A New Voice in Wine – Tshepiso Mabulana, Delush Brand Ambassador

The latest wine brand to take South Africa by storm is Delush, a range of natural sweet wines appealing to the hip, hot and happening consumer. Stylish YFM radio host Tshepiso Mabulana has been appointed as Delush brand ambassador, and here she tells of her life with wine.

How did you get introduced to wine?

Initially I didn’t like wine at all as it always tasted bitter and harsh. But as I got older I think my palate matured and I began to get a taste for it. Then when I first experienced natural sweet wines, I was sold on wine for life!

Why do you prefer wine as your favourite beverage?

Not only does it look sexy and classy when you’re holding up a glass of wine but it’s the most perfect and appropriate drink for any occasion.

Your favourite style, flavour of wine?

I love natural sweet white wines in general. But honestly, after tasting Delush’s Natural Sweet Rosé and experiencing those lovely strawberry flavours in the wine, I went to heaven and never came back.

Is wine becoming more popular among your friends and peers?

Can I tell you, I’m trying to keep my friends away from my place because of the amount of Delush bottles I have…ha ha ha. But it doesn’t stop them from sending me DM’s and wanting MY wine, even those friends I thought don’t drink. Wine has definitely become the drink of choice among my friends.

How can we make wine more exciting and funky to the younger consumer?

The branding for Delush is on point, making the wine trendy is simply associating it with funky events, being women’s life stories, sharing and celebrating moments with Delush wines. It keeps Delush wines on their minds and certainly as their drink of choice.

What is it about the taste of Delush you like?

Not only are the three flavours amazing, but it’s really a smooth wine and goes down so well without any strange aftertastes I experience in other wines. I love how eloquently different these wines are to each other, yet appeal to every taste-bud. It’s rare for a wine to get this right, but Delush ticks all the boxes.

From a taste point of view, how does Delush differ from other wines?

Smoothness… I’ve never tasted natural sweet wines that are this well made. I’ve tasted natural sweet wines that I feel are way too sweet – and it’s hard to enjoy candy in wine! Delush has the right amount of flavour and the right amount of sweetness, a friend of mine was telling me after tasting the Delush white how perfect the balance between the sweetness and the alcohol is. Perfect, just right.

From a packaging point of view, how is the image of Delush different to other wines?

The trick with getting to a woman is making packaging as girly and attractive as possible. We love nice things and we love to buy nice things.

What wine do you enjoy with lunch, with dinner, when you are at a club?

Lunch is most certainly natural sweet white, the fruity flavour seals in just right, Dinner has to be natural sweet red and the drink of celebration: Delush Natural Sweet Rosé, now that is my choice when clubbing.

How do you describe Delush to your friends who have not yet tried it?

I’d describe it as a very refreshing wine that you can drink for any occasion. The really cool part about these wines is that you can play around with the flavours and the different types of foods, and you will find a combination to enjoy.

What foods do you like with Delush wines?

I really enjoyed biltong with the natural sweet white wine. Yet I also love my chicken curry which is great with this wine too.

What kind of music goes best with Delush wines?

I want to draw a picture in your head…close your eyes, imagine yourself at a rooftop party, sunset, cocktail dresses, some smooth contemporary jazz. After 6pm we change the tone to some deep house vibes. That’s the perfect music for all flavours.

You are having a dinner with Delush wines: name 5 famous people you would invite to that dinner?

Dineo Moeketsi, Gigi Lamane, Minnie Dlamini, Zoleka Mandela and Kelly Rowland.

What is a Delush Diva in your own words.

A Delush diva is a very confident young lady, she accepts her beautiful flaws, she goes for whatever she wants, she’s unstoppable, she’s focused, she’s determined to succeed and she certainly knows how to have fun while she’s doing it…killing it in her heels!

Who do you think (celeb) lives a Delush Lifestyle?

Azania Mosaka who works at 702 embodies a Delush lifestyle. She kills it gracefully on air, she kills it in her nail business while she is empowering young ladies to be the greatest them they can be. It doesn’t get more Delush than that.  

Give us an example of a day in the life of Tshepi – our Delush brand ambassador.

Let me give you a typical Monday for me: I’m up at 7:30 am to catch up on social media and for anything that I might have missed. I think I’m actually slightly obsessed! I get up and become fully functional at 10 am. If I don’t have castings or voice-overs I will usually get to YFM at 12 pm and sort out any admin I need to sort out with my life. I go into a production meeting at 14:00 until 15:00 pm when the show starts until 18:00 pm. If I’m not too tired I will go home and whip up a meal and come back to YFM at 21:00 pm, have a production meeting with Zai Mai my co-host, then the other show starts 22:00 pm until midnight. I get home and pass out and repeat the same process on Tuesday.

What characteristics do you, Tshepi, share with Delush wine?

Delush is witty, it’s full of character – just like me. When I do something I do something fully and never compromise. When you taste the different flavours you can tell that the wine reflects what I believe in: quality over quantity.