We offer wine tours for curious beginners through to wine anoraks, if you want to know whether cork or scewcap is best, or how to get reds through malolactic fermentation – and taste some fantastic wines, I hope I can help you enjoy a memorable day among some of the most beautiful winelands of the world - and leave you to spread the Cape Wine gospel.

 After a corporate career, I re-qualified as a winemaker and now consult, guide, blog, write and bath in wine. That’s when I am not out at restaurants, food markets or in the kitchen trying out new recipes, ingredients and food & wine matching’s.

My immersion in wine includes winemaking in New Zealand, Italy and Spain and two years in London and Europe on the IMW’s Master of Wine programme after which – miracle of miracles – I actually took a break from tasting wines.

So, you want to go on a winemaker-led tour of the Cape winelands? We can visit the Grande Dames, the garagistes, the bohemian, the high-tech, the biodynamic, the ethical; the list goes on including tank and barrel tastings (bottles can be so small) or a informative walk through  vineyards of breathtaking beauty.

Or fancy exploring our world-class cuisine, we can go on picturesque picnics, visit county delis, chocolatiers, cheese and chacuterie makers, fine dining or leisurely lunches on dramatic mountain-top settings. And maybe end the day with a stroll through a winery art gallery to truly indulge all your senses.

 Jonathan Snashall

The South African government is considering legalising the dilution of wine grape musts. However, closer scrutiny suggests it's not at all as outrageous as it first seems. 

South Africa once had so much crayfish the government agreed with France to recognise their geographical indications – one of the first new world countries to do so – and drop the use of ‘semi-generic’ terms like Champagne and Burgundy in exchange for entering their crayfish market in what became known as the crayfish agreement.