Old Vines, New Voices £75pp | Book your place here
I first fell in love with South Africa when I travelled there solo at the tender age of 19. However, South Africa truly re-entered my life fifteen years ago with the ‘Swartland Revolution’ and the incredible transformation of the South African wine landscape. On that journey, I’ve met remarkable winemakers and passionate South Africans—rightly besotted with what their country is achieving—and tasted iconic, inspirational wines, each with a story and a dynamic winemaker behind it.
Over these fifteen years, the stories have only multiplied, and the wines have become even brighter and more compelling. These cutting-edge, terroir-driven winemakers are relentlessly pursuing excellence, bringing their country’s old vines, stunning microclimates, and diverse soils back to life. There’s a beautiful sense of camaraderie among them, each with a compelling story to tell. Their top single-vineyard wines can easily hold their own against the world’s finest.
We’re not even tasting a Pinot Noir—despite the many exceptional ones out there—because there are simply too many other exciting grapes to explore: Cinsault, Mourvèdre, Syrah, Bordeaux blends, Cabernet Franc, Grenache, and iconic whites from single-vineyard Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc. We also have a wonderfully fresh Grenache Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc, and we’ll see just how beautifully Semillon performs.
We’ll be showcasing outstanding wines from Thorne & Daughters, Rall Wines, Storm, Cederberg, Testalonga, Alheit Vineyards, Momento, Van Loggerenberg, Taaibosch, David & Nadia, and Brunia Wines. So many unique microclimates, soils, and stories to explore—and of course, we have twelve wines!
Come and join us on Wednesday at 7:30pm. I can't wait!
What you’ll be tasting…
Aperitif
Pet Nat Testalonga El Bandito – I am the Ninja Pet Nat
White
2023 Storm Wines Ridge Chardonnay, Hemel en Aarde
2022 Momento Grenache Blanc, Western Cape
2022 Brunia Wines, Sauvignon Blanc, Walker Bay
2023 Alheit Vineyards, Magnetic North, Chenin Blanc, Western Cape
2021 Thorne & Daughters, Semillon Gris, Tin Soldier, Swartland
Red
2022 Rall Wines Cinsault, Swartland
2022 Cederberg Ghost Corner Syrah, Elim, Western Cape
2021 Van Loggerenberg Wines, Breton, Cabernet Franc Breton, Stellenbosch
2022 David and Nadia Wines, Grenache, Swartland
2023 Testalonga El Bandito, Monkey Goes to Heaven, Mourvedre, Swartland
2020 Taaibosch ‘Crescendo’, Stellenbosch