The quaint, mountain-ringed town on South Africa’s longest wine route proudly claims to be the country’s “port capital”. But Calitzdorp is soon to lose its title. The word “port” will disappear from bottle labels by January 1 due to a European Union trade pact that it only applies to fortified […]
A study by the University of Western Australia has found that sulphur dioxide could actually have a positive effect on a grape berry’s composition. The chemical is used widely in winemaking worldwide for a variety of purposes, and is very much bête-noire of the burgeoning natural wine movement, which considers […]
(CNN) — I love helping others plan a trip to South Africa. Not only does it give me a sense of home-turf pride, it’s a beautiful country to visit that’s great at looking after tourists. First, let’s get a common misconception out of the way: Yes, there is a significant […]
Federation/Union says WCape farmworkers are not getting the protection they are entitled to Exploitation of wine and fruit workers exposed The false argument that South African workers are “over-protected by inflexible labour laws”, which is constantly being repeated by business leaders and commentators, without a shred of evidence to back […]
WOSA QUESTIONS BIAS OF HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH REPORT ON WINE FARMING Su Birch, CEO of Wines of South Africa (WOSA), has challenged the Human Rights Watch report entitled Ripe with Abuse: Human Rights Conditions in South Africa`s Fruit and Wine Industries. She said the 96-page report, purporting to accurately document […]
I spent the past three days in the sleepy town of Port Alfred, located an hour and a half from Port Elizabeth. Before last week, I had no idea that an educational institution existed in the town. Stenden South Africa is a satellite campus of Stenden in Leeuwarden, Netherlands and is the only tertiary institution […]
Wine companies in Marlborough could be asked to change the way they manage wastewater, to avoid damaging soils. Sampling by the Marlborough District Council has discovered high concentrations of potassium and sodium at disposal sites. Council soil scientist Colin Gray told the environment committee these salts were found in winery […]
 Athule Kamanga with Amanda Barker, CWA course co-ordinator Last night I lectured for the Cape Wine Academy at the River Club in Observatory. Upon arrival I was introduced to a young man, who had apparently been on-site since 2pm, fours hours before the scheduled lecture. This young man looked […]
I don’t know if it is just me, but for the past two weeks the topic of service delivery has cropped up in various social situations I have been in. I had a particularly bad experience last Thursday with sloppy service from start to finish.  Within the tourism industry, which I have […]
Australia’s peak wine research body, the Australian Wine Research Institute, will be seeking a new managing director with the impending departure of Dr Sakkie Pretorius. Pretorius will leave his current position as AWRI managing director to take up a new appointment as deputy vice chancellor and vice president of Research […]
