Ex Animo Wine Co.

Tickets to Wine SONA 2023: https://www.exanimo.co.za/product/wine-sona-2023-with-christian-eedes-one-ticket/ Today on the podcast we have updates from the winemakers we work with about harvest 2023. Early signs look really great for '23 as a vintage. John Seccombe was clearly having a bad day - Was great to hear Koen in his element after all the drama he had late last year. Some Pinot Blanc being harvested for the first time is exciting for one of the producers. And some haven't even started yet! :) Cheers, David from Ex Animo.

Jocelyn presenting her Cabernet Franc and Divergent wines at a lunch in Banghoek Valley, Stellenbosch in January 2023. Vintage 2021s available soon at exanimo.co.za

A quick update on the 2022 harvest in South Africa from 11 winemakers. John Seccombe, Thorne & Daughters Mick Craven, Craven Jocelyn Wilson, Hogan Niels Verburg, Luddite Koen Roose, Spioenkop Tyrrel Myburgh, Joostenberg Ann Ferreira, Pieter Ferreira Bernhard Bredell, Scions of Sinai Craig Hawkins, TESTALONGA Jessica Saurwein, Saurwein Craig Wessels, Restless River

Today on the podcast we have Christian Eedes of winemag.co.za – a wine website that was born out of a magazine published in South Africa from 1993 to 2011. Their tagline is “Everything to do with South African Fine Wine”. He is, to my mind, one of the most important voices in South African wine criticism. This week saw the annual State of the Nation Address (or SONA for short) by President Ramaphosa, and I wanted to get Christian's opinions of the state of South African fine wine. Christian is certainly one of the most knowledgeable and widely-tasted people in South African wine over the last 3 decades. He brings a context and a perspective that can only be gained over many years of submersion in an industry. We last did one of these chats in February 2020 – just as the COVID pandemic was starting to develop – Link: https://www.exanimo.co.za/podcast/#1599999555612-1917a56b-e69c Thank you for listening. If you want to follow Christian – his website is winemag.co.za and he tweets at @ChristianEedes.

Today on the podcast we have Jocelyn Wilson winemaker and owner of Hogan Wines, based in the Banhoek area of Stellenbosch. I chatted to Jos a couple of months ago, ahead of the release of her new vintages later this month. But the conversation – and it really is a conversation rather than an interview – isn't really about the new wines. I really wanted to get Jossie's story on record – she is one of the producers in South Africa that has been termed “The New Wave”. Her journey to this point is an interesting story and I wanted to explore that with her in a long format conversation. If you are interested to dive deeper into the Hogan Wines do not despair, we spend the second half of the podcast chatting fairly comprehensively about the wines she produces. We also touch on a range of other topics as we went through. Little caveat here – we distribute Hogan Wines in South Africa – but this just means that we love Jos, and all that she does! Proper legend she is. Thank you for listening – and I give you Jocelyn Wilson…

Today on the podcast we have James Downes, farmer, viticulturist and part owner with his brother Stuart, of Dunman Way Farm, home of Shannon Vineyards in Elgin. In short, James is a total weapon. His knowledge of the terroir of his farm, and of Elgin in general is extremely engaging and informative. Combine this with an inquisitive mind, a sharp intellect, a thirst for learning and desire to be better at what he does tomorrow than he is today, and the result is one of the most formidable people in the wine industry in South Africa. As you will hear, James' natural conversational style tends to focus on ideas and questioning – this resulted in the chat touching on a wide range of subjects. You can't help but be taken along with his enthusiasm and expertise. Please enjoy my conversation with the informative, engaging and humble, James Downes….

Today on the podcast we have Peter-Allan Finlayson, winemaker and co-owner of the very successful Crystallum label, and now winemaker of his father-in-law's Gabriëlskloof wines – both based in Bot River. I first met Peter-Allan, or as most people know him, Fin, when he was pouring his wine at the same small booth as Chris and Suzaan Alheit at Cape Wine 2012. He was the first “young gun” winemaker from South Africa that I had come across that was specialising in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Most others were using Chenin Blanc and Syrah. One of the main purposes of this podcast is to produce a document of record, and not to talk about a single release too much, it is worth noting that this conversation took place in July 2020, almost exactly one year ago. Fin had just released his 2019 Crystallum wines, so that is the vintage we reference mostly throughout this episode. As you will hear, Fin and I are quite good friends, so we didn't always keep it strictly professional throughout this conversation, and there are some nice little verbal jabs at each other along the way. I wanted to chat to Peter-Allan for a few reasons: 1) Because he makes very good wine, 2) As already mentioned, because he is one of the few of the younger generation focusing on Burgundian varieties, and 3) Because he has a different perspective than many of his contemporaries in the way he approaches the business of wine. I give you Peter-Allan Finlayson…

