November 26, 2025 • 47 mins
Culturally diverse with a rich history and stunning landscapes, South Africa is a dream destination that produces world-class wines. Learn about key wine regions of South Africa and places to visit from Suzaan Laing, founder of South2South Wines. Suzaan grew up in South Africa on a family farm. She divides her time between her home there and in New Orleans. A lawyer by profession, Suzaan started her U.S. wine import company to spotlight the family farmers in South Africa. southtosouthwines.com
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
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(00:20):
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Speaker 2 (00:21):
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Speaker 3 (00:42):
Hello, and welcome to fear Less Fabulous You. I am
your host, Melani Young, and it is the day before Thanksgiving.
I don't know about you, but we're kind of having
an eclectic when we're visiting different friends. We're friends Giving
this year and I have no idea what to expect
other than my husband David by the Popeye's Cajun turkey.
(01:04):
We're going to make up for the weekend. I've never
had Cajun turkey because we're in New Orleans, but we're
going to just embrace the tradition. And of course it's
the big holiday season. So what have we been talking
about and tasting a lot of sparkling wines and what
else are we doing planning our holiday travel and our
twenty twenty sixth travel, Because one of the best things
about Thanksgiving is Black Friday and travel Tuesday, we go
(01:27):
shopping for deals. So I'm doing a special show about
a special place that David and I actually went for
our honeymoon before our wedding. And the reason we're going
to go there is because we want to go back.
And we have a really great friend who lives in
New Orleans who is from South Africa. This is the
South African vineyards in my backdrop, and she recently came
(01:48):
over so we could try some South African sparkling wines,
which we're going to be talking about later on the
connected table. I love South Africa and my husband David
spent his teenage years for several months in South Africa.
I think his parents has shipped him off so we
could become a man or something. He loves it. I
(02:08):
love it. We can't wait to go back. So if
you are dreaming of Africa and dreaming of South Africa
and you want to learn about South African wines and regions,
to know, this show is for you. Also, I'm spotlighting
a really inspirational woman who is also a very dear friend,
who created her own wine import company, South the South
(02:29):
Wine Imports, after a very successful career in law. She
still has a law career, but she has created this
amazing South African wine import company exclusively bringing to the
United States South African wines and she has a really
amazing portfolio. If you're ever curious about South Africa wines,
now is your time to try them, and we're going
(02:50):
to talk about it here so you can check it
out and see what's available in your local store. Her
name is Suzanne Lang, and I'm delighted to bring her
to the show. Suzanne, Welcome, Hey, good morning, Melanie. Thank
you so much. Look at your beautiful face and apartment.
I've actually stayed and had some wonderful evenings in that apartment.
You've made some local dishes that we had a relief.
(03:12):
What was the one that you made us?
Speaker 4 (03:14):
I made you a babuiti and you're a vegetarian, so
made you a vegetarian babouiti with lentils. But that's a
Cape Malay dish that we kind of we kind of
have it as our national dish in South Africa sort
of a sweet curry based almost a casserole with an
iggy custard on the top.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
You know, a lot of people may not realize who
are watching and listening that South Africa has a long
tradition of multicultural because you know, you've got the Cape
of Good Hope, so there's a major maritime trade area.
So there's what Dutch influence, Indian influence, and what else.
Speaker 4 (03:50):
Dutch Malay influence. The English came and around seventeen ninety
the Dutch game in sixteen fifty two. That's a immigration
happened to be the French Huguenots, French Protestants came around
sixteen fifty nine. German, you know, African, Zulu, Causa. We
have nine official languages in South Africa. We're a multi lingual,
(04:14):
multicultural rainbow nation.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
Now you grew up there, I think on a farm,
family farm, right.
Speaker 4 (04:22):
Yeah, we have a family farm in an area about
three hours outside of Cape Town called Montague.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
And you still have it, right? Is that when you
go home? Is that where you stay or do you
have another place?
Speaker 4 (04:34):
I have an apartment in Cape Ton, very close to
the waterfront with Africa's number one tourist attraction. So I'm
walking distance from the waterfront on the beach there in
Cape Town. So that's where I stay. And then I
stay with my parents or my mom passed away this year,
but I stay with my dad on the farm in Montaque,
and I'm there. It's one of my favorite places in
the world.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
Well, as you and I've talked about it many times,
and I know it's been a challenging here and running
and wife, it's been a challenging you're losing your mom,
but also running a wine import business at twenty twenty
five has been challenging as well because of tariffs. I'm
curious before we get into how you start your business.
I you know, you, what are some of your memories
growing up in South Africa, Your food memories, the things
(05:17):
you used to do as a young girl, to give
us this flavor of what it was like growing up there.
Speaker 4 (05:22):
Well, this time of year, of course, those food memories
are top of mind, you know, the grandmothers and the
aunts and the matriarchal cooking that happens around Christmas and
New Year. So I crave a roasted lamb, specifically carou
lamb mabuty chicken pie sweet potato we made differently than you.
(05:47):
We have kind of a white sweet potato. We caramelize
that up things my grandmother used to used to cook
for us. But we are especially renowned for a broy,
which is our version of a barbecue, and we do
everything over open fire, live coals, open grids. You can
bry just about everything. A bry is a very long event.
(06:10):
You know, you get invited to somebody's house for a
brie at seven o'clock, you must and expect to eat
the brie. Then that's when they're not the fire. You
might eat something by eleven o'clock, and you drink a
lot of pinetage and great South African wine while all
that's happening.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
I have such amazing memories when we went. We came
over at our house and we had some wonderful sparkling wines.
A couple of nights ago when I told you I
did this strip with four Safaris, and you kind of
rolled your eyes, and I said, the best part was
the sundowners were at the end of the day Safari
or any of as far as you would have this
long spread outside your camera van and to be cocktails
(06:48):
and nibbles and built on, which is like jerky and
it was so much fun. I wish we had that
tradition here.
Speaker 4 (06:55):
Yeah, Sundowners. We always had a Sundowner and we have
really good brandy and Potstaal brandy, so brandy would feature
in a Sundowner wine Amarula cream based liqueur rouevoge, which
is the sausage version of the bullet on.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
So you are a lawyer by profession in our copyrights
and trade right.
Speaker 4 (07:22):
I'm a trademark litigation attorney. I have always been and
so yeah, I came to the States in when I
was forty five actually to come and qualify as a
US lawyer as well.
Speaker 3 (07:37):
And you've been practicing here in Louisiana and also are
you still practiced in South Africa.
