Wine will flow in Soweto
Lucille Davie
30 August 2005The first Soweto Wine Festival will be held this weekend, aimed at cultivating wine lovers in the township.
"We couldn't think of a better place to host this prestigious event than Soweto, a region abundant with culture and metropolitan sophistication," says Thami Xaba, one of the organisers.
Sponsored by the South African Wine Industry Trust in association with Sowetan newspaper, and co-ordinated by the Cape Wine Academy, the festival run at Ubuntu Kraal in Orlando West from 2 to 4 September.
A new bunch of black companies, represented by the South African Black Vintners Alliance (Sabva), consists of black-owned wine companies that are involved in making, producing, supplying and marketing the beverage. There are 14 members in the alliance, which aims to support emerging black wine companies and to unlock new markets for the South African wine industry.
"The formation of the black vinters alliance is a much-needed initiative for the transformation of our wine industry," says Vukile Mafilika, the chairman of Sabva and founder member of Black Grape Investments, which has a 30 percent stake in Bottelary Hills winery.
"We are excited to be part of the Soweto Wine Festival and all our members are ready to pour their fine wines [there]."
Mafilika says the aim of the festival is to stimulate a culture of responsible wine consumption among black people.
There are about 12 new black-owned labels on the market. Some of those featured at the festival include Lindiwe Wines, Mia Cara Wines, Ses'Fikile, Phumlani Wines, Blouvlei, Sibeko Wines, New Beginnings and Yammé.
Yammé Wines chief executive Jeannie Fletcher, the deputy chairperson of Sabva, says, "We want to see more of our black communities making wine a part of their regular meals, not just on special occasions."
The name Yammé comes from the Setswana word ya ga me, which means mother. "We want the brand to celebrate the rich African soils we have."
Yammé, part of a cellar based outside Worcester, was established in 2002 and its first vintage was produced in 2004. The response has been great, Fletcher says.
The biggest challenges facing the fledging black wine industry are the cost and converting traditional spirit drinkers, she explains.
"Apart from participating at wine shows like the Soweto Wine Festival, the alliance will be rolling out a number of exciting initiatives in our communities, including wine education and responsible wine consumption [programmes].
"We are determined to grow the wine consumer base, especially in our black communities," Fletcher says.
In all, there will be more than 86 wineries at the festival, many of them award-winning, showcasing more than 500 different wines.
The SA Wine Industry Trust is sponsoring the participation of 10 successful black empowerment farms at the festival, including Black Grape, Blouvlei Wintes, Loopspruit and Eden's Vineyards.
It is expected that the festival will become a regular annual event.
Source:City of Johannesburg
