THE WINES OF SOUTH AFRICA PODCAST
Welcome to the Wines of South Africa podcast. Each episode we’ll explore a different aspect of the South African wine scene. We’ll talk with winemakers, winery owners, and other members of South Africa’s vibrant wine industry, and we’ll also get a sommelier’s take on the wines.
You can listen to individual episodes here. Better yet, subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast app so you won’t miss an episode. The Wines of South Africa podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Soundcloud, Google Play, and most other major podcast apps.
Below you’ll find a list of individual episodes, including links to individual wineries and other items mentioned during that week’s episode.
Don’t forget to open a bottle of an appropriate South African wine while you’re enjoying the episode!
Episode 1: Methode Cap Classique +
Bring on the bubbly!
South Africa was the first New World country to create a designation for traditional method sparkling wines that didn’t ride on the coattails of Champagne. Today “Methode Cap Classique” is the fastest growing wine category in the country.
Related links:
Cap Classique Producers Association
Wines: Graham Beck Simonsig Colmant
Maps: Robertson Stellenbosch Franschhoek
Explore further:
Episode 2: The Swartland +
“Het Zwarte Land!”
In the past couple of decades, this large, warm region north of Paarl has become home to some of South Africa’s most dynamic young winemakers.
Related Links:
Wines: Spice Route Mullineux & Leeu Family Intellego
Maps: Swartland
Episode 3: Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon +
It’s South Africa’s most planted red grape variety, and it’s found a special home in the center of the winelands. Stellenbosch Cabernet has become one of South Africa’s standout combinations of grape and terroir.
Related Links: Edgebaston Le Riche Thelema Mountain Vineyards
Maps: Stellenbosch
Episode 4: Pinotage +
Pinotage was developed in Stellenbosch in the 1920s and has become a prominent part of the South Africa wine scene…but it’s long been a love-it-or-hate it grape with winemakers and winedrinkers alike. Today’s producers have it figured out; this episode looks at the story of Pinotage, the challenges it presents winemakers, and why today’s wines show off the grape’s best qualities.
Related Links:
Kanonkop Painted Wolf Southern Right Ashbourne
Maps:
Episode 5: Chenin Blanc +
It’s #DrinkChenin Day! We’re marking the occasion by looking at South Africa’s most-planted grape variety, which has long roots in the country, dating back to 1655. With 17,103 hectares planted, South Africa is home to more Chenin Blanc vines than the rest of the world combined, and it has increasingly become recognized as country’s flagbearer variety.
Related Links:
Ken Forrester Alheit Vineyards Beaumont
Maps:
Episode 6: The Hemel-en-Aarde +
The name means “heaven and earth,” and while the narrow valley is relatively new to vineyards, in the past four decades it’s earned a reputation as the home of many of South Africa’s best Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays.
Related links:
Hamilton Russell Vineyards Creation Storm Wines
Maps:
Episode 7: Old Vines +
In this episode we take a look not at a specific region or grape variety, but at grapevines – old vines, specifically. Some of South Africa’s best wines come from vines aged 35, 50, or many decades older than that. Economic pressures were pushing many of these vineyards to be uprooted, but an exciting program, the Old Vine Project has been working to change that.
Related links:
Maps:
Episode 8: Constantia +
In this episode, we look at a region that rose to fame centuries ago, a favorite of Napoleon, Louis XVI, and the Duke of Wellington: Constantia. Those famous sweet wines disappeared for almost a century, but today this small suburb of Cape Town is home to some of South Africa’s leading Sauvignon Blancs, Bordeaux-style blends, and other wines…and yes, the sweet wines of the past have returned as well.
Related Links:
Klein Constantia Groot Constantia Eagles Nest
Maps:
Episode 9: Chardonnay +
While Chardonnay doesn’t have a long history in South Africa, it’s become a leading variety, and one strongly associated with the estate wineries that emerged around the end of apartheid. Today plantings match those of Pinotage, and several important regions have emerged, each with their own character.
Related Links:
Capensis Richard Kershaw Wines De Wetshof
Maps:
Episode 10: Black-Owned Brands #1 +
In this episode we talk to the founder-owners of three leading Black-owned brands: Aslina, Tesselaarsdal, and Kumusha. As the South African wine industry struggles to redress imbalances stemming from the legacy of apartheid, producers like these are landmarks on the road forward.
