In a commitment to creating 5-star wine festivals in previously disadvantaged areas for local communities, and a dedication to wine education and visitor integration, TOPS at SPAR has confirmed a three-year headline sponsorship agreement with the TOPS AT SPAR Gugulethu Wine Festival starting in 2015, giving one of Cape Town’s premier Winter Flagship events, and the wine industry, a much-needed platform with which to engage the community in real time and with purpose.

This year, the team behind the success of the TOPS AT SPAR SOWETO WINE FESTIVAL and TOPS AT SPAR GUGULETHU WINE FESTIVAL will focus their energies on launching the inaugural TOPS AT SPAR KWAMASHU WINE FESTIVAL, which is set to showcase the country’s premier wines to a VIP audience of movers and shakers kicking off in the ‘city of sun’, KwaMashu, on the 25-26 July 2014 at the K-Cap Film School in Gia Road in KwaMashu. This brings the count to three for which festival goers will be able to plan their annual travel around three distinctly African, very unique, wine festivals in South Africa.

Says Mark Robinson, TOPS at SPAR Group Liquor Manager, “TOPS at SPAR is thrilled to confirm their commitment to the TOPS at SPAR Gugulethu Wine Festival and to the residents of Gugulethu, and look forward to another sterling event in 2015. While we regret that the event could not take place in 2014, we look forward to focusing our attentions on the newest festival in our stable, the inaugural TOPS at SPAR KwaMashu Wine Festival. After 20 years of democracy, we agree that it is time to shine the light on this largely unknown hub of creativity and talent perfectly located between Durban and Umhlanga.”

Both the TOPS at SPAR Gugulethu and KwaMashu wine festivals found their inspiration in the successful TOPS at SPAR Soweto Wine & Lifestyle Festival, which celebrates its first decade in September. The TOPS at SPAR Soweto Wine & Lifestyle Festival attracts visitors and sponsors from around the world to a three-night celebration of wine, food, art and music, right in the heart of the vibrant city of Soweto.

Says Marilyn Cooper, Cape Wine Master and co-founder of the TOPS at SPAR Soweto Wine & Lifestyle Festival and consultant to the TOPS at SPAR Gugulethu and KwaMashu festivals: “It is with great pride we see our festivals take shape and meet the needs of local communities, gradually changing the landscape of the wine industry. When we started the TOPS at SPAR Soweto Wine Festival, the vision was to make wine accessible to the people of South Africa that had largely been excluded from enjoying wines; to see this flow into other areas and be embraced and adapted to the communities and visitors it attracts, is a welcome boost for the wine industry in South Africa.”