Today on the podcast, we have a bit of a change – instead of me talking to a guest, this time I was in the guest’s seat of The Vincast podcast based in Melbourne, hosted by The Intrepid Wino – a.k.a. James Scarcebrook, and is all about wine, wine culture and wine people. Each episode he chats with someone from a different field in the wine industry, to gain some insight into their experiences, philosophies, practices and personality as it relates to wine and what they do. Sound familiar? James had asked me on previously, but we had never managed to make our diaries match up while I had been in Melbourne on my (until now) annual trips. Very glad we finally managed to make it happen. We talk about my journey in wine that started with a glass of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc while working for the Victorian government in the late nighties, and we race through the next twenty plus years to how I ended up in Cape Town today. A few listeners have been asking for an episode on my story, so I am glad to be able to oblige. A big thank you to James for the conversation – you can find his podcast at intrepidwino.com/the-vincast/ and if you have an interest in the Australian wine scene I highly suggest you check it out. I give you my story so far…

Today on the podcast we have Duncan Savage – owner and winemaker of Savage Wines. He made his name through the first decade or so of the 2000s as the winemaker of Cape Point Vineyards. Duncan’s production facility (originally set up by Tim Martin) is in the industrial Cape Town suburb of Salt River – I interviewed him there, in the now vacant warehouse above his winery. Note: there is an echo and some street noise, but not too much. Duncan is one of the “good guys” of the industry, very jovial and easy going. I don’t think there are many people with anything negative to say about him, other than his wines sell out too quickly. As you will hear, Duncan has been making wines almost 20 years, and has built one of the stronger brands of the South African “new wave” – I wanted to talk to Duncan about this journey and about his new 2019 wines about to be released. It is a long one, as Duncan is a great story-teller and has some very well thought out insights into wine making, marketing and life in general. Strap yourselves in, I give you Duncan Savage…

Today on the podcast we have Johan Malan, Director of Wine at the historic Simonsig Estate in Stellenbosch. As you will hear in this episode, Johan is very easy to talk to, humble, and has a rather infections giggle. While he is justifiably proud of what Simonsig has achieved over the years, he is very far from resting on his laurels – as exhibited by The Grapesmith wines we reference. Simonsig is one of the grand old names in Stellenbosch whose reputation was set in motion by Johan’s father, Frans. An incredibly important person in the development of Stellenbosch as a premium wine area, the Estate system, and wine tourism in South Africa. I asked Johan on the podcast because both Cathy van Zyl MW and Michael Fridjhon on previous podcasts referenced Simonsig’s (and especially Frans’) work in setting up the Stellenbosch Wine Route, the first of its kind in South Africa, and helped pave the way for quality-minded producers that has eventually led to the fine wine revolution the country has experienced over the last 10-15 years. While Simonsig is probably best known to most domestic wine consumers as the pioneers of traditional method sparkling wine with their wine Kaapse Vonkel, they also produce important Chenin Blanc and Pinotage wines. I think this is one of the most important podcast episodes I have done so far. Simonsig may no longer command the column inches it once did, but it is and will forever remain one of the most important wine Estates in South Africa. Frans and Johan Malan have positively affected the reputation of Stellenbosch, helping shift the focus from the volume producers based in Paarl. Virtually every single top wine producer in South Africa today has the Malan’s of Simonsig to thank for the route to market they helped envision, create and curate from the 1970s to the 1990s. I give you Johan Malan…

Today on the podcast we have Kurt Moore, CEO of SALBA – the South African Liquor Brand owners Association. According to their website, their sole objective is to represent their members, who are manufacturers and distributors of liquor products in the liquor industry of South Africa, on issues of common interest. Their members include an extensive list of heavy-hitting liquor industry stalwarts: DGB, Meridian, Vinimark, Distell, Pernod Ricard, Diageo, Stellenbosch Vineyards, KWV, Origin, Spier - - - the list goes on. When I contacted Kurt and asked him to be on the podcast, he needed very little convincing. We quickly arranged a date and time (there was only a very short window of time in which to conduct this interview) and I sent him a list of questions that would be asked. These questions were primarily concerned with SALBA’s current and future responses to the government’s current regulations around the sale and movement of liquor. The narrative in all previous communications I had seen from SALBA on this issue had been one of wishing to partner with government - wanting to work with government. In their latest press release, they stated that they had not been contacted or consulted by government in the run up to the latest regulations coming into effect, nor had any of SALBA’s requests for an audience or communications from government been responded to. I wanted to know at what point would their plan of action change. When does litigation or protest become more effective options?