Listen to episode 10 episode here
Related Links:
Importers:
Wine4theWorld (Aslina) Baobab Wines (Kumusha) Vineyard Brands (Tesselaarsdal)
Episode 11: Black-Owned Brands #2 +
Aside from the entrepreneurs behind the Black-owned brands we looked at in episode 10, there are some other ownership models as well. In this episode we look at three models where the workers have become owners of their own wine brands, vineyards, and other land, giving dozens of families a stake in the wine industry.
Related Links:
Fairvalley Bosman Family Vineyards Compagniesdrift
Importers:
Banks Channel USA (Fairvalley) Wine For The World (Bosman)
Episode 12: Historical Properties +
South Africa’s history of winemaking dates back over 360 years, and some of today’s estates date back all the way to the 18th century. They’re not resting on their laurels, though; in this episode, we look at some of South Africa’s oldest wine estates and what they’re doing now to stay at the forefront of the South African wine scene.
Related Links:
Rustenberg Boschendal Vergelegen
Maps:
Episode 13: Paarl +
Named for a giant, round, granite outcropping that glistens like a pearl, the town of Paarl was the third Dutch settlement in South Africa, after Cape Town and Stellenbosch. Its roots as a winegrowing area date to the 17th century, and today the large region is home to top-notch Chenin Blanc, Shiraz, and Cabernet Sauvignon as well as a wide range of other intriguing wines.
Related Links:
Joostenberg MAN Vintners Noble Hill Ridgeback
Maps:
Episode 14: The Agulhas Wine Triangle +
This episode we visit the southernmost tip of Africa to check out the cool, windy vineyards of the Agulhas Wine Triangle. This informal designation encompasses a number of pioneers, including the Sauvignon Blanc-focused producers of the Elim warm, David Trafford’s project, Sijnn, and Bruce Jack’s farm, The Drift, showing in microcosm the diversity of wines that just a small area of South Africa’s wine lands can create.
Related Links:
Episode 15: Women Winemakers +
In this episode we talk to three leading women winemakers, each working in different parts of the Western Cape stretching from the Swartland all the way down to the southernmost tip of Africa.
Related links:
Hogan Lismore Trizanne Signature Wines
Maps:
Episode 16: Elgin +
In this episode we talk to three winery owners in Elgin, South Africa’s coolest-climate wine growing area. Thanks to a surrounding ring of mountains and its proximity to the cold Atlantic Ocean, it’s home to some of the country’s best Sauvignon Blancs, Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs, and even Rieslings.
Related Links:
Paul Cluver Iona Catherine Marshall Wines Sutherland Spioenkop
Maps:
Episode 17: Sauvignon Blanc +
In this episode we look at the third-most planted white grape variety in South Africa. Sauvignon Blanc is incredibly popular with South African wine drinkers, leading the way over more likely candidates like Cabernet Sauvignon and Chenin Blanc. As a premium wine it’s populated many of the more maritime vineyard regions along both the south and west coasts.
Related links:
Neil Ellis Shannon Vineyards (Downes Family) De Grendel
Klein Constantia Vergelegen Paul Cluver
Maps:
Episode 18: Sustainability +
In 1998 the South African wine industry introduced the Integrated Production of Wine system, a sustainability program that now certifies more than 95% of the industry – including growers, cellars, and vineyards. In addition, forward-thinking producers have led the way into organic or biodynamic farming, invested in solar power, or found other innovative ways to allow the natural world around their vineyards to thrive.
Related links:
Episode 19: High-elevation Vineyards +
Traditionally most of South Africa’s vineyards have been in the lower-lying areas of regions like Robertson, Stellenbosch, and Paarl. A few decades ago winegrowers began exploring cooler, maritime vineyards near the ocean, but even more recently they’ve begun exploring higher altitude areas for similar virtues. A few hundred meters of elevation can make a huge difference in growing conditions, and these areas are yielding some of South Africa’s most distinctive wines.
