I love Mulderbosch Sauvignon Blanc. This South African SB is a Clear, light lemon-green colour with an intense nose filled with passion fruit, Galia melon and a lifted florality – complexed with fresh cut grass and nettles. The mouth-filling fruit is balanced by an edgy fresh acidity making it compulsory to enjoy another glass.

I would suggest shellfish with this wine.

Try the shrimp and crap quesadilla below, it’s quick and easy to make!

Shrimp and Crab Quesadillas Recipe

Ingredients 1 1/2 lbs shrimp, peeled and de-veined, tails removed
1/2 lb crab meat
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried coriander
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
the juice from 1/2 a lime
1 green pepper, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
2 tablespoons freshly chopped coriander
1 jalapeno pepper, diced (optional)
3 cups shredded cheese
8 large flour tortillas
vegetable oil

Method 1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Add shrimp, crab, cumin, kosher salt, black pepper, dried oregano, dried cilantro and garlic to a large bowl. Toss well to coat. Preheat large skillet. Drizzle with olive oil. Saute shrimp and crab until it just starts to turn opaque. Add lime juice and mix well. You just want to partially cook the seafood, because it will finish cooking in the oven.

2.  On cookie sheets, oil one side of the four flour tortillas with vegetable oil. Place tortilla, oil side down. Divide crab and shrimp mixture and spread over the four tortillas. Add chopped bell peeper, onion, fresh coriander, and optional chopped jalapeno pepper. Add cheese. Add top tortilla, and lightly brush the top with oil.

3. Bake at 200 degrees C until lightly browned, about 10 – 15 minutes.

 

Wine review:

Chenin blanc (shen’n BLAHNK) is the freaky Sybil of grapes. It can be sweet or dry and either austere and acidic, or lush and aromatic depending on where it’s grown, how it’s tended and the winemaker’s mood. In France’s Loire Valley, where chenin blanc was first canonized in 985 A.D, it’s camouflaged behind the Vouvray label. There, it tastes luscious, slightly to very sweet, and displays a fruit soup of peach, nectarine and lime – perfect grog for people who shun bone-dry wines. However, finding quality Vouvrays – and rare dry versions from Anjou or Savennières, two other Loire Valley regions – is like wild truffle-hunting: exasperating. (Read more about Chenin Blanc)

But in new world regions like South Africa, this chameleon transforms. They often call Chenin Blanc  “Steen” in South Africa This Mulderbosch Chenin was mistaken for a White Burgundy at a recent blind tasting… embarrassing all the certified sommeliers in attendance. It tastes elegant and has soft acidity, smacking of tangerine, lemon curd, toasted oak, orange blossom, a smidge of tropical flavors and stony minerality. Offers a creamy, delicious mouthfeel with an “old world” sophistication. I was astounded to realize it’s $16 price tag.  

Sweetness: 2 out of 10
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
Price: $14-$16
Occasion: Tasted at a blind tasting.
Availability: High end wine shops and big box wine shops.
Food pairing: Would pair well with a wide variety of foods, from roasted herbed chicken to creamy lemon seafood pasta.

Ever heard of TBA? You better have! The Yanks say the cost to battle it is ‘tremendous’. The French recently ID’ed it as another cause of musty, moldy taint in wine.

IT’S LIKE BEING THROWN A LIGHTED DYNAMITE STICK  TBA: THE NEXT TCA IN THE US WINE INDUSTRY 


WINE MICROBIOLOGY BY Robert Tracy with Bevan Skaalen 

Published with the permission of the Practical Winery & Vineyard Journal . For further information visitwww.practicalwinery.com

Over the course of the last 10 years or so, wineries in the U.S. have been dealing with a difficult problem: 2,4,6- trichloroanisole (2,4,6-TCA). The cost of this chemical compound to the wine industry has been tremendous — in wine quality, in negative publicity, and financially.

Generally termed a haloanisole, 2,4,6-TCA is known to cause a musty, mold taint at very low concentrations (parts per trillion [ppt]). It has likely always been a major cause of wine taint but has been recognized as a serious problem only in the past 10 years because scientific instrument technology has advanced to be able to identify 2,4,6-TCA as one of the sources of the musty, moldy taint found in wines.