Speaker 4 (07:44):
I don't practice in Louisiana. I'm registered and I'm a
member of the bar in Louisiana. But my practice mostly
revolves around a patent and trademark law and so do
most of my US work before the US Patent and
Trademark's Office and otherwise I project managed large litigation between
the same parties happening in different countries. So there are
(08:06):
two companies having a dispute involving the same set of
facts but in different jurisdictions, and that is the kind
of litigation that I specialize in.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
So you've been really successful. And yet when I met you,
and I think late twenty twenty or twenty twenty one,
actually twenty twenty one, you were just you had just
leased a big warehouse space and they had off the
highway and you were launching your import company South to South,
(08:38):
which is specializes in winds of South Africa. Why did
you Many of my followers and guests are second chapter writers.
They get a point where they're very successful in their
first career. The career chose them, or they chose it,
but then the second when they decidedly chose it or
maybe they fell into it by something happened to them
(09:00):
in life. What was it that inspired you to take
the plut into a very wonderful and gratifying business important wine,
but also it has its challenges because you then become
not only the business end of it, but you got
to sell the whine.
Speaker 4 (09:16):
Yes, So I think the real factor was COVID. I
came to the States as a forty five year old
on a sabbatical and I did a law degree at
Tu Lane here in the Audians and with the purpose
of taking the bar Exam in Louisiana after that and
then going home. But you know, in the audience really
(09:37):
sucks you in in a good way. So so many friends,
so many set, so many reasons to stay. And in
that time I also got my green card, and so
I more to condo in New Orleans, thinking this is
where I was going to just come visit. And then
I came from Mardi Gras in twenty twenty, one of
my absolute favorite things. And right after Marti Gras, the
(09:57):
science came that everything was going to shut down and
I needed like musical chairs. I needed to you know,
am I going to go home right now before borders
close and air travel maybe stops, or I'm going to
stay And at the time we all thought that maybe
just a few weeks, maybe a month or two right
of the lockdown, and so I thought I'd stay here
(10:19):
and I didn't go home. But then South Africa's borders
remained closed and there were no flights for close to
a year.
Speaker 3 (10:27):
I remember that, and so.
Speaker 4 (10:28):
There was very and at my house in Cape Town,
I had before coming out from Mardi Gras, I had
clothes in the dryer. I had food in the fridge,
you know, and then sided there was a whole year
I just couldn't go home. And in South Africa, what
happened at the time was they banned all sale of
alcohol and tobacco, all sell and that initially yes, you
(10:49):
couldn't mean that, you know, drinking, not eating, and so
no smoking, no drinking. And they also briefly for a
few months, banned all export of alcohol. And in my
law practice, I work with a lot of the wine
estates and the wine industry as a whole, and I
have deep affection and love for them and their product.
(11:12):
And as an act of sort of patriotism at the time,
I say, and also longing I was, I was homesick.
I decided to start importing these wines. So the ban
on the exports got lifted, but the ban on the
on the no sale of alcohol in South Africa was
in effect for about a year. I had that was
my way initially of helping, and it was a hobby
and it was a passion, and it's gotten more serious
(11:35):
as five years later.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
Well, you have an amazing portfolio. I had no idea
that there was that a political banner.
Speaker 4 (11:42):
I mean yes. The thinking from the South African government
at the time was drunk people do silly things, they
jump off roofs, or they get involved in accidents. They
didn't want to clog up the emergency room. And as
for the cigarettes, I think they said people share cigarettes alive.
There was it was bizarre. But one of the funny
(12:04):
stories of it happened in South Africa's people started brewing
their own alcohol, So people making pineapple beer and stuff
in their boats, you know, desperation, and of course the
the contraband and tobacco products picked up dramatically.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
It's like prohibition here in the Nazy States, which is
you know, it's interesting. You know. The good news is
things are different now. And it actually steered you into
as an act of patriotism truly, and I'm way too
and and and it's survival because many people in COVID
had to rethink what they were doing. I can't imagine
(12:41):
what it was like for you not to be able
to see your family all that time. That must have
been very, very hard.
Speaker 4 (12:46):
Yeah, it really really was. It was emotionally when I
when I finally went back and and and I went
back to a changed world. You know, after a year,
they had all lived through an experience of their own.
My mind was different too, and you know it's yeah,
and after that I mostly shifted to living here. Let's
(13:06):
still go home to Cape Town was regularity every but
most of my life is here and not become a
US citizen as well last year.
Speaker 3 (13:13):
I remember when you did. It's very exciting. Voted this year.
It was your big you voted last year, so that
was a big I remember when you became a citizen.
It was a big deal, and congratulations on that. Every
vote matters, So I want to talk about you know,
one of the reasons we went to South Africa was
I had dreamed of Africa. I found this amazing quote,
(13:33):
and you know, Africa gets into your soul much like
New Orleans does, very similar, and I love the term.
It's actually an African proverb to get lost. You learned
when you get lost, to get lost, you learn the wy.
So it was a way to search. So we went
down to search for I wanted to discover Africa. And
(13:54):
of course I love traveling to great wine regions. Even
though our trip was there was a lot of wine
regions we've ones. It did maybe three. We did way
too many safaris and I would probably balance it out
next trip. But what's interesting is South Africa has a
very long history in wine, dating to the seventeenth century
and many many, some of the oldest soils in the world.
(14:16):
You're talking about one of the southernmost areas of the world,
the other being South South Island of New Zealand, and
then of course the southern end of South America, so
you've got a lot of confluences there. When I was
studying for my Certified Specialist to wine, I learned about
the Cape Doctor and the prevailing winds. Talk to me
(14:38):
about what it's like. I mean, it's also it feels
like California in many ways as well.
Speaker 4 (14:44):
So I whine readd you right. So we've got the
oldest soil for growing wine in about six hundred and
fifty million years. I think it goes back to the
giant continent of Pangaea and sort of stuff. So our
soil is special, typically decomposed granite and stone, and then
that Cape Doctor is essential for us. Although very unpleasant
(15:06):
at times. I've had friends the last few days tell
me that they'd been locked in their houses, you know,
because it blows you off your feet. But what happens
around the Cape of Good Hope, the Cape of Storms,
as the Portuguese called it, is that those two big oceans,
the Southern Atlantic and the Indian Ocean, they meet dramatically.
The Southern Atlantic Ocean is the Benguela current that comes
(15:27):
up from Antarctica, so that's you put your toe in
the ocean there and you have an ice cream headache immediately.
