It's time to pop open the bottle once more

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, they say.  Lovers of vino will surely attest to this. After  the government banned sales of alcohol in the country to curb the spread of  the coronavirus pandemic, wine lovers were woefully regretting not having stocked up.  Though there were reports of teacups filled with liquid that was neither hot nor required milk, a lot have been abstaining from Wine Wednesdays. 

Thank goodness, the ban has been lifted once again. On a sobering note,  the lift on the ban of the sale of alcohol and cigarettes does not mean that the pandemic is over.  Consumers are still urged to be careful, social distance and continue to wear their masks, wash their hands and sanitise regularly.

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With that being said, Sowetan caught up with Clive Hlabathi, who is the co-owner of Toasted Barrels, a wine agency, that is the sole distributors and marketers of certain boutique wines.

Hlabathi urged that consumers think about buying local alcoholic beverages as we have all seen how the industry has been adversely affected.

“Support local, but most importantly focus on the smaller [wine producers] guys. The industry has favoured the more well-known establishments and we tend to forget the younger, newer wine makers. Many people who have given it a try have been  pleasantly surprised at the level of quality and finesse that the new winemakers are bringing out,” he says.  

Hlabathi says consumers can cast their eyes and their wallet towards to these three estates, to add some different labels to their drinks cabinet.   "I think I’ll just probably mention just three estates that are definitely worth looking at for different reasons. The three that I have chosen cover almost three different categories of wine drinkers."

For the price conscious  

Hlabathi says if you love bang for your bucks then Journeys End Winery is a brand you should look at.

“The reason that I went with that is because they have amazing value for money. The wine that they produce versus the wine that you get is pretty unmatched, you get more quality without pretty much breaking the bank. They’ve got a great variety of everyday drinking wines, from Sauvignon Blanc to Chardonnay to a Boudreaux blend.”

For the romantics

If you love a good comeback story and great quality wine, Hazendal Wines is the brand for you.   

“If you look at where we come from with Covid, it’s a wine that tells the story of survival. It’s been forever, since the 70s, but in the last 10 years it has pretty much fell off the mat, with the farm not being taken care off and their vineyards actually dilapidating.

"But a few years back a Russian gentleman bought the farm and it has been undergoing a revival. The vineyards have been planted, they’re fresh, they are building a new hotel on site and their restaurant is being refurbished. So it’s a wine that is redefining itself once again within the wine industry.”

The estate has everyday drinking wines but their specialty is cellar ready wines, ones that are ideal to be aged.  Hlabathi says this would be a great choice for the more serious wine drinker.

For the lovers of red

Hlabathi says Holden-Manz is an example of how the classic French wine-making style can work well on African soil.

“The winemaker is French, so he’s got very much a classical European style of wine-making, but obviously using South African terroirs to perfect the wine. They’ve got more Bordeaux-driven wines, over there to appeal to a broader range of drinkers. They’ve got wines that more people are familiar with. Like Merlots, Shiraz, Cabernet, and Cabernet Franc [among many]. Their focus is mostly on red wine, which actually has  shown that more South Africans prefer it over white wine. Most of the wine has amazing age ability.”  

Hlabathi finished by repeating his call to support local young wine makers. For those looking for more wines to add to their stock, Siwela Wines, owned by Siwela Masoga, is currently having a sale with wines going for R60 a bottle. Other local young producers  are Magna Carta Wines, owned by Mphumi Ndlangisa.