Since its inception in 1918, the KWV brand has been a figurehead of South African wine culture, a pioneer and an innovator for almost a century.

KWV were one of the first to set up wine education and appreciation classes back in 1964, and they spearheaded the wine and food pairing movement that came to our shores a decade ago. So when we were invited to a tasting and pairing experience at the KWV Wine Emporium in Paarl, our expectations were set pretty high.

We arrived at the iconic KWV cellars on a chilly autumn morning, to be greeted by the inimitable Maya Friederich, the creative brain behind the Emporium. Dynamic, sartorial, elegant, Maya is multi-lingual Swiss French and obsessed with food and wine. She beams with pride as she talks us through the considerable collection on offer – gleaming shelves overflowing with wine, sparkling wine, liqueurs and brandy. The walls are lined with framed certificates displaying a multitude of awards, most notably the recent 2015 Regional Winner of the Best of Wine Tourism Award – a nod to the world-class experience that the KWV team have created at the Emporium.