It's seriously very cold. The Indian Ocean that comes down
from the tropics on the east coast of Africa's warm current,
and when they meet, it pushes all that cold water
to the top and it picks up these stormy conditions
to escape. Doctor is the southeasterly wind, and it clears
(15:50):
up the vineyards beautifully of any pesticide, of any smug
it's the doctor also because it takes any It makes
the air very fresh, and it's good for us. As
for wine making, where we are South Africa, our wine
region on the globe, it should be too hot to
grow the kinds of wines that we do. And the
(16:10):
reason we grow such good wines, nonetheless, is because of
that cold Southern Atlantic Ocean and the influence of that
Cape Doctors. So the maritime influence for us is very
very important. And then you have the Simonsberg Mountain and
Stalinbash right behind you. There we also have these beautiful
elevated mountains. They're absolutely glorious and they give us some
elevation too, which is another thing for the wine growing
(16:35):
to be cooler. So between that and the cold ocean,
we do the wines that we do.
Speaker 3 (16:41):
Yeah, and there's several regions. You have wines from many
of a lot of family, family right businesses, So I
think that's really important. I mean, there are some larger
investments there now. But I was on the Wines of
South Africa website preparing for this to just do a
little look over most of its family and a lot
of the wineries you work with are and we talked
(17:03):
about that a lot of the geographically and the map
I have sucked, so then put it up Geographically, the
Western Cape is where the majority of wines are produced.
So where is that relation to Cape Town.
Speaker 4 (17:17):
It's almost well in and around Cape Town really some
areas like Constantia or Durban Vole there's the market wine.
You and I had a few nights ago that's from.
Speaker 3 (17:31):
I'm always your picture of those wines. Wine that's right.
Speaker 4 (17:34):
In the on the on the sort of suburbian outskirts
half Cape Town and then the rest, you know, the
areas like Stalinbush the picture behind you par Fronch Hook.
I mean those are half an hour to forty minute
drive directly from the city center of Cape Ton, so
that those areas also around Cape to On you go
(17:56):
out a little bit further, maybe an hour two hours,
you get to places like the Swatland as the Yaml
and d and so it's all around that area. And
that of course is all around the area with these
two big oceans have this great influence for us. But
then when it comes to more bulk wine production, you
go up to the northern Cape to the area around
the Orange River, which is the border between South Africa
(18:18):
and Mabia on the west coast. A lot of wine
is produced there as well. But then we typically go
more into the bulk wine area.
Speaker 3 (18:27):
So grew amazing soils and you've got the alta toty
and you've got a pure that the winds just for everybody,
the wind is so important and because it purifies the area,
you've got these divergent winds with different temperatures, so it's
just an optimum condition to grow grapes. Now, South Africa
(18:49):
grows many grapes and it's known for many styles of wine,
but there are a few that are standouts that I
would say if you were going to your local retailer
looking at a restaurant list, you should look for. And
there are certain terms to understand when you look for wines,
(19:09):
because it's wine, they're called you know, there's an overall
terminal wines of origin, yes, which means they're authentically South Africa.
And what are some other things that you would We'll
start with what are some of the standout wines or
grapes that are produced in South Africa and where and where?
(19:30):
And then also I want you to talk about what
you should look for when you're considering buying South Africa wines.
What should be looking for so you know you're getting
something authentic.
Speaker 4 (19:38):
Yes, So our standout grape varietal by long shot is
shinnon blanc. As a country, we produce more Shennan blanc
than all the other countries in the world combined. Do
we typically make them from old vines in the old
days under a party. There was a quota system. The
farmers were given for what they could produce, how much
(20:00):
they could get for the wine, where they had to
grow what. And there was a lot of Shannon Blanc
grown for making brandy, and so now there are lots
of these old vines, old vineyards left, and so we
produce so many different styles of chinin from a fresh
stain of steel tank fermented, screw cap bottle, absolutely delicious, crispy,
(20:21):
high acidity, to something that compares to a vouvray where
we do barrel fermentation, fermented and fhora concrete eggs, wood maturation.
I mean, our shnons are truly magnificent. I don't think
you can buy about South African chinon and when you've
had one South African hin and try others because the
(20:43):
styles are so different, the bush vines that they've grown
from and so on, and the other red wine that
you had to look out for is our pinotage. It's
our very own homegrown variots. It was created in South
Africa in nineteen twenty five by a Stalenbasch University professor
who who rub the blossoms of sin so and Pino
(21:03):
noir together and it created seedlings which we called pinotage. Pinotage.
In fact, in this year twenty twenty five is one
hundred years old. This whole year has given to the
centenary for pinotage. And that's a delicious grape. And also
don't believe that we make any bad pinotage. And if
tomorrow a meteorite was to strike Earth and I could
(21:25):
have one last glass of wine tonight, it would be
a pinotage.
Speaker 3 (21:29):
Really that's interesting, you know, because for some it's a
it's a it's an acquired taste. I love it, but
you know, again, like many wines, you get to try
different producers and styles to settle on what you love. Yeah,
and it is a wonderful wine for those brye and
those barbecue.
Speaker 4 (21:48):
And fantastic red blinds, and we are saving Blanc is
very distinctive. And then you asked me about territories, regions,
appellations to go our number one reach and that our
most premium region is Stalinbosh. That's your background. But we
make amazing wines in front Chuk and Robertson and Paul
(22:11):
in the Swarzeland in Constantia. Constantia is our oldest wine
producing region.
Speaker 3 (22:15):
And it's very close to it's really really close to
Cape Town, I mean thriving down. It's there.
Speaker 4 (22:21):
And Napoleon on his death bed on Saint Helena Island,
he called for his favorite wine, which was the vendor
Constance from Constantia. That's right, and even George Washington was
drinking that wine in his famous tent. So goes back
our history.
Speaker 3 (22:40):
Now that wine is, as I recall correctly, it's a
sweeter wine the vin yes right and naturally yes, naturally
sweet wine, and it's yeah, I've got my I happen
to have my certified specialist wine notebook writer, make sure, uh.
And it is a very famous I don't ever call
a sweet wine dessert one. We actually talked about this
(23:00):
the other night when we were having some of your
wonderful sparklings you can talk about. I call a sweet
wine a sweet wine because many sweet wines can be
enjoyed with savory dishes and savory cheeses and blue cheeses,
and so you never want to just call it a
dessert wine, even though it's commonly enjoyed at the end
of a meal with sweet right. Yes, yeah, that's just
(23:22):
my thing, you know. Fun fact. So Shannon is a
standout and I happen to love Shannon from both South
Africa and the Lower Valley, my two favorite places. And
the ancient word of the historic word.
Speaker 4 (23:37):
Is stein, Yes, stan Stean. I'm always surprised when people
in the US know that that word stan because I mean,
we speak I'm Afrikaans is my first language, which is
like Dutch, and we say stan stin literally translates to stone.
