Great Heart Wines - Wine Boutique

Great Heart is not a wine estate in the traditional sense. It is a staff empowerment project -- a wine brand collectively owned by the employees of Mullineux and Leeu Passant, two of South Africa's most acclaimed wineries. Founded in 2020 by Chris and Andrea Mullineux, Great Heart was created with a singular purpose: to improve the livelihoods of the people who work alongside them and their families, by giving them a direct financial stake in a wine brand they help create.

Any employee who has worked full-time for Mullineux and Leeu Family Wines for more than two years automatically becomes a shareholder. There is no buy-in. A portion of all sales under the Great Heart label goes directly to the staff shareholders. As of the project's early years, 21 staff members had qualified.

The wines themselves are serious. This is no token gesture or second-label afterthought. The range consists of four wines sourced from two of the Cape's finest regions. From the Swartland come a Chenin Blanc and a Red Blend -- the latter a characterful combination of Syrah (51%), Tinta Barocca (34%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (15%) that reflects the warm, dry terroir of the region. From Stellenbosch come a Cabernet Sauvignon, grown on a single vineyard in the deep loam-rich soils on the lower slopes of the Helderberg mountain, and a Chardonnay.

The Mullineux name carries enormous weight in South African wine. Chris and Andrea have won virtually every major award in the industry, and their commitment to ethical, terroir-driven winemaking runs through Great Heart as well. The wines are made with the same care and attention as the Mullineux and Leeu Passant labels, using fruit from carefully selected vineyards.

The Great Heart Wine Boutique is located at Le Quartier Francais on Huguenot Street in Franschhoek, offering tastings and sales. First production was 5,000 cases of Swartland Chenin Blanc and Swartland Red Blend, with 1,000 cases of Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon and 250 cases of Chardonnay.

Great Heart proves that empowerment and excellence are not in tension -- that wine made with purpose and shared with the people who make it can be both meaningful and genuinely good.