Today on the podcast we have Higgo Jacobs. Higgo has been a key figure in the South African wine industry for a decade. A certified sommelier, he was part of the founding board of the South African Sommelier Association (SASA). He was also the Chairperson for SASA for 4 years, standing down in early 2019. Higgo no longer works as a sommelier and has been a consultant for hire to the industry for a decade. In that time he has done work for various restaurants, WOSA (the export lobby group of the South African wine industry), the Nederburg Auction, numerous international publications and journalists, he also is one of South Africa’s representative palates at the Decanter World Wine Awards. If you’ve ever been to South Africa on official wine business, you’ve probably met Higgo. Most recently he has been instrumental (along with Roland Peens of Wine Cellar) in trying to create a formal secondary market for wine in South Africa. They have been working with auction house Strauss & Co, who specialise in art, to achieve this. A week or two prior to our chat the live auction held on the Strauss & Co yielded some amazing results with 6 bottles of the Kanonkop Paul Sauer 2015 vintage selling for just over R5,000 a bottle. The retail price on release in 2018 was R375 per bottle. I wanted to chat to Higgo about his time at SASA – and his opinion on what next for the sommelier profession in South Africa – and the recent auction result and to find out a bit more about the inner mechanics of how the auctions are put together. During the podcast, you will notice that Higgo calls me “Davey”, and is the only person outside my immediate family to do so. Higgo and I are friends, we served for 6 years on the board of SASA, and have a lot of respect for each other. It is always great chatting to him. This was recorded late in May 2020 – when we were still in hard lockdown, so I had to rely on our good friend Zoom. Unfortunately it kept cutting out and we had to re-record some sections more than once. This, combined with some pretty average interviewing ability from yours truly resulted in a raw recording that jumped around a lot. I apologise – I have done the best I can to edit it to make it play as it would have occurred had the technology and skills been up to standard. As with all of these home recordings, there is some background noise. If you concentrate, you can hear Higgo’s young daughter, Sadie in some parts. Even though there were some challenges in this episode, I believe it to be well worth listening to. Higgo is a unique voice in the South African wine industry and brings fresh insights to many parts of it. I give you Higgo Jacobs…

A (very) quick update with regards to South Africa entering into prohibition 2.0. More soon...

Today on the podcast we have Michael Fridjhon. With his wine career now entering its sixth decade, Michael is one of the true doyens of the South African wine industry. His current interests are the Reciprocal Wine Company, an importer and retailer of fine wines; WineX, the biggest wine show in South Africa; the Old Mutual Trophy, one of the key wine competitions in South Africa; he writes on wine for numerous publications around the globe and has been the international voice of South African wine for a generation. Listening to Michael’s experiences during the last 50 or so years was very beneficial for me. He references some key moments in South African history: the Sharpeville massacre of 1960 where police shot dead 60 protesters, injuring many more; the Rivonia Trial of 1963-64 which resulted in the life sentences of Nelson Mandala and others who were convicted of sabotage; and then President P. W. Botha’s Rubicon speech of 1985 which doubled down on the Governments Apartheid policies and led to the collapse of the Rand. Michael is not a historian, and his recollections of these events are drawn from his own experiences. We had a fascinating chat, and I feel that we only scratched the surface of his knowledge and experience. While I wouldn’t go as far as to say that Michael is a controversial figure, he certainly holds unpopular opinions at times. These are usually very well-thought-out positions, whether you agree with them or not, so it makes for good conversation. Unfortunately, the medium we are using to record these podcasts, Zoom, for all its benefits, makes a fast-paced, interactive discussion very difficult. We talk across each other on the discussion about brands and pricing a little bit, and I’d like to explore that with him in more detail at a later date. Perhaps when we can meet face-to-face. In the meantime, I give you Michael Fridjhon….

Today on the podcast we have Andrés Rosberg, President of the Association Sommelliere Internationale (ASI). The ASI runs many activities, the most notable being the Best Sommelier of the World contest – and all of the associated regional competitions. Andrés is from Argentina and a such is the first President of the ASI to come from the southern hemisphere. I first met Andrés in 2019 while he was on a trip to South Africa by the ASI Technical Committee to plan that year’s best sommelier of the world competition. Andrés and I chat on many subjects including a little bit of his history in the wine industry, his time with the Argentinian Sommelier Association, his time so far in the ASI, his experiences in South Africa last year, the parallels he sees between Argentinian and South African wine industries and many other topics. From my point of view, as President, he has modernised the ASI somewhat, broadened their horizons and as a result the ASI is much less-Eurocentric, which is a great thing. Andrés is very easy to talk to and it was a very interesting conversation for me, I hope you enjoy it. I give you Andrés Rosberg…

Today on the podcast we have Maho Tamai of Société Raffiné, a Japanese-based wine importer, specialising in South Africa. Maho is based in Cape Town as Raffiné’s local representative and acts as a producer liaison. Japan has quickly become an important market for South African wine over the last few years and this is what I wanted to talk to him about. We discuss how the business first entered into South African wine and how they grew to having 33 agencies in the space of a few years. Maho is an active member of the wine community here in Cape Town, a proper gentleman and deeply committed to South African wine. We are lucky to have him here. I give you Maho-san…

Today on the podcast we have Master of Wine, Cathy van Zyl. Cathy is the Associate Editor Platter’s Wine Guide, the most comprehensive wine guide on South African wine, which is produced annually. We originally planned to have her husband Philip on this episode also, who is the Editor of Platter’s, but he was feeling ill. I will have him on at a later date. Cathy is an energetic cheerleader for the South African wine industry, and is fiercely independent in her opinions and actions. You don’t become a Master of Wine without a high level of nuanced knowledge of the world of wine and this is what I wanted to talk to her about – where she sees South Africa sitting in the world of wine, and where we can improve. Cathy and I are good friends, so this episode is perhaps a little more casual than some of the others on this podcast. I think this has helped our discussion in tackling some of the topics we talk about, but I’ll leave that up to you, dear listener, to decide. Cathy is an open-minded person who has the respect of the entire South African wine industry, not bad for someone who passed the Master of Wine on a bet. She also has the same haircut as Viper from the original Top Gun. I give you Cathy van Zyl MW…

