South Africa

Hi wine friends! 

This week we are talking about South Africa. This month the South African Government banned the sale of alcohol in the country due to Covid-19, so it seemed like it would be a good a time as any to dive into the history, the grapes and some of the reasons you should be picking up a bottle of South African wine. 

We go deep into the history this episode and how and why they started growing grapes around The Cape. It gets a little intense, but as I mention several times in the episode itself, we try to end it on a high note, with a list of Black Owned South African Wineries and how you can support BIPOC winemakers. 

Need the list of Black South African Winemakers to grab a bottle? Here it is: 
https://www.wosa.co.za/Sustainability/Socially-Sustainable/BEE/Black-owned-Brands/

Want to know BIPOC wines being made outside South Africa? Here is a great list that Wine Enthusiast put together: 
https://www.winemag.com/2020/06/08/black-owned-wine-guide/

This week, I gush over my main source for this episode: 
https://www.wosa.co.za/home/

And of course I leaned on my favorite resource of all time ever, The Oxford Companion to Wine, 4th Edition by Jancis Robinson. <3 

I speak briefly about Apartheid in South Africa, but don't go deep into what it was or the social effect. I talk about it in the context of ways that it affected wine, but if you would like to know more, here is a resource about it: 
https://www.history.com/news/apartheid-policies-photos-nelson-mandela
(Yes, I realize this is the History Channel, but I read it and I think for someone looking for a timeline of events, this article sums it up.) 

I mention some wonderful wineries: 

Land of Hope: 
https://www.landofhope.co.za/

Seven Sisters: 
http://www.sevensisters.co.za/



House Wine is an independent Podcast written and narrated by myself Rachael so please rate, subscribe, leave a comment and share it with your wine friends, it all goes a long way. 

The art for this podcast was done by a Local Toronto Artist, Kelly Lauren and you can check her out on instagram @klylauren 

If you would like to request an episode or make a correction you can email in at [email protected]

Until we meet again, I hope you drink something delicious. 

Music Credit: 

Too Cool by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4534-too-cool

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/