In the first of our articles taken from the special Stellenbosch Business Report, produced by The Buyer for Stellenbosch Wine Routes, Richard Siddle gives a personal perspective on the main themes, issues and trends that are influencing and having the biggest long term impact on the region. He also examines the role of the Stellenbosch Wine Routes in capturing all the changes and innovations taking place in this still hugely influential wine region not just in South Africa but around the world.
In the US the growth of mead as a category is starting to resemble the craft beer market, with one of the world’s simplest and oldest alcoholic drinks diversifying into a wide range of styles. In the UK, mead is also undergoing a revolution with a new bar opening in London that aims to show the breadth and complexity of this honey-based drink by serving seven meads on draught and 20 different in can. We take a look at how mead is transforming itself with one foot in its legendary past and the other striving towards a thoroughly modern reinvention.
The Only a Pavement Away charity does extraordinary work, largely behind the scenes, looking to help the homeless and those in need get back on their feet and where possible offer them the practical and financial support to get themselves back into work. It is also working very closely with the drinks and hospitality sectors to see what they can do to give people a second chance. Here Chris Seale, managing director of Speciality Brands, and Greg Mangham, chief executive of Only A Pavement Away, explain how they are working together to help people find suitable future employment.
If there is one wine region that captures the majesty, the beauty, the innovation and the fast pace of change that is taking place in the quality of winemaking in South Africa then it is Stellenbosch. The country’s oldest and most famous wine region has, by the admission of one of its most senior producers, been given a “big kick up the arse” by what has been happening elsewhere in the Cape in recent years and had to more than respond in kind. To mark just what has been going on in Stellenbosch in recent years The Buyer has teamed up with Stellenbosch Wine Routes to produce this comprehensive Stellenbosch Business Report that is available in a downloadable PDF. A report based on personal interviews, tastings, seminars and masterclasses conducted by The Buyer’s Richard Siddle during a recent visit to the region.
Ruinart used the launch of its new hotly-anticipated Ruinart 2010 Blanc de Blancs to re-emphasise its commitment to sustainability and biodiversity from its far-reaching vitiforestry project at its historic Tassy vineyards to its position on prestige packaging. Sarah McCleery travelled to Reims to meet the team, see first-hand many of its projects and to taste the new prestige cuvée.
As the entry process for the 2023 London Wine Competition gets underway we look back at the best performing wines from the 2022 awards by picking out the wines that scored the most points, and came top in the individual quality, value and packaging and design categories. The London Wine Competition prides itself on judging wines in the same way that consumer do – what they taste like, how much they cost and what they look like.
Sake is not just a drink, it’s a world all of its own. For wine and spirits lovers, especially in recent years as exports have increased, it is providing another frontier of production techniques, styles, history, and culture for us to all to “geek out on” whilst enjoying a truly iconic set of products. We sent sake newbie, Mike Turner, to a recent Gunma Sake event in London to find out for himself.
Has the wine industry ever had so many entrepreneurs come in from other sectors looking to find their niche and route to market that has not been done before? The team behind When in Rome is certainly trying to do that with a business model based first on only bag-in-box wines and now a breakthrough paper-based bottle that takes its sustainability credentials to another level. Rob Malin, one of When in Rome’s three co-founders, has given up a lucrative career trading currencies in the hope of making a market for sustainably packaged wines. He explains why to Richard Siddle.
Industry icon Tor Kenward has been making wine in Napa since the early days when the valley was filled with just cowboys, dreamers and a handful of vines. After 27 years working for Beringer, learning from some of the biggest names in wine and setting up TOR Wines, Kenward has opened up in his memoir Reflections of a Vintner. Victor Smart met him in Quo Vadis where he tasted the latest vintages of Tor’s boutique brand of Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux blends and gassed about the effects of Parker, Bottle Shock and much more.
Magali Bernard talks to Libby Zietsman-Brodie about how Domaine du Clos du Roi benefits from the unique wine growing and climate conditions of Coulanges-la-Vineuse as part of our Hidden Gems series with the Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB) to look at the role its different AOCs play in producing a diverse range of wines from Bourgogne. She also explains how she works with old indigenous varietals such as César.