Today on the podcast we have Marc Kent, the Managing Partner and Technical Director of Boekenhoutskloof in Franschhoek. Boekenhoutskloof is one of the huge success stories of the new South Africa – it not only has the Boekenhoutskloof range, it also has Wolftrap, Porcupine Ridge, Porseleinberg and there is a new project in the Hemel-en-Aarde. I would think that virtually everyone interested in South African wine would have had at least some contact with one of these brands in the last 20 years. Marc is a fascinating guy, an original thinker, deeply influenced by the late Tim Rands (of Vinimark), and few people know, was one of the original instigators of the Swartland Revolution. By his own admission, Marc is much more interested in the business of wine than farming and making it. This was mainly what I wanted to speak to him about: how Boekenhoutskloof got started, how he got involved, and how he expanded the business to where it is today. We also touch on other subjects like fine wine post-COVID19, thoughts on brand South Africa and his love of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. I give you Marc Kent…

Today on the podcast we have Dom Nocerino of Vinifera Imports, based in New York. A bit of a change of pace for the podcast today. Dom isn't professionally involved with South African wine, but he has been involved with wine his whole life as his family has been importing Italian wine into the US since the 1970s. As you will hear Dom is an articulate, knowledgeable wine lover – and can also grow a mean moustache – check out our Instagram feed for a photo of Dom holding a bottle of Cartology and sporting an excellent soup strainer. We chat about selling wine to trade, the importance (or not) of journalist points, what has been happening in Italian wine over the last 5-10 years including the issue of climate change (there is some super interesting info on Italian wine in this podcast if that is your thing), Dom's experiences in South Africa including a hilarious story about our mutual friend Peter-Allan Finlayson and more. A bit of fun for a Friday. :) I give you Dom Nocerino…

Today on the podcast we have Richard Kelley MW. Richard currently runs Dreyfus Ashby, an importer based in the UK specialising in South Africa and regional France, with a particular bias towards the Loire. After Richard earnt his Master of Wine, he spent many years in the South African wine industry in the mid and late nighties working for Vinimark. He returned to the UK in the 2000s and has continued to champion South Africa in his home market and has worked with some of the most important producers of the last 20 years. I wanted to chat to Richard about South African wine in the UK market – and ask his advice for producers wanting to get into that market. Richard is a hugely respected authority on South African wine, and I think you’ll understand why once you listen to our conversation. I give you Richard Kelley…

Today on the podcast we have Eben Sadie of Sadie Family Wines, based in the Swartland. It is difficult to overstate how important Eben is to the modern reputation of South African wine. Put simply, he is among the most influential people in South African wine, ever. I wanted to talk to Eben about his journey in wine, from his days at Elsenberg, through the Spice Route experience and making those first vintages of Columella and Palladius in the very early 2000s. As you will hear, Eben is a deep thinker and takes wine extremely seriously. It was a great conversation. I give you Eben Sadie…

Today on the podcast we have Callie Louw of Porseleinberg in the Swartland, a property owned by Boekenhoutskloof. I first met Callie in 2008 when he was still at Tulbagh Mountain Vineyards (now called Fable) and he was the first Afrikaans person who I met who swore as well as an Australian. If you are not familiar with Porseleinberg the wine, I suggest you pause this, find a bottle, drink it, and then listen to the podcast. It is not only one of my favourite wines from South Africa, but in my mind it is among the highest in quality. I buy a few bottles every year. It is a unique project, with as you will find out, a very unique person at the helm. I give you Callie Louw… Transcript: http://www.exanimo.co.za/?page_id=432

Today on the podcast we have Catherine Miles of The Sorting Table, a wine importer based in New York. Previous to starting with The Sorting Table, Cat spent 20 years with Broadbent Selections and in that time helped them expand their South African portfolio consisting of Warwick and Vilafonte to include such names as Alheit, Badenhorst, Beeslaar, Beaumont, Sadie, Savage, Storm and others. Cat has been a frequent visitor to South Africa over many years and knows many of the producers very well. She has seen the recent development of the South African wine scene from an outsider’s perspective. It was this that I wanted to talk to her about, and also get her views on how South Africa is seen by the trade and the drinking public in the US. Cat and I had a great conversation, I hope you enjoy it and find it useful. I give you Cat Miles…

Today on the podcast we have an old friend of mine, Evan Milne of Stockonhand wines, based in Torquay, on the surf coast south-west of Melbourne in Victoria. He sells the South African wines we send to Australia alongside his much bigger business of wholesale for a number of high-quality boutique wine brands from Australia and New Zealand. Evan has an unbridled enthusiasm for food and wine. He is a hospitality industry lifer who has decades of experience with most of that time spent in Melbourne. He has a propensity for analysis which I have always found engaging and (hopefully) makes for great conversation. I initially wanted to chat to Evan about his experiences selling South African wine in the non-traditional market of Australia (WOSA does not operate there), which we covered, and then quickly moved on to other topics. We chat about the state of wine in Australia both from production and consumption perspectives and the current trends on restaurant lists in Melbourne. Evan is a true wine professional in the best sense, he has the industry’s best interest at heart, this is evidenced in a small way by his 14-year service as an unpaid board member of Sommeliers Australia. I give you Evan Milne…

