This is the fifth and final episode in our mini-series on South African wines. The goal with this series is to highlight the key regions, grapes, winemakers, and stories of the South African wine industry to distill this huge category into bite sized, educational pieces. Joining me for this episode about the Stellenbosch is our in-house South African wine expert, Aaron Meeker.

While the last four episodes covered wine regions specifically, this episode is about the industry at large. We talk about stereotypes and push back in the market and how the story of South African wine is being rewritten thanks to a number of movers and shakers in the US. We also talk about Vine Street’s strategy for premiumizing South African wines. Through storytelling, persistence, and direct engagement with buyers, our goal has always been to cultivate a greater appreciation for South African wines.

Our conversation starts by going back to 2015 with an introductory email from Mick Craven, and how we got into South African wine knowing virtually nothing about this category...

00:46 Discovering South African Wine: A New Opportunity

01:33 Challenges and Learning Curves

02:03 Initial Knowledge and Perceptions

02:57 The Hard Sell and Changing Perceptions

03:48 Growth and Optimism

05:38 Key Players and Market Dynamics

07:15 Strategies for Success

10:02 The Long Game: Building a Market

12:46 The Future of South African Wine

18:55 Conclusion: The Road Ahead

Hosted by Charlotte Alsaadi.

Special thanks to SNACKTIME for the music!

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