And we're off!

Hi Everybody,

I am very excited today for today is finally the day I set off on my long anticipated journey. I am going to a country where the wine making tradition stretches back beyond the founding of America where quality and creativity conspire to yield wines of unique character and provenance. Some of the world's most beautiful natural landscapes, epic biodiversity and incredible history all come together in the country at the very southern tip of Africa.

Though the wine lands of South Africa are mostly concentrated in the area called the Western Cape, where cooling ocean breezes moderate the intense African sun to create excellent vine-growing conditions, this small region is a patchwork of many unique and wonderful Origins. Names such as Paarl, Swartland and Stellenbosch may already be familiar, along with the great historic appellations of Robertson and Constantia, but there are others that provide their own unique styles and adventurous perspectives. Regions like Hermanus to the south, Swellendam and Malgas to the east and others all add to the marvellous tapestry that is South Africa's national wine inheritance.

The goal for my trip to South Africa is not just to taste and write about delicious, interesting wines. It is far bigger than that. I want to close the gap between the wine drinker and the wine maker. A wine drinker who cares about what they drink should not have so many middlemen between them and the craftsman who creates the wine in the bottle. A great wine is like a tailored suit and the more contact between customer and tailor the better the fit will be. For wine drinkers in the UK I hope to make available the best and most interesting of South Africa. I want to find classic styles made to perfection, experimental wines that inspire and perhaps even accidents that turn out to be excellent one-offs.

I hope you follow me closely on my trip, I promise to keep writing if you'll all keep reading. If you want to get in touch with me and tell me what you think about my travels, want to share your own stories about wine or South Africa, or even just want to tell me where I can get a good steak in Stellie, send me an e-mail at contact@wynexplorer.com. I look forward to hearing from you!

Much Love,

 

George

 

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