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South Africa, making wine better  I was in South Africa for the past three months doing harvests. The quality and diversity of wine certainly impressed me but what opened my eyes are the commitments of the wineries to sustainability, both environment and society. The Cape Winelands is home to some 10,000 plant species where 70% of the plants are not found anywhere in the world. A lot of wine producers have been growing vines for generations and they believe they are only the custodians of the land, and should preserve it for future generations. The total vineyard area is just under 100,000 ha but over 110,000ha in the winelands is set aside for conservation. The industry is not only earth-friendly, they are also people-friendly as social responsibility is at the heart of most wine estates. They know the future of South Africa lies with the educated young generations and therefore are very much involved in the Pebbles Project, a non-profit organisation that supports children and their families in farming communities by providing schools, child care, training and healthcare. The latest Hemel-en-Aarde Education Project, started in early 2017, supports nearly 100 children from the valley. The annual Cape Wine Auction in February raised a whopping 17million rand (around HKD11million) to support education in the winelands. Another organisation, The Cape Winemakers Guild, runs a development Trust to support social development through further education in the South African wine industry. I worked at two wineries and witnessed first hand their commitments to sustainability. Villiera Wines (wine available from wine’n’things), installed solar power back in 2010, the largest in South Africa at the time, and feed surplus back to the grid. The Grier family, in conjunction with two neighbours, set aside 220ha of land for indigenous plants and turns it into a wildlife sanctuary. They are planting 100,000 indigenous trees in order to become carbon neutral. To help future generations, they provide space and buildings on site for the Pebbles Project head office. The back labels of their wines tell all the stories. At Paul Cluver Wines, the great-grandmother started a school in the farm that eventually became independent schools with vocational training in the community. More recently, the Hope@PaulCluver Amphitheatre was initiated where funds raised from the live performances at the farm’s amphitheatre were donated to improve lives in the community. In terms of environment, 50% of its 1,000ha estate is set-aside for conservation and forms part of the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve. Since 2010, the industry has introduced the ‘Integrity & Sustainability’ certification seal which highlights their commitments to environment and social sustainability wine production. Consumers can trace every bottle to the vineyard practices of its source, and know that the wine has been sustainably produced and audited as such. South Africa is not just about making better wine, it’s about making wine better. April is the annual Discover South Africa wine month where participating restaurants and retailers run promotions on South African wine. There is also a relaxed walk-around tasting of South African wine on 13th April (Friday). Find out for yourselves how South Africa is making wine better. For more information, visit www.wosa.hk; Like and follow us at Facebook page WOSAHK.
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Discover South African Wine Annual tasting A celebration of South African wine and food. This year 20 exhibitors will present over 140 wines from Swartland to Hermanus. Some of them will be sharing their passions and wines with guests at the snappy speakers' corners. Come experience all these amazing wines first hand!
Date: 13th April 2018 (Friday) Venue: Renaissance Harbour View Hotel Hong Kong (Wanchai) Trade session: 1:00-5:00pm (by invitation only) Consumer session: 6:00-10:00pm Tickets: HK$250/person for wine pass (at door $280), or HK$450/person for wine and food pass (at door $480). Tickets include tasting of over 200 wines, a Lucaris wine glass and $200 Renaissance Harbour View dining vouchers. Online ticket sales: http://bit.ly/WOSA-Tasting Early bird tickets: until 31st March (wine pass: $225/person; wine and food pass:$410/person) Enquiries: marketing@cru-magazine.com  
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Taste South African wine in town  In addition to the annual tasting, participating retaurants, retailrs and online stores are running South African wine promotion during the entire month of April. Enjoy special offers from these outlets and don’t forget to enter the ‘Share your South African Wine Moment’ competition. Bookmark our website for the latest participant list.
Restaurants:
Bungalow, Central: Wine of the month (by glass and bottle)
Café Renaissance, Renaissance Harbour View Hotel Hong Kong: South Africa wine and abalone
promotion
Chilli Fagara, Central: Wine Tasting
flight with (3) wines
Dynasty, Renaissance Harbour View Hotel Hong Kong: South Africa wine and abalone
promotion, Wine of the month (by glass and bottle)
Ho Chuen BBQ, Wanchai: Special Promotion
La Vin HK, Central: Free flow
Bellingham tree series tasting (20th April), Complimentary house
cheese platter for
South African wine purchase
Le
Bistro Winebeast: Wan Chai: Bellingham Wine Dinner (3rd April), Wine of the month (by glass)
Woobar, W Hotel: Chenin Blanc experience by Ken Forrester
(A flight tasting of 3 Chenin Blanc)
Harbour & Windsor Room, The Park Lane
Hong Kong: South African Icons Wine dinner, Wine of the month (12 April)
Pete’s Place, Sai Ying Pun: Wine of
the month
The Chop
House, Tsim Sha Tsui: Wine of the month
The Den, Mid-Levels：Wine of the month
Retailers and online shops:
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Bellingham Wines wine dinner
Join Nick Sonderup, Asia Pacific Regional Director for a delicious 5-course dinner with matching Bellngham wines. Date: 3rd April 2018 (Tuesday) Venue: Le Bistro Winebeast Price: $590/person + 10% service charge Booking: here More info: here
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