To stay aggressive, famend wine areas should not solely produce high quality wines, however inform participating tales about themselves.
Whereas the standard observe document of Stellenbosch is simple, the wine route is now going past this by embarking on an academic programme to present sommeliers a standard language to explain Stellenbosch’s terroir, and share it with others.
‘There are such a lot of wine manufacturers,’ says Thomas Webb of Thelema. ‘We have to do every little thing we will to advertise our wines. And our terroir is the obvious one. It’s vital to take a look at the wards of Stellenbosch and promote them. The extra we have a look at the smaller stage, the extra we push up the entire area and nation. Now could be undoubtedly the time for specialisation.’
With a purpose to create Stellenbosch wine and terroir specialists, the Stellenbosch Wine Routes Sommelier Bootcamp will likely be launched in September this yr. Aimed toward sommeliers, hospitality professionals and wine media throughout the nation, this bootcamp will likely be a five-day intensive course that includes each on-line and sensible immersion in Stellenbosch.
‘Regionality is and has develop into crucial and customers have an interest,’ says Penny Sati of Penny Noir. ‘We have to preserve the story easy and relatable to the folks we’re speaking to. Allow us to inform a real story concerning the wonderful wine we make in South Africa.’
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The Bootcamp will likely be primarily based on the tutorial Stellenbosch terroir toolkit launched earlier this yr, addressing the necessity for data on regional typicity. It’s aimed to equip sommeliers, consumers and retailers with simply accessible info to create memorable experiences of Stellenbosch and its wines, overlaying matters such because the historical past of Stellenbosch, terroir on a microclimate stage and its affect on particular expressions of Stellenbosch grown varietals.
The booklet got here at a time when many have been lamenting the lack of understanding obtainable on sub-regional expressions, reminiscent of Fondaumiere: ‘Fairly frankly that info isn’t on the market. There’s nobody beating the drum for the totally different wards in Stellenbosch and saying that is what we’re good at and that is what to anticipate. If you happen to’re making an attempt to achieve info to present info from an educator’s perspective, there’s not a lot, aside from lived experiences which can or will not be right.’
Erica Taylor, head of operations at SASA, explains how the championing of regional and sub-regional typicity had beforehand been left to the technique of particular person producers. The problem with that is that regional tales are then pushed by manufacturers, which tends to end in these with probably the most cash, advertising its story and getting good wine listings that dictate the narrative of a area.
The Bootcamp goals to create a single, relatable story on the area’s typicity; ‘Stellenbosch is a recognised high quality model in key markets, however it’s far more thrilling to study concerning the area in an immersive expertise,’ says Elmarie Rabe of Stellenbosch Wine Routes. ‘That means delegates can expertise the wonder and generosity of Stellenbosch whereas gaining a deeper understanding of its folks, terroir and our wine tradition.’
In case you are a wine, hospitality or media skilled concerned about changing into a Stellenbosch wine and terroir skilled, please apply at somm.wineroute by the 2nd of September to attend the inaugural Stellenbosch Wine Routes Sommelier Bootcamp 2022.
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