This episode marks 100 years since the birth of Pinotage, South Africa’s most iconic and debated red grape. We’re joined by wine writer and historian Emile Joubert for a fascinating exploration of Pinotage’s origin story, from Professor Abraham Perold’s groundbreaking cross to the cultivar’s early identity struggles and eventual global recognition.

Emile sheds light on forgotten pioneers, unconventional early wines, and the social and stylistic turning points that shaped Pinotage’s reputation. As we look ahead, he also shares his bold take on what it will take for Pinotage to thrive in its next century.

In this latest episode, our host Jono le Feuvre talks to Mark Goldsworthy, Sales Manager at Chene South Africa, about the changing face of barrel use in wine making.

Mark has both rich experience and a broad overview of the history and future of wood use in wine, and discusses the status quo as it is around the world, as well as the ingenious innovations that are changing the way people make wine - specifically in South Africa. 

In this episode, Jono chats to Tara Southey, the CEO of Terraclim, a company that provides some veritable space-age insights into the future of viticulture and winemaking in the Cape Winelands.

Spoiler - the future is nothing like you imagine!

Tim Atkin has just completed his 12th South African Wine Report, including notes on more than 2200 wines. 

Jono sat down with Tim to mine out some of the most important themes in the report, including his discovery of exciting new winemakers and positive winemaking trends. Conversely, Tim also shares a few notes where he feels that South African wine could do better. 

In this episode, Jono chats to the supremely eloquent Elleunorah Allsopp, the Senior Researcher at Nietvoorbij Research Farm.

Elleunorah shares the fascinating history of how the vine parasite Phylloxera conquered the world, and why no one is safe just yet…!

In this episode of the Vinimark Podcast, we explore the future of grape farming in the South African Winelands and discuss how vignerons can adapt to the challenges posed by climate change and drought. Our guest, viticulturist Jaco Engelbrecht, founder of Visual Viticulture and consultant to esteemed producers like Eben Sadie and Weltevreden, offers insights on strategies for future-proofing the wine industry. Jaco is also a key member of The Horsemen Wines team, a winemaking project that focuses on cultivating grape varietals that are better suited for the "apocalyptic times" brought on by climate change.

Following on from a successful CapeWine 2022, we met up with Wines of South Africa CEO, Siobhan Thompson, to unpack the strategy behind its theme of “Sustainability 360”. Siobhan also shares some of her thoughts on the challenges facing South African wine on a global scale and gives her insight on the areas in which South African wine can grow and shine.