Another haloanisole, 2,4,6-tribromoanisole (2,4,6-TBA) has recently been identified as a similar contributor to wine taint. 2,4,6-TBA was first identified by Pascal Chatonnet and collaborators in 2004 in French wines.¹ Like 2,4,6-TCA, 2,4,6-TBA causes a musty, mold taint in wine at very low concentrations, but it has the potential to be an even more serious problem to the U.S. wine industry because its precursor (2,4,6- tribromophenol [2,4,6-TBP]) can be found in so many sources commonly used in wineries.

This column provides an overview of the emerging 2,4,6-TBA problem and suggests what preventive actions wineries can implement to protect their wines.

Introduction 
What is the taint resulting from haloanisole contamination of food and beverages? Taint is a taste or odor that typically arises from an external source, as opposed to off-odors or off flavors, which are attributed to internal changes to a product (such as microbial spoilage).

The taste or odor threshold for a taint is defined as the lowest concentration of the chemical compound detectable by a defined population group. Generally, a food or beverage taint can be tasted or has an odor at extremely low concentrations. 
Chemically, 2,4,6-TBA is a derivative of the anisole (or methoxybenzene) family of compounds, which contain at least one atom of a halogen (fluorine, chlorine, bromine, or iodine) and thus are termed haloanisoles. Haloanisoles are formed from halophenol compounds by microbes, such as filamentous fungi, via a process called biomethylation.

Specifically, 2,4,6-TBA is formed from the biomethylation of its precursor 2,4,6-TBP. Figure I shows the chemical structure of 2,4,6-TBA (three bromine atoms attached to the 2, 4, and 6 positions on a benzene ring).

Origin of the 2,4,6-TBA precursor 2,4,6-TBP 
Chlorophenols (like 2,4,6-trichlorophenol [2,4,6-TCP], which is precursor to 2,4,6-TCA) are primarily anthropogenic in origin; that is, they are produced by human activity.

Bromophenols (like 2,4,6-TBP) can be produced both naturally in the environment and anthropogenically. In nature, 2,4,6-TBP can be formed in marine environments by brown algae as a way to remove excess bromine from their surroundings,² and anthropogenically, it can be produced in wastewater that has been treated with chlorine in the presence of bromine ions and low levels of organic phenols.³

2,4,6-TBP and its derivatives have been used as 1) fire-retardant agents in epoxy resins, polyurethanes, plastics, paper, textiles, and fire extinguishing media; 2) wood preservatives; 3) general fungicides for the leather, textiles, paint, plastics, paper, and pulp industries; and 4) antiseptic agents. 5) They have also been found in detergents containing bromine.

The winery environment has several possible sources of 2,4,6-TBP, such as painted surfaces in the cellar, sealants, barrels, oak adjuncts, wood ladders, wooden catwalks, wood pallets, plywood, wooden rafters, wood beams, water, water hoses, wine hoses, plastic tank liners, plastics, insulation, filter pads, fining agents, packaging materials (cardboard, adhesives, paper bags), cleansers, and sanitizers.

Formation of 2,4,6-TBA 
The only scientifically proven molecular mechanism responsible for formation of 2,4,6-TBA (and all other anisoles found in wine — 2,4,6–TCA, 2,3,4,6-tetrachloroanisole [2,3,4,6-TeCA], and pentachloroanisole [PCA]) is the biomethylation (O-methylation) of its precursor 2,4,6-TBP. (See biochemical reaction in Figure I.) In the conversion to 2,4,6-TBA, 2,4,6-TBP is catalyzed by the enzyme chlorophenol O-methyltransferase (CPOMT), and the oxygen group on 2,4,6-TBP is methylated. This enzyme has been shown to methylate several different halophenols, including chlorophenols, bromophenols, and iodophenols.⁴

Figure I. Biochemical reaction for the conversion of 2,4,6-TBP to 2,4,6-TBA by O-methylation

This biomethylation reaction is performed primarily by filamentous fungi (Trichoderma longibrachiatum, Penicillium spp., Fusarium spp., Cladosporium spp., and Paecilomyces variotii)^5,6,7 and has been shown to be catalyzed by the winerydwelling bacteria Streptomyces.⁸

Biomethylation is a biochemical defense mechanism for microbes. It allows them to detoxify their immediate environment by converting the highly toxic halophenols to non-toxic haloanisoles. In the absence of this defense mechanism, the filamentous fungi and Streptomyces could die or suffer significant physiological damage. It is worth noting that filamentous fungi also have a second defensive strategy to detoxify halophenols: secretion of oxidative enzymes (laccase) that attack and degrade halophenols.

