These wine labels include Thandi Wines, the world’s first Fairtrade certified wine brand, and King Goodwill Zwelithini’s royal ‘Bayede’ wines. The nine other empowerment wine estates and brands exhibiting will be Women in Wine, Libby’s Pride Wines, M.I.L.K Wines (from the Food & Wine Factory), Ses'fikile Wines, Seven Sisters, Thembi Wines, M’Hudi Wines, Koopmanskloof and Solms Delta.
Says Mnikelo Mangciphu, co-founder of the
TOPS at SPAR Soweto Wine & Lifestyle Festival and owner of Soweto’s first
wine specialist shop, Morara Wine Emporium, “The festival was started in 2005 with the vision to encourage, educate
and grow the middle class wine drinkers in Mzansi, so what better way to
celebrate our 10th year than to introduce South Africa’s leading BEE
wine estates and brands to Msanzi’s wine connoisseurs.”
Launched in 1995, Thandi Wines is the country’s first BEE wine agricultural project
located in the Cape Winelands. The company is owned by 250 farm worker families
who hold 55% shares and farm land-ownership over three farms. In 2003, Thandi
Wines became the first wine brand in the world to receive Fairtrade
accreditation. Based in Elgin, the company produce their own wines, ranging
from sparkling to single and dual-variety blends.
Bayede, meaning “Hail the King” in
isiZulu, was founded to honour King Goodwill Zwelithini’s 60th
birthday in 2008. Under renowned winemaker, Altus le Roux, the Bayede wines are
sourced from wine estates and wine farms of the Stellenbosch, Western Cape,
Robertson, Franschhoek, Paarl and Coastal regions. All Bayede wine bottles are decorated
with beadwork created by 500 women employees from rural areas in KwaZulu-Natal,
Gauteng, Mpumalanga and the Western Cape.
Women in Wine is an empowerment
partnership between 20 black women from the Cape Winelands region who all share
the dream of giving women, especially farm workers and their families, a share
in the wine industry. Wines include Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.
After a career
in the wine industry spanning over 10 years, Elizabeth Petersen decided to
follow her dream of establishing her own wine brand and thus Libby’s Pride Wines was born. Under the
guidance of winemaker, Hennie Hustinsson, Libby’s Pride produce six varietals,
namely Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and a
Signature Red blend.
M.I.L.K Wines,
which stands for My Intimate Liquid
Kisses, is an adventurous brand that takes a passionate approach to wine
marketing, naming the Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot Blend ‘The Dreamer’s Kiss’, “because sometimes we all need to be taken
to another world. Tender and long-lasting, when tasting this dreamily
delicious, seductive red wine, it takes you to a place you have always wanted
to be.” Other product names include the The Connoisseur’s Kiss (Cabernet Sauvignon),
The Smooth Operator’s Kiss (Merlot), The Everyday Kiss (Chenin Blanc) and The
Socialite Kiss (Savignon Blanc).
Ses'fikile, meaning "we have
arrived" in Xhosa, is another all-women owned company established by three
ex-school teachers from Khayelitsha in the Western Cape. Ses'fikile Wines are
made in conjunction with winemakers from Flagstone Winery and varietals include
Chenin Blanc, Pinotage, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot.
Seven Sisters was launched in 2007 by
the Brutus family, seven biological sisters from Paternoster, a fishing village
on the Cape's West Coast. Sourced from vineyards in the Swartland area, the
company sells seven wine varietals, each named after one of the sisters and carefully
styled to match the personality and character of each sister. The USA is the
company’s biggest market, with Seven Sisters’ Sauvignon Blanc Vintage Vivian
having been served on American Airlines since 2009 – the first wine in South
Africa to have achieved this.
Based in the
Paarl Valley, Thembi Wines is a
joint partnership between Thembi Tobie and Boland Kelder. Notable products include
the Fairtrade Thembi Chenin Blanc, rated 3-stars by Wijnalmanak, the most
widely read international guide for wine. Thembi Wines also produce a Merlot, Sauvignon
Blanc and Shiraz.
M’Hudi Wines is a family-run wine
estate in Stellenbosch managed by Malmsey Rangaka alongside her husband Diale,
the estate’s viticulturist and export marketer, and their winemaker son, Tseliso.
Their daughter and youngest son manage the marketing, events and branding for
the estate, which produces varietals such as Sauvignon Blanc, Pinotage, Merlot,
Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Shiraz.
Presented by
Joburg Tourism, the 10th TOPS at SPAR Soweto Wine & Lifestyle Festival is
happening from Thursday 4th September to Saturday 6th September 2014. Opening times are Thurs & Fri – 6 pm to
10 pm and Sat – 5 pm to 9 pm. The venue is the University of Johannesburg, Main
Hall, Soweto Campus, Chris Hani Road, Soweto.
To find out more and to
book tickets go to www.sowetowinefestival.co.za.