Thoughts on South Africa Visit

October 16th, 2008 Stephen Satterfield Posted in ISAW EVENTS |

Foremost, apologies for not writing while there, but internet proved to be more challenging than anticipated. And by that I mean the intention to post up to-the-minute info was well intentioned, but outmaneuvered by the lures of exploring vines and wines. So today, the blog has been cleaned up a bit with promises to post fresh content at least weekly. So…you wanna know how the trip was? Insert your most profound adjective <here>, and thats how good it was. And who ever said a picture was worth 1000 words, I give you pictures, followed by words.

Okay, so the palm trees aren’t indigenous to the Motherland, but clearly they are thriving. This was taken in the vineyards of Professor Mark Solms, of Solms Delta.

The workers of Degoree Farms, a Black Empowerment subsidiary of Van Loveren Winery. Many of these projects are being “strongly encouraged” by the government with varying degrees of success. This particular project was recognized by the Department of Agriculture last year as the best Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) project in South Africa. It was easy to see. Yes, the farm owners do receive some tax credits for BEE projects, but in this case we actually saw where the money was going, and it was easy to see. Compared to many other BEE projects, the housing, equipment and vineyards had obviously received investment. Besides, I asked the workers!

Barrel tasting at Van Loveren. Our tourguide Nikklas is the winemaker for the Fives Reserve project. ISAW will keep you posted on this brand as we work towards bringing it into the States.

In the rural winegrowing areas, the distinctions between the tracks were stark. It is important to note that, yes, ISAW is focusing on training and skills development within the wine industry, but we are also focused on REINVESTING in the schools in these rural areas, so that this guys kids aren’t standing where he is 20 years from now. More immediate, the ability for impoverished groups to spend increased wages in their own communities will have a broader economic impact.

A really happy guy in a massive tank at Bersig. We love this picture.

Diale Ranganka and Vivian Kleynhans of M’Hudi and Seven Sisters respectively. The above photo was an afternoon snack of tasty fried things: chicken, calamari, fries rice, and salad. Followed by a later snack of steak and a corn meal porridge that tasted very much like grits. Deeelish!

It is imperative to mention that this meal was a very important moment in our trip. As most of you know, we’ve done considerable work with both M’Hudi and Seven Sisters brands in the States with much success. But what made this meal so special was the fact that it happened at the M’Hudi farm. At no other point during our trip did we meet a black family that owned farm land. Supporting M’Hudi is laying the foundation for other blacks to come behind them and acquire land. It is imperative that we support M’Hudi because they are part of the 1.5% of black farm owners. They must succeed! Besides, they make it easy because the wines are so good (Wine Spectator recently rated the Sauv Blanc 89 points).

Thats all for now, but I will continue to post thoughts and photos on the trip over the next week. Enjoy.

-sAs-