Today on the podcast we have Corlien Morris, owner and operator of Wine Menu, a boutique wine retailer in Johannesburg, South Africa’s largest city. Corlien was originally from the Western Cape and worked in hospitality before moving into wine retail. She moved north to Johannesburg about 5 years ago. I wanted to chat to Corlien about the wine market in Gauteng and that carried us off in a few different directions such as: restaurant wine lists, BYO policies, wine shows, buying patterns and who were the thought leaders in the industry. Corlien is a forthright, driven business owner who is passionate about wine. She has done a lot in a short time to help invigorate the fine wine market in Johannesburg, it was a pleasure speaking with her. I give you Corlien Morris… https://www.winemenu.co.za/

Today on the podcast we have Julien Schaal, winemaker and owner of Julien Schaal wines. He is based in Alsace and exclusively works with Grand Cru Rieslings there. He first visited South Africa in the early 2000s when he worked as a cellar hand for Bouchard Finlayson. During that time a friendship developed with Gordon Newton-Johnson and an opportunity to produce his own South African wine was proposed. Julien has been coming to South Africa to make his Chardonnay and Syrah wines ever since. I wanted to chat to Julien about the similarities and differences in making wine in Alsace and South Africa. They seemed, to me at least, to be very different climates, and obviously working with different varieties, so I wondered if there was much crossover. We also chat about the current state of Alsace wine in the world market, Julien exports 100% of his Alsace production, so he has quite a good perspective on that side of the business. I give you Julien Schaal…

Today on the podcast we have Bernhard Bredell, winemaker and owner of Scions of Sinai – he made the first wines from the 2016 vintage and is based in southern Stellenbosch. The Bredells have been in the shadow of the Helderberg making wine for seven generations, and their port-styled wines are legendary. Unfortunately the farm was sold before Bernhard had a chance to take over and he went to work for the Winery of Good Hope and did stints in Cote-Rotie and Priorat. The Scions of Sinai project was born from a desire to save some of the old vineyards Bernhard’s grandfather planted as they were being ripped up to be replaced with more commercially viable varieties. Scions of Sinai is a tiny producer, but certainly one of the most interesting and compelling in Stellenbosch. Bernhard is a massive vineyard geek and he loves nothing more than being among the vines and showing visitors all the life in the soils of the land he works with. He is hugely studious, both about the history of the area and different techniques in viticulture and vinification to in his words “get the most out while putting the least in”. I give you Bernhard Bredell…

***NB*** We are in the middle of a government enforced lockdown here in South Africa where the sale and movement of wine is, at least for now, forbidden. So to keep ourselves busy we have decided to release a new podcast episode every day during lockdown. Today on the podcast we have John Seccombe, winemaker and owner of Thorne and Daughters – a wine brand based in the Walker Bay District in the Cape South Coast Region of South Africa. From his maiden vintage in 2013 John quickly established Thorne & Daughters as a name to take very seriously. He was one of the first winemakers to put a spotlight on the very rare Semillon Gris variety with a wine called Tin Soldier (first released from vintage 2013). He makes his wines at Gabriëlskloof in Bot River alongside other New Wave producers Peter-Allan Finlayson (Crystallum) and Marelise Niemann (Momento) and is one of the very few South African winemakers who studied viticulture/winemaking outside South Africa. We chat about his journey in creating the Thorne and Daughters project with this wife Tash, and he talks us through each of his 2019 wines. John is a true gentleman and one of the nicest people in wine that I have met. I think being slightly older and having a bit more of a diverse professional background gives John a different perspective and world view than many of his contemporaries. He is quite humble, almost apologetic, a deep thinker and a hopeless epicurean. I give you John Seccombe. Also a quick note on the quality of the audio – as we are in lockdown at the moment in South Africa and we are relying on the internet to record these podcasts, and it doesn’t always behave. We have done what we can to make it listenable as possible.

Today on the podcast we have Master Sommelier Nicolas Clerc. Nico is originally from the Savoie area of France (in the French Alps, north of Marseille) but has lived and worked in the UK since 2003. A former UK sommelier of the year, he is currently working for Armit Wines as a brand manager after working for Fields, Morris & Verdin as a prestige account manager. He is also a board member for the Court of Master Sommeliers Europe. We met in 2008 when we were both sommeliers at Vue de monde restaurant in Melbourne. Nico visited South Africa for the first time in winter 2019 and we spent a few days together travelling around the winelands visiting some of the best producers in the country. I wanted to chat with Nico to get his view on South African wine from a perspective someone deep in the scene of UK fine dining and sommeliers working in Europe. As you will hear Nico is a hugely passionate lover of wine and food and it is almost impossible not to get carried away with him. Again, just a quick note on the quality of the audio – as we are in lockdown at the moment in South Africa and we are relying on the internet to record these podcasts, and it doesn’t always behave. We have done what we can to make it listenable as possible. I give you Nicolas Clerc, Master Sommelier…