And of course Shannon was also historically, we believe the
(23:58):
first grape to be ganted in the Cape. We're the
only country with a birthday for our wine industry. You
know exactly when the first wine was made. It was
February the second, sixteen fifty nine, because the Dutch governor
wrote in his diary on that day, praise be to
God today we finally made wine from Cape Grebes. So
we know it was Shennon Blanc. So Shannon goes all
(24:19):
the way back for us to that very early day
and that's when it was still called stein.
Speaker 3 (24:25):
Yeah, so is there a big what happens on that date?
Is there a celebration?
Speaker 4 (24:30):
It should be. I think wines of South Africa do
make a celebration of it. We should have a national
lot of day.
Speaker 3 (24:35):
As for them concern yeah, I mean no, they do
it here. I mean I get press releases like it's day,
it's National wine Day. It's National wine Day. Every day
for me it's National Timpornio Day. It's national you know,
it's all promotional. But that's really great that there's actually
a date. Now another term, and I'm going through the
term so that when any interview who were watching let's
(24:57):
they want to go and ask about South Africa wines,
are feel confident ordering them on a list. You know
the terms, because I think it's good to know. Besides,
you're probably entertaining and paying the bill, so you want
to make sure you're next your terms. Right, let's talk
about sparkling because we had some sparkling wines and I
have all my notes here the other night because we're
doing another show on sparkling wines later today. Cap plus
(25:20):
sik is the term. Why it was it created.
Speaker 4 (25:24):
So cuplustek is a very young appellation for us. It
started in nineteen seventy one, so cup plus sek is
exactly as old as I am, fifty four years old.
So it's new for us as in our industry and
we're making better and better cut classics all the time.
A cup classic translates this cape classic. Other terms for
(25:48):
it that you'll find as method to cup, clusik or mcc.
It means a wine that's made in the traditional mythod
the same medically employee and Champagne. Never in South Africa
used Champagne generically because we had a bilateral trade agreement
with the French in nineteen twenty six in which we
(26:08):
said we wouldn't and we never did. So we don't
say it's our Champagne or we don't even use method
champinnoir or anything of that. But that's the way that
it's made. As a young sort of a wine offering
from South Africa. It's growing really really fast. It's the
fastest grower in our industry, and yet we still only
(26:29):
export around eighteen percent of what we produce locally. Of that,
out of that eighteen percent, most of it goes, as
with most of our wines to Europe, and so not
many cuplus siks reach American shores. And our prices on
gapla sic are really great compared to you know, Champagne,
(26:51):
and we make it in different styles, do from different varietals,
unlike the French, not constricted to what varietals may go
into it. The wine that you and I had the
other night was a cup classique made from one hundred
percent column bar.
Speaker 3 (27:05):
Yes, silverthorn, river dragon.
Speaker 4 (27:08):
Yeah, you can have a cup classic from one hundred
percent Shinnon blanc or Cherras.
Speaker 3 (27:15):
It's actually I've had a few different ones. There's a
big one. What's the one with Grant Graham, not Graham Kurr.
Speaker 4 (27:21):
He was a coam Graham.
Speaker 3 (27:25):
Yeah, that was the one I was most familiar with,
particularly the rose. But but I just two of the
ones that we had, and I have all my notes
is on we had the Natita which is in Durbanville. Uh,
talk to me about and what does Natita mean? And
talk to me about that. It was founded in the
nineteen ninety a family. Yes, what's the story behind the winery.
Speaker 4 (27:50):
So Natita is the name of a type of protea flowers,
so our national flowers protea. It's kind of a giant bloom.
It looks a bit like an aphrodisiacsiac wears my head
an artist class It might be an aphrodisiac. You have
(28:14):
another of these, but they are different types of proteers,
and Natita is a type of protea that grows in
a in a tree. And the owners of this farm
we say farm in South Africa for a winery we
say wine farm. Bernard Vada and his wife. They started
(28:36):
this in nineteen ninety They called it Natita. She's an artist.
The the wood of the natida plant is what the
pioneers in South Africa used for ink, and she created
the labels on those bottles with with the Natia ink,
(28:56):
and so that's kind of wine.
Speaker 3 (28:58):
Put the photo back up because I'm at, yeah, that's
a photo back and once my engineer, just so I can.
So the first one is and I have my notes
as I said that Natita is a twenty twenty three
and they're called the Matriarch. They named after the mother,
which is very symbolic because mothers are very important to you.
(29:18):
And sadly you lost your money this year and I
lost mine in twenty twenty and I always twenty twenty two,
and I always think about mothers this time of the year.
But it's a great Mother's Day. Anything to honor your mother.
This one is it was a it's fifty to fifty
shorten apen no war and that's a classic champagne. You know,
met the traditional mix in eighteen months on Lee's, and
(29:38):
it's the longer you age on Lee's, the more you
get that wonderful Brioche character that is so wonderful in toast,
and you know, it honors the matriarchs who played such
a pivotal role in establishing a building Natita, So it's
a very special wine for that.
Speaker 4 (29:53):
Well, I must just tell you quickly what those specifically,
Matriarch is named for. Bernard's wife passed away from breast cancer. Oh,
that's right, and that there's a tiny picture of her
on the on the neck label as well.
Speaker 3 (30:10):
So yeah, and then then then the one I just
absolutely loved. I love it both, but the Grand Matriarch,
which is a blancke and noir, which means it's one
hundred percent peano noir. But even the peano has a
red grape is you know, the juices are white and
thirty months on Lee So this has a lot of
savory characteristics to it, and it was very silky, almost
(30:31):
had an amber color to it. Is really elegant, and
I've got a lot of buckthorn and a lot of
interesting floral notes into it, beautiful wines, and I think
the retail price I was looking at said there is
still under fifty. I don't know about the Grand Matriarch.
But when I went on wine dot Com and wine Searcher,
I saw round thirty five to forty. I don't know
(30:53):
now because we never know it.
Speaker 4 (30:55):
I think, I think you're right, it's it's around city. Sweet.
Speaker 3 (31:00):
Yeah, so those are good prices. Everything is higher now
than before because we were just at a Martin's wine
cellar and I was bowled over by how expensive Ojulat was,
you know, just because of what's going on in the world.
But very good value because many champagnes, that French champagne
(31:21):
start at fifty, start at fifty and go up up
up from there, just so you know. And then the
Silver Thorn was, which is colin board, so totally different.
And from the Robertson Valley. Where's the Robertson Valleys my
map roberts and.