Currently, a combination of several factors has created a near perfect stormfor 2,4,6-TBAformation inwinery cellars: the presence of a wide variety of 2,4,6-TBP sources, the fact that the majority of wineries do not have cleaning and sanitation practices in place to completely prevent colonization of filamentous microbes on surfaces, and wineries´ need to maintain humid cellars (to prevent wine evaporation). As with 2,4,6-TCA, once 2,4,6-TBAis released into the atmosphere, it will cling to almost any surface, and once it gets above a certain threshold in the atmosphere, it will taint wine.

Sensory Threshold / Sensory Impact of 2,4,6-TBA 
The sensory threshold of any chemical compound can vary, depending on the medium in which it is present (water or alcoholic solution) and/or on the individual conducting the sensory evaluation. This is also true for 2,4,6-TBA, which has a sensory threshold in water ranging from 0.008 to 0.03 ppt, and a threshold in wine ranging from 2 to 6 ppt. These sensory thresholds in water and wine are about the same for 2,4,6-TCA.

To give some perspective on the magnitude of such low concentrations, here are some analogies:

1. One ppt is equivalent to one cube of sugar dissolved in enough water to fill 100 Olympic-size swimming pools.
2. One ppt is equal to one second in 31,797 years.
3. One ppt is equivalent to 0.4 mm of the total distance from the Earth to the Moon (238,908 miles).

In wine, depending on the sensitivity of the individual, the presence of 2,4,6-TBA (or 2,4,6-TCA) will cause a loss of fruit intensity and aroma at lower concentrations (1 to 3 ppt) and an actual taint perception at higher concentrations (more than 3 ppt). At these higher concentrations, 2,4,6-TBA will impart musty, moldy, wet newspaper, wet cardboard, and wet cement odors and flavors to wine.

Preventive actions 
To prevent haloanisole (2,4,6-TBA, or 2,4,6-TCA) taint in wineries, the following actions are recommended:

1. Perform periodic inspections (semi-annually or annually) to determine if a facility is free of 2,4,6-TBP, 2,4,6-TBA, 2,4,6-TCP, and 2,4,6-TCA, (plus other haloanisoles and halophenols not discussed in this column, such as 2,3,4,6-TeCP, 2,3,4,6-TeCA, PCP, and PCA). The periodic inspections should consist of testing atmosphere,water supply,water distribution system,wines (both cellared and those in marketplace), corks, wood material, paint, and plastic liners.While this is by nomeans a complete list, itwill provide an effective inspection of a facility.
2. Each winery should demand certification from manufacturers of incoming goods that their products are haloanisole- and halophenol-free including barrels, oak adjuncts, silicon bungs, fining agents, and shipping materials (wood pallets, cardboard, etc).
3. When new materials from “unapproved vendors” are introduced into winery (paint, plastic, or insulation), the material should be tested for haloanisoles and halophenols.
4. Conduct periodic cleaning and sanitation of the winery infrastructure (floors, walls, ceilings) to limit colonization of microbes on surfaces.
5. Eliminate the use of cleansers and sanitizers containing chlorine and bromine.

Conclusion 
Due to the plethora of materials that can be origins of the 2,4,6-TBA precursor 2,4,6-TBP, and due to the fact that a very high percentage (nearly 80%) of all the filamentous fungi analyzed can produce haloanisoles, the probability of 2,4,6-TBAformation in a winery environment is very high. In addition, wineries must also contend with the actuality that 2,4,6-TBA can be brought into the facility from external sources (barrels, paints, wood materials, plastics, etc).

The ubiquitous nature of this chemical requires that wineries be extremely diligent about prevention activities. As the magnitude of the 2,4,6-TCA problem in the wine industry demonstrates, a mere reactive stance toward 2,4,6-TBA could lead wineries to dramatic economic andmarketing hardships. 
References

