How much do we know about South African wines? Beyond Kanonkop and pinotage, not much, says Cherie Ball. A boutique wine merchant, Ball co-founded Wine to Share and exclusively imports South African wines. In the last 20 years, her portfolio has grown from four to 18 producers, including Mullineux & Leeu, Naude, and Thorne and Daughters.
“The average Singapore consumer still has traditional South African wines in mind - the Bordeaux-style blends, bold cabernet sauvignon, shiraz, an almost off-dry style pinotage seem to have good mass appeal,” says Ball. “There’s very little awareness of Method Cap Classique (South African sparkling wine made in the Champagne method or of Chenin.”
Unanimously, consumers know of South African wines as “great value for money”, but that’s where it usually stops. Not many in