Speaker 4 (31:41):
No noist of Cape Town about three hours ride in
a car from from Cape Town. It's that eased to reach.
The Brida River runs.
Speaker 3 (31:54):
So very alluvial soils.
Speaker 4 (31:55):
Right, alluvial, so the kind of sandy soils. It also
has a there's kind of three different types of soils
there and it's kind of it's the only wine growing
area in South Africa. Interestingly, that where the lime occurs
naturally and in abundance in the soil. And it was
perplexing because we knew that that wasn't typically, it wasn't
(32:18):
in the past an ocean floor, right, So why and
the reason why is that there are these giant ancient
termite mounds that's created these these deposits of limestone and
the soil and Robertson. So Robertson is known as the
valley for wine, roses and horses. Yes, the horses, roses
(32:39):
and shot and aged very well in Robertson.
Speaker 3 (32:43):
Interesting, not been there, but I was interested in. I've
only been to frind Sharks, Cell Bash and Constantia and
not even a lot of time. In Constancia. We spent
most of our time in the Friend Shark and Shell
and Bars. So we missed our parl p A R
A R which is north of Cape Town. We just
(33:04):
needed more time. And you know, the wines are different,
like anywhere when you travel, they're going to be somewhat different.
In their style based on the Terrooi. The Robertson Valley
interests me a lot because of all the reasons you said.
And this is a beautiful wine. Columbard has its own
characteristic to it. And it's called the River Dragon Silverthorne
River Dragon. What's the story behind that? It's a last one.
Speaker 4 (33:25):
So owners John and Karen Lobesha, they own saw this one.
It's the small estate and they produce only a couple
of seas. In fact, John just now in South Africa
in the Platta's Wine Guide was awarded South Africa's top Yes,
I mean he really is a master of couple of seat.
But when you stand on the porch stoop, as we say,
(33:48):
of the winery, and you look out over the Breeder River,
there's a chain of mountains behind that looks like a
dragon lying on its back. And John loves the African
night sky and fossils, and he loves mythology and those stories.
And there's a mythology of the types of dragons to
(34:09):
be found in the world. And the laziest of the
dragons was the African dragon. And he was also very friendly.
He mostly liked to float on his back in the
sky writing with smoke in the sky. And so if
you stand on the porch of this wine, when you
look out over that mountain range and there's some clouds
(34:31):
over it, it looks like the Dracus Africanus. And so
he named this couple of sek of his the River Dragon.
And we now living in New Orleans and looking out
over the Mississippi River, I have felt the wine belongs
here too.
Speaker 3 (34:49):
Well, it's in the photo. It's it's the one to
the furthest to the right that all the labels are beautiful.
But you've got the Matriarch, the Grand Matriarch, and the
Tita and then the silver Thorn river Dragon the far
right on the screen.
Speaker 4 (35:01):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (35:02):
When when you told us that story, I remember thinking
about puff the magic dragon.
Speaker 4 (35:06):
Yeah, I think I think that dragon is like that.
Speaker 3 (35:08):
We live by the sea. Yeah, dragons who followed in
the land of Hanee where we were supposed to be
this week, but we're not. We're here in New Orleans.
That honey isn't kawhi? Uh? Really?
Speaker 4 (35:20):
Uh?
Speaker 3 (35:20):
Exotic? Now you have you've you've organized trips for like
regular people, but when you have customers go down because
your wines are sold well before we get into where
there's are there other wines that you would love to
highlight that maybe you think reallys of and that you
bring in that really show the character of South Africa
(35:43):
and the spirit that maybe are available. It would be
fun to talk about. I think you have one called
Problem Child. There's a wild Child wild Nata as well.
Speaker 4 (35:53):
It's an interesting this is about that one because it's
it's it's kind of fun. You know, there's a there's
a lot of talk about natural fermentation, right, fermentation you
don't add commercial yeast, and the wine ferments by itself.
Brendy and for wine makers generally, natural fermentation is stressful
because it might not start it a lot could go
(36:15):
wrong in the fermentation control. But also it's it may
be not as natural because if you are naturally fermenting
inside of a cellar, there is a lot of ambient
yeast in the air, ambient commercial yeast. That kind of
also it leads to the natural fermentation. But what Natita
does with their Wild Child, so when your bloc is
(36:37):
they take the juice in plastic crates and they carry
it by hand all the way back up into the
actual vineyard and they let the juice stand there and
that the fermentation then literally starts in the in the vineyard,
and that that I think takes a lot of courage.
(36:58):
I mean, yeah, is in there. And so that is
a truly truly natural fermental wine, their wild child. So
in your block.
Speaker 3 (37:06):
So if you're into you know, for me, wine making
is natural. But this is even more because things just
have to happen, which means, as you said, that anything
can happen for good is bad. So I have a
I don't think that adding commercial yeasts to wine is
a bad thing at all.
Speaker 4 (37:26):
I think it's like a chef who then has lots
more components to play with. This same wine maker when
he makes his semile, he ferments it in four different batches.
Each one he inoculates with a different strain of yeast
that he wants to qualities from, and he then makes
a blend. And so that's like making some fantastic French dish.
You know, you have all these different ingredients and the
(37:49):
luxury to work with them. So natural ferment is great.
The outcome isn't always predictable, but I don't think it's
so unnatural to inoculate with commercial yeast.
Speaker 3 (37:58):
But exactly, yeah, you know, natural wines. I sometimes roun
my eyes because to me, it's all a natural I mean,
you know, it's unnatural susan no alcohol wine that's re
engineered wine. We've had a lot of debates and well,
there is a market for it, and I'm not going
to say there is it because there was a big
(38:19):
because I'd learned that like forty percent of the country
doesn't drink alcohol.
Speaker 4 (38:23):
We've got to change that.
Speaker 3 (38:25):
Well, you know, some of it is health and religion.
You can't assarily change that. But you know that means
that there's more of us to enjoy. But there is
a place. But I am an ardent wine consumer and
love the process of how wine is made, in the
story and in the place of origin, which is what
(38:47):
South Africa is so special because these wines do have
wines of origin. They're very unique to their country and
their region, and that's the way all wines should be
wherever you travel in the world. Now, for anyone who's
thinking about going to South Africa, we talked the other
night about how probably four safaris were too many. Of course,
(39:08):
two were in South Africa and two were in Bartswana,
which is a different country, but it was a lot. Well,
many people dream of going on sofarris and they're wonderful,
but they're very expensive and they're very scheduled and you
eat a white What are some other things you would
recommend besides doing Asafari? What the things?