***NB*** We are in the middle of a government enforced lockdown here in South Africa where the sale and movement of wine is, at least for now, forbidden. So to keep ourselves busy we have decided to release a new podcast episode every day during lockdown. Today on the podcast we have Tegan Passalacqua who is based in California and is the director of winemaking at Turley Wine Cellars, a producer specialising in old vine wines, with zinfandel being a particular focus. He is also the owner/winemaker of Sandlands, his own project, which looks to highlight interesting and unique vineyards. My wife, Jeannette, first met Tegan in 2003 when they were both interns at Craggy Range in New Zealand – they have remained friends ever since. I first met Tegan in 2008 when Jeannette and I visited him at Turley in California and was immediately impressed by his passion, knowledge and polite curiosity. I remember fondly a bottle of Turley Hayne Vineyard Zinfandel he gave us on that visit. We drank it within a few hours at dinner that night and I have no regrets. Tegan worked for Eben Sadie in the Swartland for almost the entirety of vintage 2011, and as you will hear, has a real fondness for South Africa. He is an unabashed champion of the New South Africa and her wines – we are lucky to have such a respected voice as Tegan’s acting as an unofficial ambassador in California. It’s all about vineyards for Tegan, and he has a vast well of experience and knowledge upon which to draw. He is a fascinating conversation partner and we have a far-reaching discussion – I truly hope you enjoy listening as much as I did participating. A couple of notes on the podcast: it was recorded on April 5th, we mention that South African wine exports were banned as part of the nation-wide lockdown due to covid19 – thankfully those bans were lifted 2 days later, on the 7th April. When talking about acre to hectare conversion, we get it very wrong (!) – 2.9 hectares is a little over 7 acres. Just a quick note on the quality of the audio – as we are in lockdown at the moment in South Africa and we are relying on the internet to record these podcasts, and it doesn’t always behave. We have done what we can to make it listenable as possible. Tegan and I talk over each other a few times in this podcast, mostly due to the delay, but sometimes I just can’t wait to interrupt. I give you Tegan Passalacqua.

***NB*** We are in the middle of a government enforced lockdown here in South Africa where the sale and movement of wine is, at least for now, forbidden. So to keep ourselves busy we have decided to release a new podcast episode every day during lockdown. Today on the podcast we have Lukas van Loggerenberg, winemaker and owner of Van Loggerenberg Wines – a wine brand based in Stellenbosch which, with a few others like Reenen Borman and Mick and Jeanine Craven, has been leading a renaissance in that region over the last 4-5 years. Previous to the emergence this group (and others) a lot of the international attention South African wine was getting was focussed on the Swartland (think Sadie Family, David and Nadia, Mullineux, Badenhorst et al.) and the Overberg (think Alheit, Crystallum). I am painting with very broad brushstrokes, but the traditional centre of premium grape growing and winemaking, Stellenbosch, was more or less left in the shade of the other two regions. In 2020 Van Loggerenberg moved the winemaking duties off the Fransmanskraal farm in the Devon Valley to a much more well-equipped and bigger facility just down the mountain from the Taal Monument in Paarl. Lukas has immense passion for the Loire Valley varietal duo of Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc. Yet both his Cinsaut and Syrah wines are universally agreed to be among the best currently being produced in South Africa. He is a truly exciting producer. We chat about his journey in creating Van Loggerenberg wines and he talks us through each of his 2019 wines. Also a quick note on the quality of the audio – as we are in lockdown at the moment in South Africa and we are relying on the internet to record these podcasts, and it doesn’t always behave. We have done what we can to make it listenable as possible.

Genesis of Genevieve with MELISSA NELSEN. We are in the middle of a government enforced lockdown here in South Africa where the sale and movement of wine is, at least for now, forbidden. So to keep ourselves busy we have decided to release a new podcast episode every day during lockdown. A quick note on the quality of the audio, we are in lockdown at the moment in South Africa and we are relying on the internet to record these podcasts, and they don’t always behave. We have done what we can to make it listenable as possible. Today on the podcast we have Melissa Nelsen, lady behind Genevieve – a wine brand that specialises in MCC. Traditional method sparkling wines in South Africa are called Method Cap Classique, which is quite often shortened to the initials MCC. There are production and ageing laws surrounding the use of this term, but as of yet no restriction on varieties allowed. Based in the Overberg (Bot River), Melissa is a bit of a rare example in South Africa in that she only produces sparkling wines, and that she restricts her fruit sourcing to one region. Commonly, MCCs in South Africa are labelled as Wine of Origin Western Cape, thus allowing the sourcing of fruit from all over the winelands. Melissa allows herself no such flexibility. We chat about how Genevieve got started and the evolution of the style so far. We also chat about her upcoming projects of a MCC Rosé and a re-release of an old vintage later in the year. I give you Melissa Nelsen.