1. Chatonnet, P., S. Bonnet, S. Boutou, and M-D. Labadie. 2004. “Identification and responsibility of 2,4,6-Tribromoanisole in musty, corked odors in wine.” J. Agric. Food Chem. 52: 1255-1262.
2. Flodin, S., and K. J. Whitfield. 1999. “Biosynthesis of bromophenols in marine algae.” Water Sci. Technol. 40: 53–58.
3. Patnaik, P., E. Powers, and J.N. Khoury. 2002. “Pathways of phenol-chlorine reactions in the presence of bromide ions in waste waters.” American Laboratory News, Application Note. August: 26–28.
4. Coque, J. J.R., M.L. Alvarez-Rodrigues, and G. Larriba. 2003. “Characterization of an inducible chlorophenol O-methyltransferase from Trichoderma longibrachiatum involved in the formation of chloroanisoles and determination of its role in cork taint of wines.” Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 69: 5089–5095.
5. Alvarez-Rodríguez, M. L., L. López-Ocaña, J.M. López- Coronado, E. Rodríguez, M. J. Martínez, G. Larriba, and J. J. Coque. 2002. “Cork taint of wines: Role of the filamentous fungi isolated from cork in the formation of 2,4,6-trichloroanisole by O-methylation of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol.” Appl Environ. Microbiol. 68: 5860–5869.
6. Gribble, G.W. “The diversity of naturally occurring organobromine compounds.” 1999 Chem. Soc. Rev. 28: 335–346.
7. Zoecklein, B. “Environmental taints, Enology Notes #94.” Wine Enology Grape Chemistry Group, Virginia Tech, Virginia 2004.
8. Mara, P.A., and L. F. Bisson. “Bacterial causes of winery chloroanisole contamination.” Papers and posters presented at the ASEV 56th Annual Meeting 22–24. June 2005, Seattle, WA.

Gelatin, truly a fine fining agent!

READ ALL ABOUT IT

  THE USE OF GELATIN DURING WINE MAKING

The concentration and type of tannin in red wines, and rarely white wines, are quite difficult to predict and even to manage, as it is a result of what is presented by nature, and influenced by viticulture and winemaking. Sometimes wines might be too tannic, or we are not quite happy with the “mouth sensation of the particular wine’s tannin”.  It is possible to blend tannic wines with less tannic wines, but this is rarely the solution. 

It is possible to remove tannins with a protein though. Proteins known to winemakers include gelatine, casein, isinglass, ovalbumin or egg white and even blood in the ancient times. Different proteins are used to achieve different results. Gelatine is by far the most popular fining agent in the process of “softening red wines”, and is also used in combinations with pectolytic enzymes and silica or kieselsol, to settle white juices very effectively.

Gelatins are obtained from the partial hydrolysis of the collagen contained in animal skins (and in some cases fish). They are used in the fining of red, white and rosé wines, for the purpose of clarification and stabilisation, and to improve the wines’ sensory qualities. 

Various gelatine-related finings are available, of which powdered, crystalline gelatine is probably the cheapest. Other products include liquid gelatine and even powdered gelatine which can be rehydrated in cold water for the ease of use (which of course you have to pay a premium for). Gelatins used for oenological purposes are categorised in three: Heat soluble gelatins, liquid gelatins and cold-soluble gelatins.

Now the question may arise: How much? Tasting wine and evaluation thereof is very subjective. People vary in terms of how astringency is perceived, and although winemakers hone themselves when it comes to perception and /or “defining the character of the tannin”, to many others this is a difficult proposition. 

It might be more valuable to use the following as parameters or indicators when it comes to gelatine fining or removing of tannins:

1. Ask the opinion of colleagues. This is very helpful in establishing how much gelatine or even the kind of gelatine which is needed, especially if you put the median of all comments in perspective of what you personally perceive. The perception of tannin varies from person to person, and is a function of our DNA.
2. To effectively rehydrate powdered gelatine you have to dissolve it in a bit of water and increase the temperature gradually to 35oC. Please remember that gelatine loses its capacity to fine effectively above 40oC. A solution of 1-5% is efficient enough, both for dissolving the gelatine and to achieve the best fining results.
3. Use only water to rehydrate gelatine. It loses its capacity to fine if wine is used.
4. Method of addition is very important. The best way to add the fining is in-line. The principle is that mixing must be as thorough as possible.
5. Remember: Wines with a high phenolic content will be softened by gelatine fining, which will make the wine more palatable and elegant. If a wine is lacking structure and body, the same fining may make the wine hard and thin (Ribereau-Gayon et al).
6. Rule of thumb: Use highly charged gelatins (heat soluble) for wines which are very astringent, and cold soluble and/or liquid gelatins for less robust wines.
7. Egg white is regarded as a “polishing fining” for barrel matured red wines.

Good examples of products used by winemakers who achieved good results are the following:

1. Heat soluble gelatins: Gelatine Extra N°1 (Laffort), Gelasil (AEB), ErbiGel- Flot (Erbslöh powdered gelatine for flotation), Gelafish (Erbslöh)
2. Liquid gelatins: Clargel (Enartis), Gecoll Supra (Laffort), Gelarom (Laffort), Gelsol (AEB), Gelita-Klar (Erbslöh), Erbigel Bio (100% organic gelatine – Erbslöh)
3. Cold-soluble gelatins: Gecoll (Laffort), Gelasil XL (AEB)

Plant derived gelatine are being experimented with, as allergen labelling made fining with animal derived products impossible. It is possible to pick up traces of animal derived gelatine in a wine treated with it, as ethanol solubilises protein-tannin complexes (Boulton).

When it comes to fining of wines in general though, I always like to quote Harbertson: “the focus should be to control tannins as they are extracted during the winemaking process so you are not forced to blend away your problems…or add anything to your wine.”

Important developments between 1650 and 1890 :

1652

The Dutch East India Company (DEIC) set up a refreshment station at the Cape of Good Hope under the command of Jan van Riebeeck.

1655-56

The first vines were imported from France, the Rhineland and Spain and successfully planted in the Company’s gardens.

1657

The DEIC released 49 officers who became South Africa’s first free burghers. Each was given a small land grant to farm.

1659

The first wine was produced at the Cape. Van Riebeeck wrote in his diary on 02 February: “Today, praise be to god, wine was made for the first time from Cape grapes.”

1678

The town of Stellenbosch was established by Governor Simon van der Stel.

1680

Van der Stel planted some 100 000 vines in the Constantia valley.

1688

Some 150 French Huguenots emigrated to the Cape, bringing with them their winemaking skills. They settled mainly in the Franschhoek valley.

1761

Constantia exported wine to Europe. By 1788, the luscious dessert wines of Constantia win acclaim throughout Europe.

1886

The phylloxera disaster destroyed millions of vines at the Cape

Important developments since 1900: 

1906

The first co-operative winery, the Drostdy Ko-operatiewe Keller Beperkt, was founded in Tulbagh.

1918

The Ko-operatiewe Wijnbouwers Vereeniging van Zuid-Afrika (KWV) was formed, saving the industry from disaster.

1925

Professor Perold successfully cross-pollinated Pinot Noir with Hermitage (Cinsaut) to develop South Africa’s own grape variety, Pinotage.

1927

Georg Canitz of Muratie bottled the first South African Pinot Noir.

1935

Stellenbosch Farmers’ Winery (SFW) Limited was founded.

1936

Nederburg wine farm was bought by Johann Graue, a German immigrant who used cold fermentation for making white table wine in the 1950s.

1940

The Wine and Spirit Control Amendment Act was passed to control the minimum price for good wine.

1945

Distillers Corporation was founded.

1950

Gilbeys SA was founded.

1955

The Viticultural and Oenological Research Institute (VORI) was founded. Today it is known as Nietvoorbij.

1959

SFW launched Lieberstein, a semi-sweet table wine which revolutionised wine-drinking habits in South Africa.

1961

The first Pinotage, a 1959 under the Lanzerac label, was marketed.

1964

Lieberstein sales topped 31-million litres, becoming the world’s largest selling bottled wine.

1965

SFW, Monis and Nederburg amalgamated.

1968

Distillers built the Bergkelder with its maturation cellars tunnelled into Papegaaiberg in Stellenbosch.

1971

Stellenbosch Wine Route, the first wine route in the country, was founded.

1973

The Wine of Origin legislation was instituted.

1975

The first Auction of Rare Cape Wines was held at Nederburg. 

The first South African Zinfandel was marketed by Gilbeys.

1979

The Cape Wine Academy (CWA), the wine industry’s general education body, was founded in Stellenbosch by SFW in October.

The restructuring of the Liquor Industry by government sanction took place.

1980

Regulations regarding the residual sugar content of table wine changed - for the first time provision was made for wine exceeding 30g per litre.

1983

The Cape Winemakers’ Guild (CWG), an independent association, was formed.

1984

Flavoured wines introduced to the market.

1985

The inaugural CWG wine auction was held.

1990

Changes in the Wine of Origin legislation. 

The SA Wines & Spirits Export Association (SAWSEA) was established. 

Nelson Mandela was released from prison, impacting strongly on the South African wine industry and its acceptability in the international arena.

1991

First National Bottled Wine Show and inaugural Veritas awards.

1992

The quota system controlled by the KWV was scrapped. 

Merger of KWV wine courses with the CWA. 

The Méthode Cap Classique Association was formed.

1993

The Port Producers’ Association was formed.

1995

The Pinotage Association was formed. 

KWV International was founded.

1996

Stellenbosch Vineyards (Pty) Ltd was founded.

1997

KWV Registered as a private company on 01 December. 

ARC Infruitec-Nietvoorbij was founded.

1998

The new Liquor Bill, a three-tier system, was approved by parliament. 

The CWA was registered in an independent Trust.

1999

The new Liquor Bill was rejected as unconstitutional and referred back to parliament for amendment. 

The South African Wine Industry Trust (SAWIT) was established to advance the transformation of the wine industry and promote exports.

Winetech initiated Vision 2020, with its aim to produce detailed strategies for the South African wine industry.

2000

The inaugural Cape Wine 2000, showcasing South African wines, was held. 

SAWSEA was renamed Wines of South Africa (WOSA). An independent, non-profit company representing all exporters of South African wines, its aim is to build Brand South Africa internationally. 

The Chenin Blanc Association was formed. 

SFW and Distillers Corporation merged to form one company, Distell.

2001

The Muscadel Association was formed.

2002

Cape Wine 2002 - a major success for the South African wine industry. 

Joint venture between Australia’s BRL Hardy and Stellenbosch Vineyards (SV) was announced - a first for the local industry. 

The SA Wine Industry Ethical Trading Association (WIETA) was established. 

The Shiraz Association was formed. 

The KWV split into two separate entities: a commercial company, KWV Limited, and Wijngaard Co-operative, which provides services to and looks after the interests of producers. 

White wines were bottled under screwcaps by several South African producers. 

The CWA was transferred by Distell to an independent group of management specialists called pointBreak. 

The South African Wine and Brandy Company (SAWB) was formed.

The South African Wine and Brandy Company (SAWB) was established, with the aim of implementing the Vision 2020 strategic outline by preparing the Wine Industry Plan.

2003

The Wine Industry Plan was accepted by the Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs as the strategic framework for cooperation and action in the South African wine industry. 

2004

Cape Wine 2004 was held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC); a resounding success, it attracted wine media and buyers from across the country and around the globe. 

South Africa celebrated 10 years as a peaceful democracy. 

KWV entered into the industry’s largest broad-based Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) deal with the Phetogo Consortium obtaining 25,1% shares.

KWV branded wines available on the local market.

Vinfruco and Stellenbosch Vineyards merged to form a new company, Omnia Wines, one of the largest producers in South Africa . 

The pioneering Biodiversity & Wine Initiative (BWI) was initiated to incorporate biodiversity best practices into the SA wine industry.

Aspect, a booklet which offers in-depth information on our diverse wine regions with their unique biodiversity, a result of our complex terroir, was published by WOSA.

2005

The CWA was acquired from pointBreak by a consortium which included a 25% holding by the CWA management with the remaining 75% being made up of an empowerment group and a cross-section of wine industry players. 

The world’s first biodiversity wine route, the Green Mountain Eco Route, was established within the Groenlandberg Conservancy.

2006

The biggest ever showcase for SA wines, Cape Wine 2006, was hosted by WOSA at the CTICC, attracting international and national wine media and buyers. This highly successful event featured the world’s first seminar on wine diversity. Some 40% of SA producers signed a pledge to farm in a sustainable, environmentally friendly way with respect for both people and the land, and filled in a diversity survey of what is noteworthy and worth preserving on their lands – these were presented at the seminar.

Omnia Wines with its large and successful brands, which include Kumkani and Arniston Bay, was renamed the company of wine people.

The SA Wine Industry Council (SAWIC), which resulted from the restructuring of the South African Wine & Brandy Company, was launched.

2007

Flagstone was acquired by Constellation, the largest wine company in the world. Winemaker Bruce Jack is now in charge of all Constellation’s South African winemaking, including the Kumala brand.

2008

SAWIC was disbanded.