Featured Wineries:
Cederberg Anthonij Rupert Savage Wines De Grendel
Maps:
Episode 20: Pinot Noir +
Pinot Noir only occupies about 1200 hectares of South Africa’s vineyards, but has produced a great many notable wines in the past several decades. In this episode we talk to winemakers who have embraced this fickle grape variety since the 1980s and built it into one of the most consistent, high-quality categories in South Africa.
Related Links:
Bouchard Finlayson Crystallum Boekenhoutskloof/Cap Maritime
Maps:
Walker Bay (Hemel-en-Aarde) Overberg (inc. Elandskloof) Franschhoek
Episode 21: Cinsault +
For much of the twentieth century Cinsault was the most planted wine grape in South Africa. Starting in the 1960s its plantings began to decline, but today’s new generation of winemakers are taking another look and discovering it’s well-suited for the fresher, lighter-bodied styles of red wine so popular today.
Related Links:
Episode 22: Shiraz +
South Africa’s first varietal Shiraz only appeared in 1957, but the grape’s popularity grew tremendously in the 1990s and today it’s the second most planted red grape in South Africa, beaten only by Cabernet Sauvignon. And while Cabernet is largely focused on Stellenbosch and a few other areas, Shiraz – or Syrah – can be found the length and breadth of the Cape, producing a wide range of premium wines.
Related links:
Hartenberg Luddite Mullineux Trizanne Signature Wines
Maps:
Episode 23: Robertson +
Robertson came to wine a bit later than some of the areas closer to Cape Town, but that’s only because the mountains separating it from those more coastal spots made it hard for the valley’s products to get to market. Vineyard planting got serious in the second half of the 1800s, and Robertson has definitely made up for lost time. With mountains on either side, the Breede River running through the middle, and some of South Africa’s only limestone soils, it’s a great place to make wine.
Related links:
Robertson Winery Excelsior Springfield
Maps:
Episode 24: Franschhoek +
In this episode we’ll be looking at one of the historic districts of the Winelands, Franschhoek. Its long history is reflected in its name, which means” French corner” and reflects the large number of French Huguenots who settled there in the 17th century. Today Franschhoek is one of the most visited spots in the Western Cape, home to a diverse array of wines including many great Chardonnays, Syrahs, Cap Classiques, and more.
Related Links:
Episode 25: Cape Winemakers Guild +
The Cape Winemakers Guild has become a leading force in raising the bar of South African wine, bringing together top winemakers from across the Western Cape to discuss and share ideas. It has also created a set of programs that engender new opportunities for wine industry members from Black and other previously-disadvantaged communities, most notably their Protege Programme. Their annual auction, which helps fund these activities, has become a highlight of the calendar in the South African winelands.
Related Links:
Episode 26: Wine Tourism +
Wine tourism has always played an important role in the South African wine scene, and post-Covid wine fans are pouring back into the the country to explore what it has to offer. In this episode we look at both the varied and exciting possibilities that South Africa’s winelands offer visitors and explore what tourism means to the wine industry as a whole.
Related Links:
Visit the Winelands Stellenbosch Wine Route Babylonstoren The Wine Arc
Episode 27: The Simonsberg +
Whether you’re in Stellenbosch or Paarl, it’s hard to miss the Simonsberg. The mountain divides the two wine districts, so vineyards dot the slopes on every side. While that makes for a lot of different aspects and varied growing conditions, there’s still something that Simonsberg wines share in common.
Related Links:
Babylonstoren Warwick Glenelly
Maps:
Episode 28: Wellington +
Wellington is nestled up against the mountains north of Paarl, and has long been known within the industry as a source of grapes and of vines as well – its home to the great majority of South Africa’s wine nurseries. But more and more it’s becoming a name that savvy winedrinkers are looking out for. Warm conditions and plenty of sunlight makes the area perfect for ripe and fruit-driven reds, generous Chenin Blancs, and more.
Links to the producers:
Episode 29: The Helderberg +
For many visitors it’s the first part of the wine district they see. If you’re coming from the airport it’s on your right as you turn and head toward town. But it’s also one of Stellenbosch’s most dynamic areas, home to award winning Cabernets and other Bordeaux varieties, top-notch Chardonnay on the mountain’s cooler, higher slopes, and many other exciting wines.
Producers Featured in this episode:
