Every year, South African Airways (SAA) convenes a
panel of leading winemakers and sommeliers to choose the wines served on board
its aircraft in the coming 12 months. This year, the process began on 25 August
and culminated in a media and industry briefing today, 27 August at Nederburg
wine estate in Stellenbosch.
At the briefing, the panel of 12 judges reported back
on the more than 800 wines they have tasted over the past two days, and
answered questions.
“The annual wine selection is one of SAA’s most
hallowed traditions and one that we—and the industry—take seriously. SAA is a
showcase for South Africa on many fronts, not least of them our excellent local
wines,” says Bongi Sodladla, SAA Senior Food & Beverage Manager and
Sommelier, who leads the process. “The judges’ report-back acts as a ‘state of
the wine nation’, and provides an opportunity to give an assessment of where
our wine industry is at present.”
The judges’ selection of approximately 60 wines will
be announced at an awards ceremony on 1 November.
Aside from Sodladla herself, this year’s panel
included eight women and four men—a gender division that reflects the fact that
the selection process traditionally takes place in August, women’s month. This
year, Sodladla secured a mix of wine-makers and sommeliers to gain the perfect
balance between technical expertise and the pairing of food and wine.
Sodladla has also put together a panel with strong
African roots, complemented by international expertise from the
husband-and-wife team of John and Petronella Salvi, who are based in France.
(Petronella Salvi was born in South Africa.)
“All the judges are experts in the field and most have
worked with us before. Experience is important because a wine’s characteristics
are exaggerated at high altitudes, something that has to be part of the
selection process,” Sodladla notes. “Pairing the right wines with the right
food is an integral part of the travel experience on SAA.”
Meet the judges :
Bongi Sodladla is SAA’s Group Sommelier and Global Food &
Beverage Manager. She coordinates the SAA Wine Selection and Wine Awards for
the airline and is a full-time member of the tasting panel. She graduated as
the first black woman sommelier in 2010 through the Cape Wine Academy, and has
since completed the Wine Evaluation Course run by Stellenbosch University’s
Department of Viticulture and Oenology. She is also a tasting panel member for
other wine competitions; for example, the Veritas Awards.
Sandra Lotz has been the manager of Shiraz since 2008, and was
previously CEO of Paarl Vintners for 12 years. She serves on the Wine and
Spirit Board’s Paarl tasting panel and, in addition to SAA, also tastes for
various wine competitions, such as SA Young Wines and the Veritas Awards.
Danielle le Roux graduated with a B Sc in Viticulture & Oenology
from the University of Stellenbosch. Thereafter, she set off to explore some of
the world’s main wine regions, working vintages at Chateau de la Colline
(France); Verité (California) and Terreno (Italy). She graduated as a Cape Wine
Master in 2009, and serves on the tasting panels for Veritas, SA Young Wine
Show and the Wine and Spirit Board. She contributes to WineLand’s
tasting column, and is a qualified Pinotage judge.
Tatiana Marcetteau was born in the heart of the French wine region,
Bordeaux. She is the Food and Beverages Manager and Sommelier at the Taj, in
Cape and has tasted on SAA in previous years.
Miguel Chan hails from Mauritius and is Group Sommelier for
Southern Sun hotels, with overall responsibility for the group’s beverage and
food standards. Miguel represented South Africa in 2007 at the Inaugural
Concours International des Jeunes Sommeliers in Frankfort, where he reached the finals. He has been a taster for Platter’s
South African Wine Guide, Old Mutual Wine Trophy and other competitions.
Gregory Mutambe is a sommelier at Azure Restaurant, at Twelve
Apostles. His passion for food and wine is aptly demonstrated in the
restaurant’s extensive wine list. He tastes for other competitions, among them
Best Value Wine guide and Platter’s South African Wine Guide.
Andrea Freeborough is Cellarmaster at Die Bergkelder. She is committed
to ensuring that the successful winemaking team produces outstanding wines for
both the premier Fleur du Cap Unfiltered and Bergkelder Selection tiers. In
2010, Andrea earned the title of South African Woman Winemaker of the Year,
just one of the accolades she has received during her tenure at Die Bergkelder.
Tariro Masayiti was born in Zimbabwe and now fills the post of General
Manager and Winemaker at Springfontein Wine Estate, having previously worked as
a winemaker at Nederburg. He has served as a judge for the Veritas Awards,
Winemakers’ Choice and Diners Club Winemaker of the Year; he has been a member
of SAA Wine Selection for the past few years.
John Salvi is an English Master of Wine who has lived for the
last 35 years in Bordeaux. The title of Master of Wine is the highest
internationally recognized accolade for depth and breadth of wine knowledge. He
is also an oenologist who studied under the famous Professor Peynaud at
Bordeaux University.
Petronella Salvi is South African by birth, French by residence. She is
the managing director of Vino Fino Wine in Style. She has participated in a
variety of prestigious wine-tasting competitions; for example, the Swiss
International Wine Awards, the Michelangelo Awards and many others. She is also
the member of Circle of Wine writers in the United Kingdom.
Lyn Woodward works as a freelance food stylist, editor and wine
commentator. In addition, to having worked at The Cape Wine Academy for seven
years, Lyn has completed all of its wine courses—she achieved Cape Wine Master
status in 2010.
Nomonde Kubheka is Soweto-born but now a proud Capetonian who obtained
her BSc Agriculture degree in Viticulture & Oenology from the University of
Stellenbosch. A former winemaker at KWV, Nomonde now works as a freelance
facilitator for the Pinotage Youth Development Academy, which is based in
Stellenbosch. She has tasted for other wine competitions, among them Diners
Club Winemaker/Young Winemaker of the Year.
The logistical process of the tasting is coordinated
by Bennie Howard, well-known Cape Wine Master.