Speaker 4 (39:28):
You're American traveler who's coming to South Africa for the
first time. There are now amazing direct flights that take
you directly to Cape Town. United flies out of Washington, DC,
Delta flies out of Atlanta. They take you directly to Capti.
It is a long flight that puts a lot of people,
but get yourself to Cape Town. You can never possibly
(39:50):
be disappointed. That is a first world city, is I
think naturally speaking in terms of the ocean and the mountains.
Just want to know is the most beautiful city in
the world, and it's the first wall city. It's got
amazing restaurants and you know, hotels, and there's no end
to you know how spoilt you will feel being there
(40:11):
in the shopping and all of that. So so start
your journey in Cape to On. If you are coming
to South Africa, take at least ten days, but it's
preferable e take two out of capt On. You can
fly to the safari destinations that would typically be around
the Kruger National Park on the Prime King Reserves. They
or to Wartswana where you and David went, the Akabango Delta,
(40:32):
or Chobi or Namibia. It's all about a two hour
flight out of Cape to on go have a safari,
as safari should be about three nights, four days, and
they are amazing. But they are so luxurious that that
you know, the eating and the drinking and the you know,
that idea of that absolute white linen, high threat count
(40:53):
luxury in the middle of the wilderness is quite something.
And then in Cape Town, spend some time on the beach,
on the oceans, go to the Winelands, go up Table Mountain,
go to the Cape of Good Hope where the two
oceans literally meet dramatically. That's the day's art. And go
see the penguins.
Speaker 3 (41:12):
Harmana's right.
Speaker 4 (41:13):
The penguins are at a boulders beach and Simon's pass. Yeah,
there's a there's a colony of African penguins, which we
call the jackass penguins, and that's because they sound like donkeys.
They make amplasson. They're intercretibly cute to see uh, spend
a lot of time in the waterfront, the amazing art museums, shopping,
(41:34):
the food you itinerary will be very full. If you
can make it a bit further out. Get to Harmanus,
go see the whales. The best land based whale watching
in the world, isn't that Manus. You can literally just
walk along the cliff tops and the whales will be
doing true.
Speaker 3 (41:49):
Is there a season for that?
Speaker 4 (41:52):
The season typically starts around August to December for the whales.
But but some whales, because they come for the migration,
they come and have their babies there and walk.
Speaker 3 (42:02):
So August would be the end of winter into spring
or you remember, everybody, it's the opposite.
Speaker 4 (42:11):
It's decided just to stay. Yeah, often see whales all through.
Speaker 3 (42:15):
The I did, we we did. We spent New Year's
even Cape Town and we went to Christmas Week. I
think I'd like to have spent more time in Cape Town.
But we spent a lot of time in Stellembosch and
Franserick and Consentia visiting wineries and we didn't. We just went.
We didn't even an appointments, We just showed up. I
don't know if you can do that now, but we did,
and it's so worth it, but take your time because
(42:36):
you don't want to rush it. And then we went
to our monas, we saw the penguins. We went to
the Cape of Good Hope. It's like a lot of
feral monkeys down there. That was my birthday gift to
the woons Baboo. They were everywhere like gangsters. Yeah they
are gangsters. They'll steal anything, so we just hold on
to everything you have. I go to see the baboos
(42:57):
and we have a photo of us there. That was
my birthday gift. And then we went on to Krueger
and so far as our luxurious and so romantic. I mean,
this is an ideal honeymoon trup, Yes for sure, And
that's pretty much what we did, except it was before
the wedding because I also turned into birthday trip. It is.
It is one of the most amazing, romantic and stunning
(43:18):
bucket list trips that I think everybody needs to do.
I know I want to go again. And Cape Town
is you mentioned. You mentioned the Bibia which is nearby.
You could spend your entire time in South Africa. There
is so much to do, but if you're going to
go the distance, take the extra time because it is
a long trip and you get back how often now, Suzann.
Speaker 4 (43:41):
Well, a lot. Last year I went. I went to
Cape Town five times. Yeah, I stay maybe about six weeks.
I just now in. I spent all of August and
September in Cape Town back then two months now, so
it's a lot. I've spend the majority of my time here,
but I think it comes close to about half in
(44:01):
total that does get spent in Capito. So my family,
my friends, there's a whole other lifestay. Most of you know,
the base for my law practice is still it is
still inking.
Speaker 3 (44:12):
Well, you've got a great double life because you've got
the best of both worlds. New Orleans is an amazing
place to live, isn't it. Yeah, And like Cape Town,
it's just a multiverse of cultures and spirit. And South
Africa is the same way. Just this amazing culturally diverse
area and great food. Same like New Orleans. Just the
great migrations came through and they were both similarly trading ports,
(44:37):
major trading ports on the water, so you've got that
influence as well. Of course, the Cape of Good Hope
is one of the most dangerous ones to navigate there's
it's famous for the incredible shipwrecks, so there's an amazing
history there. I can't wait to go back your wines.
First of all, share your website if people want to
learn more about working with you or getting your wines
(44:58):
or learning about the wines.
Speaker 4 (45:00):
Thank you. So it is South to South wines dot
com bring wines from the South of Africa to the
deep South of the US and have a warehouse here
in the Orleans and distribution in the southern states surrounding me.
Speaker 3 (45:20):
So if you come to New Orleans and everybody should
become the New Orleans. You'll see Susan's wines on several
menus wineless, terrific restaurants and we always try to order
them when we go because we love them. Thank you
and we love you. And I hope everybody's excited about
stepping out of your comfort zone and looking to try
something new. Try some South African wines. The South Africa
(45:41):
Sparkling ones are terrific. And everybody's stalking up for the
season and in no travel Tuesdays coming up and everybody
should be planning a big trip because you only live once.
And as they say in Italy, My dear, am I
now or never? So do that now or never trip
because you only live once and you do it when
you're in your prime. Susan, thank you. Is there a
(46:02):
toast that you when you toast everybody to life or
when you're toasting one? Is there when you can say
an Africans.
Speaker 4 (46:08):
I Afrikaans we just which is like a zoon time
I suppose health.
Speaker 3 (46:16):
Well, I don't think I'm going to study African on
my deal lingo. I'm just starting Portuguese and I'm already
I'm already having difficulty with that. But it's it's a pronunciation.
Speaker 4 (46:25):
I mean, the language is that a pronunciation might be
might be hot, but you you have a willing teacher.
I love to speak well.
Speaker 3 (46:32):
I'm going to have to learn that. And when I
go back down, I always try to study the language
of where I go. That's like my thing. But let's
toast again in the holidays. I know I'll see you soon.