***A quick note on the quality of the audio, we are in lockdown at the moment in South Africa and we are relying on the internet to record these podcasts, and they don’t always behave. We have done what we can to make it listenable as possible.*** Kalmoesfontein: vines, vermouth, parrots, rooibos, agave and Abruzzo with Adi Badenhorst Today on the podcast we have Adi Badenhorst, one of the Swartland Revolutionaries –he is the main force and winemaker behind Badenhorst Family Vineyards where they make some fantastic wine. But I didn’t really want to talk about the wine per se on this episode with Adi. Which is a bit strange, given this is a wine podcast I understand. I wanted to talk to Adi about Kalmoesfontein, the farm he lives and works on and all the “other” projects he is undertaking on the property. Adi is an extremely good-natured person, he will laugh at your jokes just as hard as he laughs at his own. He cares deeply about people and will, if given the time and permission, seek to understand the person he is talking to beyond the usual social graces. But there is an enigmatic side to Adi, underneath the exterior, which on first impression can seem very spontaneous and even reckless, and at the very least, disorganised lies a very driven, passionate and focussed human being. He’s very thoughtful and is constantly requesting other’s opinions, especially when they don’t align with his. He is certainly one of the people I most like talking to – he is, as they say, one of the good ones. I give you Adi Badenhorst.

We are in the middle of a government enforced lockdown here in South Africa where the sale and movement of wine is, at least for now, forbidden. So to keep ourselves busy we have decided to release a new podcast episode every day during lockdown. (5 Apr 2020) Today on the podcast we have Chris Williams – winemaker and co-owner of The Foundry – he produces single vineyard wines from Stellenbosch and the Voor Paardeberg WOs. He recently left his day job of 16 years which was as the cellarmaster and winemaker at Meerlust Estate – one of the grand old properties in Stellenbosch. Their top wine, Rubicon, has been a must buy for wine lovers in SA since the early 1980s. Chris seemingly has an insatiable inquisitiveness where wine is concerned and is always looking to learn and improve. He is well read and is always an interesting and engaging person to talk to, and not only when the subject is wine. He just completed his first vintage outside Meerlust since 2004, so I thought it would be interesting to document this moment in his journey. If you find this podcast interesting or useful, please share and consider subscribing. Cheers, David.

A zoom chat with Jurgen Gouws of Intellego Wines. Specialising in Swartland Chenin Blanc and Syrah (although Cinsaut, Mourvedre and Viognier are also used), Jurgen is one of only a handful of people making natural wines in South Africa. We don't really talk about each wine specifically, it was more of a chat about his philosophies, approaches, and opinions. We also chat about the wine he makes for us, a "semi-carbonically macerated" pinotage. We love Jurgen's wines, and think he is a little bit of a genius. I hope you enjoy our chat. NB. Please note that the last few (and many of the next) episodes were recorded via zoom and rely on a stable internet connection and this isn't always the case. Apologies for any audio issues, we are doing our best :) Please share if you enjoy it.

A quick catch up with Maryna Calow, Communications Manager at Wines of South Africa (WOSA), "a not-for-profit industry organisation which promotes the export of all South African wine in key international markets". I chatted to her to get an update on the current ban on wine exports put in place as part of the nation-wide lockdown due to the covid19 crisis. WOSA is part of a wine industry task force (together with VinPro and SALBA) to lobby the government to address this and other issues effecting the wine industry. We reference the Wineland website for updates on covid19 regulations, that can be found at: https://www.wineland.co.za/covid-19-info/ WOSA's website is: https://www.wosa.co.za/home/

A chat over Zoom with Niels Verburg about how Luddite Wines got started, his famous Shiraz (and why he doesn't call it Syrah!), his love of Australian flora and NO mention of coronavirus - not sure how we did that. Enjoy one of the real characters of the South African wine industry - he can make some handy wine too :)

A quick chat with Chef and co-owner of La Tete restaurant here in Cape Town about life running a restaurant in the weeks leading up to the nation-wide lockdown we are still currently in here in South Africa.

A quick zoom call with Craig Wessels of Restless River to find out more about how he is harvesting and making wine under a nation-wide covid19 lockdown here in South Africa.

This episode we have Mick Craven on the podcast. Mick, originally from Australia, and his South African wife Jeanine make Craven Wines – a négociant-style wine business based in Stellenbosch. The Cravens work exclusively within the Stellenbosch WO, working with a select group of grape growers and making a set of single vineyard wines in such a way as to “let the grapes do the talking” as Mick puts it. Everything the Cravens do has a transparency and purity to it. No smoke nor mirrors. They are due to release their vintage 2019 wines here in South Africa in a few weeks – in April – so I asked Mick to come in to Ex Animo HQ and chat about them. We do go into a bit of the history of Craven Wines during the conversation, principally to provide some context about the 2019s, but I also get curious and want to ask questions that shoots us off on a few tangents along the way. Talking with Mick is always fun and informative. Since recording the podcast I have had the privilege of tasting all the 2019s and can confirm the wines look compact, expressive and precise with intensity. Unfortunately Jeanine couldn’t be with us for the podcast, but we will get her on at some point in the future. If you enjoy the conversation, please consider sharing the episode. NB - at some point I say there are "around 70 Alsace Grands Crus" - there are in fact 51. :)

A chat with winemag.co.za editor and leading wine commentator in South Africa, Christian Eedes. Christian takes us through a (very) brief modern history of South African wine, and then gives his take on what is happening in the fine wine industry in South Africa currently. A State of the Nation of Wine if you will. A list of plantings by variety in South Africa can be found here: https://www.instagram.com/p/B80cETYp-uA/ - it seems I owe Christian a bottle of wine :) I hope you enjoy. :)

On farming grapes in the Swartland, Franziska Wickens of Waterval Farm by Ex Animo Wine Co.

