As any follower of this newsletter and the weekly Die Vine Intervention podcast wine tastings I carry out with the remarkable Michael Olivier will know, I love South Africa and I love the wines and other booze delights that this country produces.
So I welcome every platform on which wine can be discussed and promoted. Michael and I pioneered live wine tastings on Classic fm, and a good fun time was normally had by all. These tastings became more serious, with a greater focus on winemakers and less scope for fun, but we have moved on and preserved the spirit (s?) of our booze bashes in Die Vine Intervention.
Classic Wine the broadcast gave birth to Classic Wine the magazine, and extended the scope for discussion, analysis, good writing and comparative tastings. I never wrote for Classic Wine, but I welcomed it as a replacement for Wine magazine, which had ceased to be printed.
I was annoyed and upset when I learnt that Classic Wine magazine will be no more, but do not have the insider-knowledge to discuss why this decision had to be taken.
The local wine industry has too many enemies and far too few friends – being at the mercy of land-grabbing, taxing and nannyish politicians who are clearly jealous of an industry which brings so much joy and stimulation to so many, here and abroad. The winemakers crush the grapes while the politicians crush the winemakers.
If threatened booze advertising bans, and absurdly over-zealous drink-driving bans, have forced the closure of this magazine, which must have relied on advertising to turn a profit, then that is outrageous.
Of course, online publishing and podcasts will continue, and I plan to keep up with our podcasts, and to comment on lifestyle issues on ZA Confidential.
I will also support each and every effort to unite the industry and give it a more forceful voice. Heaven knows, the resources should be there for this, given the number of billionaires living in the Winelands and producing their own wines.
We may have lost one battle with the closure of Classic Wine mag. But the war is far from over.
Tweets of the Day
Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow): Happy #NationalWeatherPersonDay! My excitement is in the high seventies.
Funny Tweets (@Funny_TweetsQ): Reasons why I’m fat: 1) I eat when I’m bored. 2) I’m bored all the time.
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