September’s Nedbank Cape Wine 2008, the wine industry’s largest ever showcase to the international market, featured over 300 exhibitors and drew some 1 300 visitors. During the trade show, the change in the country’s presidency occurred without incident, a positive reflection of the stability and growing maturity of South Africa ‘s democracy.

The BWI reached its goal of achieving a conservation footprint of 104 511 hectares, 100% equal to the vineyard footprint in the Cape winelands, within three years.

South African wine exports reached a record 400 000 000 litres.

A revised version of Aspect was produced by WOSA.

2009

The anniversary of 350 years of winemaking was celebrated.

Sales of First Cape were up 135% to £90 million in the UK . It overtook Kumala to become the Cape’s biggest selling wine brand and ranked second on the list of fastest-growing wine brands.

KWV Ltd unbundled its indirect shareholding in Distell from its own operations and assets to become KWV Holdings Ltd.

Ithemba, a full-colour book documenting leading examples of socio-economic transformation in the South African wine industry since the advent of democracy 15 years ago, is produced by WOSA. It was funded largely by the Department of Trade and Industry.

WOSA launched DNA SA. This booklet, a toolkit for marketers, represents WOSA’s thinking on how to present Brand Wine South Africa.

WOSA’s CEO Su Birch was named The Drinks Business Woman of the Year.

The Drinks Business Ethical Award was presented to WOSA’s project Laduma, funded mainly through the sales of Fundi wines and generous contributions from the Cape Winelands District Municipality.

2010

The total area conserved among all the BWI champions and members is 126 590 hectares, which represents more than 120% of the total vineyard footprint in the Cape winelands.

At the inaugural The Drinks Business Green Awards, which are designed to highlight leadership on environment, sustainability and climate change by drinks companies worldwide, South Africa came up trumps. Dr Paul Cluver of Paul Cluver Wines won the Lifetime Achievement Award, Inge Kotzé of the Biodiversity & Wine Initiative was awarded the Personality Award, while Backsberg walked away with the Sustainability Award. Paul Cluver Wines and Stellar Organics were named runners-up in the Ethical Award category, giving South Africa a notable presence in four of the eight award results.

Sales of South African wines overtook French wines for the first time in the UK wine market. According to figures from market analysts AC Nielsen, South African wine sales grew 20 percent, by volume, to 12,270,000 9L cases, compared to a decline in French wine sales of 12 percent, to 12,266,000 9L cases.

SA introduced the world’s first sustainability seal as a guarantee of eco-friendly production.

WOSA produced a book called Cape Wine Braai Masters in time for the 2010 celebrations.

The WOSA Sommelier World Cup, with 12 countries competing for the title of champion, kicked off in March.

WOSA launched its animated wine soccer video. The industry was gearing up for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ which took place from 11 June to 11 July and was a resounding success.

KWV was established as a private wine co-operative in 1918 to stabilise the South African wine industry after several outbreaks of phylloxera vastatrix, as well as a wine surplus. 

In 1997, the co-operative converted to a private company whereby the members became shareholders but were entitled to trade shares only among themselves. In 2002, this restriction was lifted and shares were allowed to be traded freely. 

KWV only entered the South African market in 2004 - the same year that it concluded one of the first major black economic empowerment transactions in the agricultural industry. 

In 2009 KWV completed an unbundling of its indirect shareholding in Distell Group, and is now fully focussed on its own wine and brandy making operations as KWV Holdings Ltd.

Founded in 1918, KWV is one of the leading wine and brandy producers in South Africa. Its head office is located in Paarl, in the Western Cape region - one of the country’s top wine producing regions. 

The company sources wines and grapes from the best and most sought after viticultural regions in South Africa. KWV is known internationally for brands such as Roodeberg, KWV Lifestyle, Laborie, Golden Kaan, Cathedral Cellar, Café Culture and the KWV 3, 5, 10, 15 and 20 Year Old brandies.

The company has developed an international network of partners and service providers, distributing its products in more than 35 markets. 

Since the 1930’s, KWV has produced potstill brandy of excellent quality and is particularly noted for its KWV 10 Year Old Brandy. It owns the largest potstill distillery in the Southern Hemisphere located in Worcester. KWV’s wine production facilities include the largest cellar complex in the Southern Hemisphere in Paarl. 

KWV is an empowered company with 25.1% of its shares owned by Phetogo Investments (Pty) Ltd. Other major shareholders include Zeder Investments and VinPro.