Power women in SA wine

In spite of what Wine Intelligence and other PR companies may think, the most elegant and powerful woman in SA wine is Carrie Adams (below). One of the few female members of the Adams family with her own front teeth. Carrie was in fine form last night in Paarl at the awards dinner for the Classic Wine magazine Merlot, Chenin Blanc and Rose cultivar tastings, with journalists among the invitees scarcer than rocking horse droppings.

The lady ticks all the boxes: producer (First Sighting), distributor (Panniers), retailer (Norman Goodfellows), radio and print journalist (Classic FM and Classic Wine magazine), consumer… With a full year of magazines under her Hermes belt, Carrie vouchsafed that Classic Wine has landed a major sponsor from six suitors. Whoever it is, it’s good news for SA wines as this lady is not for turning, as Margaret Thatcher noted.