I hope everybody here has Even though this is an
evergreen show, I'm still going to wish everybody happy Thanksgiving
because that's what I do. And I like to end
my show this way. And Susan is an example. You
(46:53):
have choices in your life on how you want to live.
You may have one career one day, you may have
a new career another day. You may have one host
one day, you may have another one another day. The
point is do things on your terms and not on
the terms of those set by others who want you
to live up to their standards. You set your own
standards and live your way and of course on your terms,
(47:14):
and always choose. You're a list of fabulous. I'm Melanie Young.
Follow me Melanie Fabulous. Check out all my shows on
more than sixty five podcast channels and YouTube. And thanks
for joining me, Susan, and thank you everybody out there.
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(00:20):
be directed to those show hosts.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Thank you for choosing W four WN Radio.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Hello, and welcome to fear Less Fabulous You. I am
your host, Melani Young, and it is the day before Thanksgiving.
I don't know about you, but we're kind of having
an eclectic when we're visiting different friends. We're friends Giving
this year and I have no idea what to expect
other than my husband David by the Popeye's Cajun turkey.
(01:04):
We're going to make up for the weekend. I've never
had Cajun turkey because we're in New Orleans, but we're
going to just embrace the tradition. And of course it's
the big holiday season. So what have we been talking
about and tasting a lot of sparkling wines and what
else are we doing planning our holiday travel and our
twenty twenty sixth travel, Because one of the best things
about Thanksgiving is Black Friday and travel Tuesday, we go
(01:27):
shopping for deals. So I'm doing a special show about
a special place that David and I actually went for
our honeymoon before our wedding. And the reason we're going
to go there is because we want to go back.
And we have a really great friend who lives in
New Orleans who is from South Africa. This is the
South African vineyards in my backdrop, and she recently came
(01:48):
over so we could try some South African sparkling wines,
which we're going to be talking about later on the
connected table. I love South Africa and my husband David
spent his teenage years for several months in South Africa.
I think his parents has shipped him off so we
could become a man or something. He loves it. I
(02:08):
love it. We can't wait to go back. So if
you are dreaming of Africa and dreaming of South Africa
and you want to learn about South African wines and regions,
to know, this show is for you. Also, I'm spotlighting
a really inspirational woman who is also a very dear friend,
who created her own wine import company, South the South
(02:29):
Wine Imports, after a very successful career in law. She
still has a law career, but she has created this
amazing South African wine import company exclusively bringing to the
United States South African wines and she has a really
amazing portfolio. If you're ever curious about South Africa wines,
now is your time to try them, and we're going
(02:50):
to talk about it here so you can check it
out and see what's available in your local store. Her
name is Suzanne Lang, and I'm delighted to bring her
to the show. Suzanne, Welcome, Hey, good morning, Melanie. Thank
you so much. Look at your beautiful face and apartment.
I've actually stayed and had some wonderful evenings in that apartment.
You've made some local dishes that we had a relief.
(03:12):
What was the one that you made us?
Speaker 4 (03:14):
I made you a babuiti and you're a vegetarian, so
made you a vegetarian babouiti with lentils. But that's a
Cape Malay dish that we kind of we kind of
have it as our national dish in South Africa sort
of a sweet curry based almost a casserole with an
iggy custard on the top.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
You know, a lot of people may not realize who
are watching and listening that South Africa has a long
tradition of multicultural because you know, you've got the Cape
of Good Hope, so there's a major maritime trade area.
So there's what Dutch influence, Indian influence, and what else.
Speaker 4 (03:50):
Dutch Malay influence. The English came and around seventeen ninety
the Dutch game in sixteen fifty two. That's a immigration
happened to be the French Huguenots, French Protestants came around
sixteen fifty nine. German, you know, African, Zulu, Causa. We
have nine official languages in South Africa. We're a multi lingual,
(04:14):
multicultural rainbow nation.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
Now you grew up there, I think on a farm,
family farm, right.
Speaker 4 (04:22):
Yeah, we have a family farm in an area about
three hours outside of Cape Town called Montague.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
And you still have it, right? Is that when you
go home? Is that where you stay or do you
have another place?
Speaker 4 (04:34):
I have an apartment in Cape Ton, very close to
the waterfront with Africa's number one tourist attraction. So I'm
walking distance from the waterfront on the beach there in
Cape Town. So that's where I stay. And then I
stay with my parents or my mom passed away this year,
but I stay with my dad on the farm in Montaque,
and I'm there. It's one of my favorite places in
the world.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
Well, as you and I've talked about it many times,
and I know it's been a challenging here and running
and wife, it's been a challenging you're losing your mom,
but also running a wine import business at twenty twenty
five has been challenging as well because of tariffs. I'm
curious before we get into how you start your business.
I you know, you, what are some of your memories
growing up in South Africa, Your food memories, the things
(05:17):
you used to do as a young girl, to give
us this flavor of what it was like growing up there.
Speaker 4 (05:22):
Well, this time of year, of course, those food memories
are top of mind, you know, the grandmothers and the
aunts and the matriarchal cooking that happens around Christmas and
New Year. So I crave a roasted lamb, specifically carou
lamb mabuty chicken pie sweet potato we made differently than you.
(05:47):
We have kind of a white sweet potato. We caramelize
that up things my grandmother used to used to cook
for us. But we are especially renowned for a broy,
which is our version of a barbecue, and we do
everything over open fire, live coals, open grids. You can
bry just about everything. A bry is a very long event.
(06:10):
You know, you get invited to somebody's house for a
brie at seven o'clock, you must and expect to eat
the brie. Then that's when they're not the fire. You
might eat something by eleven o'clock, and you drink a
lot of pinetage and great South African wine while all
that's happening.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
I have such amazing memories when we went. We came
over at our house and we had some wonderful sparkling wines.
A couple of nights ago when I told you I
did this strip with four Safaris, and you kind of
rolled your eyes, and I said, the best part was
the sundowners were at the end of the day Safari
or any of as far as you would have this
long spread outside your camera van and to be cocktails
(06:48):
and nibbles and built on, which is like jerky and
it was so much fun. I wish we had that
tradition here.
Speaker 4 (06:55):
Yeah, Sundowners. We always had a Sundowner and we have
really good brandy and Potstaal brandy, so brandy would feature
in a Sundowner wine Amarula cream based liqueur rouevoge, which
is the sausage version of the bullet on.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
So you are a lawyer by profession in our copyrights
and trade right.
Speaker 4 (07:22):
I'm a trademark litigation attorney. I have always been and
so yeah, I came to the States in when I
was forty five actually to come and qualify as a
US lawyer as well.
