Bay, earned her a Next Generation Award from Winemag.co.za in 2024. “Alinea means the beginning of a new train of thought and there are two sides to it,” she says. “In the vineyard, it means working with drought-resistant varieties such as Vermentino and Carignan, and in the winery, it means minimal-intervention winemaking.”

The label design effectively captures this approach: a minimalist white label with the letter A that’s based on the contour lines of each site. The first vintage was vinified and cellared at Constantia Uitsig, after which she used various cellars before finally moving to Cape Point Vineyards, where it all started and she now has 20 barrels. Each bottle of her 2021 vintage was hand-labelled – mainly because she couldn’t afford a labelling service – but she also wants to keep that personal touch. “There must never be a day when I can’t climb into my own ferments,” she says.

Cooking with terroir Natasha aims to guide consumers on a journey of discovery through thoughtfully crafted, site-specific wines that spark conversation and challenge preconceptions. Her 2024 Viura is a good example of this. Also known as Macabeo, this drought-resistant grape comes from a 2011 vineyard planted in decomposed granite soils in the Simonsberg-Paarl region. “There are fewer than six hectares of Viura planted in South Africa, so people aren’t too familiar with it and don’t have any preconceived ideas about what it should taste like,” she says. She’s especially taken with Viura’s texture – an aspect of wine she feels deserves more attention. “The variety really deserves its place in South Africa and I would like to introduce it to the market. It loves a warm climate and is extremely late-ripening, coming in even after the Grenache.”

She also makes two different expressions of Grenache – the Alinea Grenache Noir 2023 from Simondium and 2024 Grenache Noir from Piekenierskloof. “Since the winemaking was very similar, the differences come down to site.”

Last year, Natasha was approached by Ex Animo to begin representing her brand in the trade. “I’m thrilled to be part of the portfolio,” she says. “They represent so many producers I admire and whose wines I drank when I was just starting out – brands such as Trizanne, which also rented cellar space at Cape Point when I was there.”

With the wine world as her oyster, Natasha is only getting started. There are many dreams she wants to pursue – beginning with a beautiful organic Grenache Blanc vineyard she can’t wait to work with. “There’s always room for growth and improvement, and I’ll never say no to an opportunity,” she says. “I still want to make a Colombar bubbly and a premium Carignan rosé. And I’m obsessed with getting grapes from the West Coast.”

To explore more articles in our March issue, Local is lekker, purchase our digital or print magazine here.