Wine Talks Global

Business of South African Wine Past, Present, and Future

As the South African wine industry continues to push through unyielding alcohol restrictions, awareness of the region's struggles continues to spread worldwide. Cork & Fork Logan Circle hosted this Round Table to bring to light the ever-evolving South African wine industry's past, present, and potential future. Guests in order of appearance: - Graham Weerts, Winemaker, Jackson Family Wines, Stellenbosch, ZA // Napa Valley, CA, USA - Fran Kysela, MS, Kysela Imports from VA, USA - Jim Clarke, Marketing Manager for Wines of South Africa USA, Sommelier, Wine Writer from New York, USA - Boela Gerber, Winemaker, Groot Constantia from Stellenbosch, ZA - Caroline Hermann, MW, from Washington, DC, USA - Simon Back, CEO, Backsberg Estate Cellars from Stellenbosch, ZA - Travis Vernon, Owner, Well Crafted Wine & Beverage Co. from VA, USA - Michael Fridjhon, Visiting Professor of Wine Business, Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town, the University of Cape Town from Johannesburg, ZA - Malose Letsoalo, Economic Minister, Head of Trade and Investment at the Embassy, South African Embassy from Washington, DC, USA

Austrian Wine Time: Michael Malat

Michael Malat joins Cork & Fork for a comprehensive presentation on his winery. Michael was born into a “wine family,” the family estate he now runs. He took over the estate from his parents in 2008, making him the 10th-generation land steward. Michael studied Oenology at BOKU University of Applied Life Science and Soil Cultivation in Vienna, Austria. He worked with wine internationally in France, the USA, Argentina, and New Zealand. Michael believes in respecting what nature offers, working with the vineyards, and creating wines of great elegance and finesse.

Austrian Wine Time: Peter Szigeti, Gols

Markus Steigler and Peter Szigeti join Cork & Fork for an introduction to their famous Szigeti sparkling wines. Szigeti was part of the new wave of Austrian sparkling wine producers in the 1990s who focused on high-quality, traditional method Sekt. The company began in 1991 when Peter Szigeti took over the family business in the village of Gols. Peter Szigeti has made it his most important task to capture the varietal characteristics of the grape varieties in his products. He aimed to create pure indulgence with every glass of Szigeti sparkling wine. That is why Peter Szigeti and his cellar master spend a lot of time in the vineyards of our partners and suppliers. This ensures that the grapes meet the highest quality standards and that their typical varietal character will eventually characterize the sparkling wine.

Austrian Wine Time: Gernot Heinrich

Join Gernot as he offers us a tour of his philosophies and tastes two of his bottlings. Gernot and Heike Heinrich founded their winery in 1990 with just one hectare, and have steadily grown to 90 hectares today. Heinrich was one of the first in the region to transition from simple white wines to high-quality reds in the early 1990s, and became famous for powerful red blends. In recent years, the focus turned to a line of wines produced with minimal intervention in the cellar. Heinrich converted to biodynamics in 2006 and is a member of Respekt, a certifying body for biodynamic viticulture in Austria. Heinrich today is one of Austria’s most innovative wine producers.

Austrian Wine Time: Georg Leindl

Join Georg as he discusses his winery and tastes his premium wines. Georg Leindl is one of the leading winemakers in Kamptal and has almost 30 years of experience in the sciences, including enology. After studying food and biotechnology, he became a researcher at the Federal College for Oenology and Pomology at Klos-tern-u-burg. He was an enology consultant for many years, gaining the globally respected title of the flying winemaker. He worked with one of Austria’s most famous winemakers, Martin Nigl. In 2013, Georg created his estate in Kamptal, and Weingut Leindl was born. He began with 5 hectares of vines and has recently increased his land to 12 hectares. Georg’s philosophy is brilliant because he walks between tradition and innovation.