VINES, WINES AND POLITICAL DESIGNS
Michael Fridjhon, wine judge; visiting professor of wine business, Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town
Tuesday 27 January 7.00 pm COURSE FEES R115; Staff and students R58
There will be a reception at 6.00 pm before the lecture.
This lecture covers the evolution of the modern Cape wine industry since the 1970s. In the mid-twentieth century South Africa mainly produced fortified wines such as port and sherry, very little still dry wine, and vast quantities of brandy. Today the country enjoys an enviable reputation as a source of some of the most exciting wines produced anywhere on the planet. We will track the socio-political forces, technological advancements, and key personalities which all helped to shape the process. The lecture will be illustrated using historical data, anecdotal information and personal experience.
Recommended reading
Fridjhon, M. 1992. The Penguin Book of South African Wine. South Africa: Penguin.
Fridjhon, M and Murray, A. 1986. Conspiracy of Giants. Johannesburg: Divaris Stein Publishers. James, T. 2013. Wines of the New South Africa. California: University of California Press.
TO BOOK: https://www.webtickets.co.za/performance.aspx?itemid=1575364818
With over forty year’s experience in the production, wholesale and retail sectors of the industry and considerable local and international expertise, Michael Fridjhon is South Africa’s most highly regarded international wine judge, the country's most widely consulted liquor industry authority, and one of South Africa’s leading wine writers. Chairman of the Trophy Wine Show since 2002 and of the Trophy Spirits Show since 2019, he was the first international Co-Chairman of the International Wine Challenge, the past Chairman of the Six Nations Challenge and a senior judge at competitions in the United States, Chile, Australia, France and the UK. Formerly special advisor to the Minister of Agriculture, and Visiting Professor of Wine Business at the University of Cape Town, he teaches at the University of Cape Town and directs the Wine Judging Academy run in association with its Graduate School of Business. He serves as the non-executive chairman of the Cape Wine Academy.
He is the Wine Wizard of the Wine Wizard website, the author, co-author or contributor to over 40 books, including the Penguin Book of South African Wine, the Oxford Companion to Wine and the Global Wine Encyclopaedia. He writes a weekly column for Business Day and regular columns for local and international wine publications. He was the recipient of the Louis Roederer International Wine Columnist of the year in 2012. Past chairman of the SA Food and Wine Writers' Guild, he is a life member of the UK-based Circle of Wine Writers, the SA Society of Wine Tasters, and the Association of Australian Boutique Winemakers.