Top image: Neil Bruwer, Chamonix winemaker.

The proof is in the pudding. So, with all the hype surrounding the quality of the Cape 2021 wine vintage and the fostering of a focused sense of duty, I ventured into the Chamonix winery in Franschhoek to check-out this year’s young wines.

 

Certain grapes bring out the best in certain places.

 

Is the gravitas of a wine determined by the producer or brand name on the label?  And if so, how does it influence appreciation and/or understanding of the content? Another to-be-taken-serious marker might also be the look: the label, the packaging, the presentation. (Colleague Tim James pointed out the banality of such superficial posturing in the way of pompously large and heavy bottles here.)

 

A break in the supply chain forced me to confront how much pop I drink — and how much I refuse to feel bad about it.

 

A couple of months ago, I was honoured to be invited by Wine Cellar to be on the panel for their #SkillsChallenge Workshop series on marketing.  On the sideline, there was a vivid discussion on influencers and how to best make use of them in the Wine Industry. This is a trending topic worldwide, and a lot of brands are at a loss or have been scarred from previous experiences with so-called ‘influencers.’ In a time where we find ourselves amidst a global pandemic; marketing and correct expenditure of said budget is of uttermost importance.

 

TUESDAY, August 18, 2020, is International Pinot Noir Day so raise a glass and drink a toast to this beautiful cultivar. And not just any glass…

 

Dear President Ramaphosa

 

Writer: Emile Joubert

 

Tucked away on the slopes of Hemel en Aarde is Creation Wines – a magnificent place where food and wine take centre stage. Look out onto their spectacular vineyards while you sip on wine and enjoy fabulous food prepared with the best local ingredients.

 

Magic is a difficult thing to define. It’s a feeling that runs up your spine and all your senses light up; scents become keener, your eyes open wider. Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve is a place drenched in the stuff, from the bowl of sky above, cut at night with crystal stars, to the silent and stoic sandstone rock formations of the surrounding Cederberg.