Wines of South Africa
Channel Details
Wines of South Africa
Welcome to the new podcast from Wines of South Africa (WOSA). Each episode we talk to a selection of winemakers, winery owners, and other members of South Africa's wine industry to learn more about South African wine. We also get a sommelier's perspective on the wines. Each episode has a theme, be i...
Recent Episodes
29 episodes
Episode 29: The Helderberg
For many visitors it’s the first part of the wine district they see. If you’re coming from the airport it’s on your right as you turn and head toward...
Episode 28: Wellington
Wellington is nestled up against the mountains north of Paarl, and has long been known within the industry as a source of grapes and of vines as well...
The Simonsberg
Whether you're in Stellenbosch or Paarl, it's hard to miss the Simonsberg. The mountain divides the two wine districts, so vineyards dot the slopes on...
Wine Tourism
Wine tourism has always played an important role in the South African wine scene, and post-Covid wine fans are pouring back into the the country to ex...
Episode 25: Cape Winemakers Guild
The Cape Winemakers Guild has become a leading force in raising the bar of South African wine, bringing together top winemakers from across the Wester...
Franschhoek
In this episode we’ll be looking at one of the historic districts of the Winelands, Franschhoek. Its long history is reflected in its name, which mean...
November 2021: Robertson
Robertson came to wine a bit later than some of the areas closer to Cape Town, but that's only because the mountains separating it from those more coa...
October 2021: Shiraz
South Africa's first varietal Shiraz only appeared in 1957, but the grape's popularity grew tremendously in the 1990s and today it's the second most p...
Episode 21: Cinsault
For much of the twentieth century Cinsault was the most planted wine grape in South Africa. Starting in the 1960s its plantings began to decline, but...
August 2021: Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir only occupies about 1200 hectares of South Africa’s vineyards, but has produced a great many notable wines in the past several decades. In...
July 2021: High-elevation Vineyards
Traditionally most of South Africa's vineyards have been in the lower-lying areas of regions like Robertson, Stellenbosch, and Paarl. A few decades ag...
Sustainability
In 1998 the South African wine industry introduced the Integrated Production of Wine system, a sustainability program that now certifies more than 95%...
Episode 17: Sauvignon Blanc
In this episode we look at the third-most planted white grape variety in South Africa. Sauvignon Blanc is incredibly popular with South African wine d...
Elgin: Season 2, Episode 4
In this episode we talk to three winery owners in Elgin, South Africa's coolest-climate wine growing area. Thanks to a surrounding ring of mountains a...
WOSA podcast, March 2021: Women Winemakers
In this episode we talk to three leading women winemakers, each working in different parts of the Western Cape stretching from the Swartland all the w...
The Agulhas Triangle: Season 2, Episode 2
This episode we visit the southernmost tip of Africa to check out the cool, windy vineyards of the Agulhas Triangle. This informal designation encompa...
Paarl: Season 2, Episode 1
Named for a giant, round, granite outcropping that glistens like a Pearl, the town of Paarl was the third Dutch settlement in South Africa, after Cape...
Episode 12: Historical Properties
South Africa's history of winemaking dates back over 360 years, and some of today's estates date back all the way to the 18th century. They're not res...
Episode 11: Black-Owned Brands #2
Aside from the entrepreneurs behind the Black-owned brands we looked at in episode 10, there are some other ownership models as well. In this episode...
Episode 10: Black-Owned Brands #1
In this episode we talk to the founder-owners of three leading Black-owned brands: Aslina, Tesselaarsdal, and Kumusha. As the South African wine indus...
Episode Nine: Chardonnay
While Chardonnay doesn't have a long history in South Africa, it's become a leading variety, and one strongly associated with the estate wineries that...
Episode 8: Constantia
In this episode, we look at a region that rose to fame centuries ago, a favorite of Napoleon, Louis XVI, and the Duke of Wellington: Constantia. Those...
Episode 7: Old Vines
In this episode we take a look not at a specific region or grape variety, but at grapevines - old vines, specifically. Some of South Africa's best win...
Episode 6: The Hemel-en-Aarde
The Hemel-en-Aarde is home to just 400 hectares - 1,000 acres - of vines, but it has a world-class reputation for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Ho...
Episode Five: Chenin Blanc
It's #DrinkChenin Day! We're marking the occasion by looking at South Africa's most-planted grape variety, which has long roots in the country, dating...
Episode Four: Pinotage
We look at Pinotage. The grape was developed in South Africa in the 1920s, and came to prominence as the face of South Africa wine after apartheid end...
Episode Three: Stellenbosch Cabernet
It's South Africa's most planted red grape variety, and it's found a special home at the center of the country's wine industry
Hosted on Acast....
Episode Two: The Swartland
In this episode, we take a look at the Swartland. Winemaking is not new to the area, but even twenty-five years ago it was largely overlooked. Today,...
Episode One: Methode Cap Classique
Welcome to the debut episode of the Wines of South Africa podcast. We start off the way all good meals start, with bubbly. Join us for a dive into Met...