Dan Really Likes Wine

Juggling celebrity guests, world class wine, and a team of exceptional sommeliers, The Saxon’s Lloyd Jusa has one of the most high profile jobs in South African wine - and a lovely story behind his journey to one of the world’s most iconic hotels.

Starting your own wine brand sounds a grand, romantic adventure - but as House of Azari founder Siphiwe Katjene has discovered in the four years since launching her range of bubbles, it’s a tough (but rewarding) endeavour.

She makes the wine, she looks after the grapes, she fixes broken tractors - there’s nothing that Olifantsberg’s Elizma Visser can’t do, but producing Rhône inspired wine that’s gaining a global fan club remains the flagship role.

She’s a farmer at heart, but still an exceptional winemaker, having made vintages in Napa, Stellenbosch and Italy - and now Lucinda Heyns is combining her multitude of skills under the Illimis label, introduced to the show at this year’s Absa charity celebration.

Not many people know that there’s a winery in the Johannesburg suburb of Craighall Park, where Kiwi winemaker Kath Gerakaris (with help from Adi Badenhorst’s Swartland fruit) has an unlikely home for fine wine.

Amine Ghanem left Lebanon on a champagne pilgrimage that has taken him to Dom Perignon, and the winemaking team behind one of the most iconic wines in the world.

Smuggling chardonnay cuttings into South Africa from France, having a cellar as your childhood playground, and discovering the true joy of chardonnay - Johann de Wet tells the family story of De Wetshof.

Falling in love with South Africa’s very own grape, the year of 100 tastings, and his favourite bottle ever - Absa Pinotage Association chair Beyers Truter shares the gospel of pinotage.

Selling your home in London and moving to France to make rosé sounds like a dream - unless you can’t speak French, have never made wine, and don’t have a fortune to invest. Stephen Cronk relives the Mirabeau fairytale…

Backed by big name judges like Oz Clarke and Cathy van Zyl, Investec Trophy Wine Show chair Michael Fridjhon has named this year’s star performers - and joins the show to celebrate the class of 2026.