VERITAS 2025

10 LIVING LEGENDS 2025

VERITAS LIVING LEGENDS AWARDS 2025

The tradition of annually honouring a handful of industry leaders was continued at this year’s 35th Veritas Awards ceremony, known for many years as the “Oscars of the Wine Industry”, on Saturday 11 October 2025. This award, instituted by the Veritas Awards in 2009, serves as recognition for exemplary service to the industry over the years – acknowledging their commitment and paying homage to them for remarkable achievements. Thereby, three luminaries received the 2025 Living Legends Scroll of Honour for their dedication to and enthusiasm and passion for the domestic wine and brandy industries. CHARLES BACK Charles Louis Back is the third-generation owner of Fairview, one of South Africa’s most renowned wine and cheese producers in Paarl, Western Cape. A proud old-boy of Paarl Gymnasium, known for producing both rugby greats and winemakers, Charles went on to complete his military service before studying wine technology at Elsenburg Agricultural College in Stellenbosch. After a practical year at Perdeberg, he officially joined his father, Cyril, at Fairview in 1978, taking full control of the farm in 1995. From early on, Charles showed a flair for innovation and an instinct to challenge convention. He introduced Mediterranean grape varieties such as Viognier, Tempranillo, Sangiovese and Petite Sirah to the Cape, opening new horizons for South African winemaking. In 2000, he launched Goats Do Roam , which quickly became the highest-selling South African wine brand in the United States, and expanded Fairview’s reach with the creation of sub-brands such as La Capra and Bloemcool. Charles’ achievements have been widely recognised. In 1996, Wine Magazine South Africa named him the second most influential figure in the local wine industry, second only to Nelson Mandela. In 2014, he was awarded the prestigious IWC Lifetime Achievement Award in London, and in 2017 he received both the 1659 Wine Industry Medal of Honour and the South African Farmer of the Year title.