A recent, featured letter to Business Day makes argues that wines reviewed by South Africa’s wine writers are often at the premium end of the scale and that most wine writers ignore more affordable wine.
“Many wine writers give the impression that nothing below a certain price point will ever contaminate their nostrils, let alone their lips,” Mr Sampson from Illovo writes, adding that “between boxed ‘carafe quality’ and auction wines there is a whole array of, shall I call them ‘sumptuous, luscious, affordable wines’”.
I agree that South Africa produces many fine affordable wines, such as Leopard’s Leap which provides exceptional quality at an affordable price. I say that not because I am biased towards the wine, of which I am MD, but because that is what wine writers and drinkers of our wine say to us.
Mr Sampson also take umbrage at the Business Day wine columnist, Michael Fridjhon, as being an elitist wine writer who finds “anyone who can’t afford a bottle at R150, or was it R1,500 plus, is beneath him”.
That’s not fair, Michael writes widely on the wine industry covering all aspects. In May this year his column dealt with the fact that there is “plenty of good value wine to be found”.