South Africa Wine Archives - Dr. Liz Thach, MW

Average Vineyard Worker Wages in South Africa – Emerging as a BRICS Country

Sept. 2012 - Several times throughout my wine trip to South Africa I asked winemakers the average wage they paid their vineyard workers. The answer was it depends on the region, as well as whether or not the workers have housing and benefits on the property. In terms of regional pay differences, it appears that Stellenbosch pays the highest wages at 170 Rand ($21) per day for a basic vineyard worker who does not live on the estate. Wineries in Cape Point and the Constantia region said they paid 120 – 150R per day ($15 - $18). In Swartland I [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:58:09-08:00November 11, 2012|

Wine Tasting & Vineyard Tour at Meerlust Wine Estate in Stellenbosch, South Africa

Sept. 29, 2012 - After breakfast, we spent an hour shopping in downtown Stellenbosch. This is a charming town with historic buildings, tree-lined streets, and fun shops. It is a great place for tourists, and is also home to the famous Stellenbosch University. Next we drove to Meerlust Wine Estates near the town of Stellenbosch. Here over fifty palm trees line the driveway as you entered the gates and approach the historic Cape Dutch Architecture of the winery (see photo). Even the rain that spattered our windshield could not dampen our spirits as we passed the vineyards and a large [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:59:03-08:00November 6, 2012|

Visiting Swartland, South Africa – Renegade Winemaker’s Paradise

Friday, Sept. 28 – The next morning the skies above Capetown were overcast and the day was cool. After the breakfast buffet, we boarded the van and drove almost one hour northwest to Swartland, which is known as a warmer viticulture climate and home to some very historic vineyards and “big reds”. Swartland also has a reputation for spawning “renegade winemakers” with a bent towards natural, organic wines and innovative blends and styles. Sadie Family Wines – Tour of Historic South African Vineyards Our first stop was the Sadie Family Vineyards where winemaker Eben greeted us and provided a tour [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T16:31:48-08:00November 4, 2012|

Constantia Wine Tasting & Lunch at Steenberg Estate, South Africa

Sept. 27, 2012 - After walking through the beautiful vineyards at Cape Point, we discovered that the fuel pump of our transport van had gone out. Therefore we were delayed for almost an hour before back-up transport arrived so we could continue our trip to Steenberg Winery in Constantia. Fortunately Constantia, which is really a suberb of Capetown, was only a 20 minute drive from Cape Point Winery. As we drove the clouds descended and it started to rain. The tasting included six producers from Constantia, which is the oldest wine growing region in South Africa and boasts the legendary [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T16:30:37-08:00November 1, 2012|

Cape Point Winery & Chapman’s Peak, South Africa

Thursday, Sept. 27 – I awoke to sunshine, which was nice because we were driving to Cape Point that morning. The winding mountain road from downtown Capetown to the ocean road passing along the large rock buttresses of the 12 Apostles was breathtaking. As we passed Clifton beaches number 4 and 5, our leader explained that these are the most famous as more celebreties can be found at these two white sand areas than the other three. Chapman’s Peak – Famous View of Capetown After driving about 30 minutes along the winding ocean view road, the van stopped at Chapman’s [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T16:30:05-08:00October 29, 2012|

Capewine Conference and Reception at Clifton Villa, South Africa

Sept. 25 & 26 – Tuesday morning was nice because I finally had a little time to sleep in before walking across the street from the Cullinan Hotel to the Capetown Conference Center. Capewine, held once every two years, was scheduled here for the next three days. Our schedules were flexible, and many MW’s had pre-arranged meetings with trade people to taste and negotiate wine purchases. Those of us in wine education and journalism, however, were free to wander through the exhibit hall and attend the many wine seminars. Overview of South African Wine Stats I attended the welcome seminar [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T16:28:42-08:00October 14, 2012|

Chardonnay Lunch at Jordan Winery in Stellenbosch, South Africa and Green Tie Wine Bash

Sept. 24, 2014 – We left Bot River amidst partially sunny skies and drove approximately one hour to Jordan Winery in Stellenbosch. The scenery along the way was stunning as we passed through the mountains again, saw the ocean in the distance, and then arrived in Stellenbosch with its green vineyards and tall, granite mountains. Stellenbosch is one of the oldest and most famous wine regions in South Africa, and I would compare it to Napa Valley in terms of the fancy wine estates, beautiful landscape, and famous wine names. Jordan Winery’s Pond with Abundant Bird Life We arrived at [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T16:27:45-08:00October 13, 2012|