Recorded 19 July 2019 A really interesting chat with Tyrrel Myburgh of Joostenberg Wines in Paarl WO, South Africa. He is the 5th generation Myburgh on the farm and started to convert to organic viticulture in 2003 becoming totally certified in 2010. Organic viticulture is still very rare in South Africa, so I decided to chat to him to get his story and to sort the facts from the fiction about organics. Enjoy :)

Recorded 19th June 2019. A really interesting chat with Allan Mullins, who is celebrating 30 years with Woolworths next year. Allan is definitely one of the "good guys" of the wine industry here in South Africa. A gentleman and a deep repository of knowledge about the people and wines of the last 40 or so years in South Africa. Woolworths operates in a completely different philosophical space than Ex Animo so it was good to chat and compare notes. Thanks Allan, you legend. x

A very quick chat with Wikus Human, sommelier of Marble and Saint Restaurants in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Recorded 1st June 2019, Infanta, Western Cape, South Africa A chat with Chris and Andrea Mullineux (of Mullineux Wines) about the Swartland Revolution, an annual wine festival that ran from 2010-2014 that has and continues to have a huge impact on the wine scene in South Africa.

For this episode I chat to Gosia Zielińska, manager and sommelier at The Pot Luck Club, Cape Town.

Recorded 21st March 2019 Craig Hawkins, owner with wife Carla and winemaker TESTALONGA – leading proponent of natural wine in SA. Craig as he and his wife Carla are to my knowledge the first people to build a very successful independent business making exclusively natural wine in South Africa. Many other winemakers have used them (and continue to use them) as inspiration to start their own journey. From making 2 barrels of skin contact Chenin Blanc to owning a farm and planting vineyards in 10 years. We recorded this on their farm, Bandits Kloof near Eendekuil in the northern Swartland in the evening after tasting through the very young 2019 wines in cask. We were forced to sit outside as it was during loadshedding, which is a series of planned power outages lasting 2-3 hours to ease pressure on the grid and is needed due to reduced capacity caused by mismanagement (read: corruption) of the state power utility here in South Africa, Eskom. So please excuse the wind noise … you will also hear their dogs Bruce, Daisy and Ruby in the background - and sometimes in the foreground – as they were playing nearby. I first met Craig and Carla in 2012 at Cape Wine the triennial South African wine fair in Cape Town before I moved to SA – and fell immediately in love with the Lammershoek wines he was making at the time, they had a most wonderful natural acid line which gave the wines tension and excitement – weren’t ambitiously luxurious wines based on richness, or looking for “stuffing” which so many others were going for at the time. My company Ex Animo Wine Co has distributed TESTALONGA in South Africa since 2014. As always – covered a range of topics – how he got started in wine, his years working for Eben Sadie, how his wine philosophy was formed, helping grape growers work organically on their land, his trials and tribulations with the wine and spirit board which certifies South African wine for sale and for export (we incorrectly called it SAWIS in the podcast which is the South African Wine Industry Information and Systems – which is a separate but related entity focused on the collection, processing and dissemination of industry information), and how playing competitive sport help shape his wine career among other things. The first few times I met Craig, I got the sense that he was trying to “work me out” when he was talking to me. But as I got to know him better, I realised he is just introverted, and it was just his way of interacting with people – he lets the other person open up before deciding whether he will do the same. He is a very passionate, caring person with a sharp intellect competitive spirit, and makes some of my favourite wine on the planet. Enjoy.

This episode is a conversation with South African viticulturist, Rosa Kruger. Tannie Rosa, as I call her, is a force to be reckoned with. An ex-lawyer and proud Afrikaner, Rosa has travelled extensively throughout the grape-growing world and is now one of the most important voices on viticulture in South Africa. She is a consultant and has worked with some of the most iconic names of modern South African wine: Eben Sadie, the Mullineuxs, the Alheits, Rupert & Rothschild and Boukenhoutskloof to name just a few. She started the Old Vine Project, an NPO which aims to promote and preserve the old vineyards of South Africa. She is probably the most deeply passionate person I have met when it comes to South African vineyards, and those who work them. I wanted to talk to her about the state of viticulture in South Africa, a little about the history and how it has changed in the last 10 years with the rise and rise of local wine quality, and her vision for the future of the South African vineyard. Tannie Rosa is one of my favourite people, she is strong willed, does not take any shit, deeply thoughtful and beautifully intelligent. We don’t always agree, and I challenged her on some points. But as always when I talk to my Tannie I leave the conversation with more insight and energy than when I started it. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Rosa Kruger….

A recent conversation with Roland Peens of Wine Cellar, one of the best wine retailers in South Africa. We covered a lot of ground about how he got into wine, the transformation of South African wine and the South African wine market over the last 15 or so years. Established in 2001, Wine Cellar is one of South Africa's finest online wine merchants. They offer the top-end local wines and also specialise in international wines from France, Italy, Spain and elsewhere. Their business has changed significantly inception with a move towards offering more South African wines. Roland and his team at Wine Cellar are always trying to improve and spread the gospel of fine wine. Thanks for your time Roland, I enjoyed our chat. ~DC

Recorded on 22nd November 2018 in Hermanus, Western Cape, South Africa.