Speaker 3 (07:37):
And you've been practicing here in Louisiana and also are
you still practiced in South Africa.
Speaker 4 (07:44):
I don't practice in Louisiana. I'm registered and I'm a
member of the bar in Louisiana. But my practice mostly
revolves around a patent and trademark law and so do
most of my US work before the US Patent and
Trademark's Office and otherwise I project managed large litigation between
the same parties happening in different countries. So there are
(08:06):
two companies having a dispute involving the same set of
facts but in different jurisdictions, and that is the kind
of litigation that I specialize in.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
So you've been really successful. And yet when I met you,
and I think late twenty twenty or twenty twenty one,
actually twenty twenty one, you were just you had just
leased a big warehouse space and they had off the
highway and you were launching your import company South to South,
(08:38):
which is specializes in winds of South Africa. Why did
you Many of my followers and guests are second chapter writers.
They get a point where they're very successful in their
first career. The career chose them, or they chose it,
but then the second when they decidedly chose it or
maybe they fell into it by something happened to them
(09:00):
in life. What was it that inspired you to take
the plut into a very wonderful and gratifying business important wine,
but also it has its challenges because you then become
not only the business end of it, but you got
to sell the whine.
Speaker 4 (09:16):
Yes, So I think the real factor was COVID. I
came to the States as a forty five year old
on a sabbatical and I did a law degree at
Tu Lane here in the Audians and with the purpose
of taking the bar Exam in Louisiana after that and
then going home. But you know, in the audience really
(09:37):
sucks you in in a good way. So so many friends,
so many set, so many reasons to stay. And in
that time I also got my green card, and so
I more to condo in New Orleans, thinking this is
where I was going to just come visit. And then
I came from Mardi Gras in twenty twenty, one of
my absolute favorite things. And right after Marti Gras, the
(09:57):
science came that everything was going to shut down and
I needed like musical chairs. I needed to you know,
am I going to go home right now before borders
close and air travel maybe stops, or I'm going to
stay And at the time we all thought that maybe
just a few weeks, maybe a month or two right
of the lockdown, and so I thought I'd stay here
(10:19):
and I didn't go home. But then South Africa's borders
remained closed and there were no flights for close to
a year.
Speaker 3 (10:27):
I remember that, and so.
Speaker 4 (10:28):
There was very and at my house in Cape Town,
I had before coming out from Mardi Gras, I had
clothes in the dryer. I had food in the fridge,
you know, and then sided there was a whole year
I just couldn't go home. And in South Africa, what
happened at the time was they banned all sale of
alcohol and tobacco, all sell and that initially yes, you
(10:49):
couldn't mean that, you know, drinking, not eating, and so
no smoking, no drinking. And they also briefly for a
few months, banned all export of alcohol. And in my
law practice, I work with a lot of the wine
estates and the wine industry as a whole, and I
have deep affection and love for them and their product.
(11:12):
And as an act of sort of patriotism at the time,
I say, and also longing I was, I was homesick.
I decided to start importing these wines. So the ban
on the exports got lifted, but the ban on the
on the no sale of alcohol in South Africa was
in effect for about a year. I had that was
my way initially of helping, and it was a hobby
and it was a passion, and it's gotten more serious
(11:35):
as five years later.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
Well, you have an amazing portfolio. I had no idea
that there was that a political banner.
Speaker 4 (11:42):
I mean yes. The thinking from the South African government
at the time was drunk people do silly things, they
jump off roofs, or they get involved in accidents. They
didn't want to clog up the emergency room. And as
for the cigarettes, I think they said people share cigarettes alive.
There was it was bizarre. But one of the funny
(12:04):
stories of it happened in South Africa's people started brewing
their own alcohol, So people making pineapple beer and stuff
in their boats, you know, desperation, and of course the
the contraband and tobacco products picked up dramatically.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
It's like prohibition here in the Nazy States, which is
you know, it's interesting. You know. The good news is
things are different now. And it actually steered you into
as an act of patriotism truly, and I'm way too
and and and it's survival because many people in COVID
had to rethink what they were doing. I can't imagine
(12:41):
what it was like for you not to be able
to see your family all that time. That must have
been very, very hard.
Speaker 4 (12:46):
Yeah, it really really was. It was emotionally when I
when I finally went back and and and I went
back to a changed world. You know, after a year,
they had all lived through an experience of their own.
My mind was different too, and you know it's yeah,
and after that I mostly shifted to living here. Let's
(13:06):
still go home to Cape Town was regularity every but
most of my life is here and not become a
US citizen as well last year.
Speaker 3 (13:13):
I remember when you did. It's very exciting. Voted this year.
It was your big you voted last year, so that
was a big I remember when you became a citizen.
It was a big deal, and congratulations on that. Every
vote matters, So I want to talk about you know,
one of the reasons we went to South Africa was
I had dreamed of Africa. I found this amazing quote,
(13:33):
and you know, Africa gets into your soul much like
New Orleans does, very similar, and I love the term.
It's actually an African proverb to get lost. You learned
when you get lost, to get lost, you learn the wy.
So it was a way to search. So we went
down to search for I wanted to discover Africa. And
(13:54):
of course I love traveling to great wine regions. Even
though our trip was there was a lot of wine
regions we've ones. It did maybe three. We did way
too many safaris and I would probably balance it out
next trip. But what's interesting is South Africa has a
very long history in wine, dating to the seventeenth century
and many many, some of the oldest soils in the world.
(14:16):
You're talking about one of the southernmost areas of the world,
the other being South South Island of New Zealand, and
then of course the southern end of South America, so
you've got a lot of confluences there. When I was
studying for my Certified Specialist to wine, I learned about
the Cape Doctor and the prevailing winds. Talk to me
(14:38):
about what it's like. I mean, it's also it feels
like California in many ways as well.
Speaker 4 (14:44):
So I whine readd you right. So we've got the
oldest soil for growing wine in about six hundred and
fifty million years. I think it goes back to the
giant continent of Pangaea and sort of stuff. So our
soil is special, typically decomposed granite and stone, and then
that Cape Doctor is essential for us. Although very unpleasant
(15:06):
at times. I've had friends the last few days tell
me that they'd been locked in their houses, you know,
because it blows you off your feet. But what happens
around the Cape of Good Hope, the Cape of Storms,
as the Portuguese called it, is that those two big oceans,
the Southern Atlantic and the Indian Ocean, they meet dramatically.
The Southern Atlantic Ocean is the Benguela current that comes
(15:27):
up from Antarctica, so that's you put your toe in
the ocean there and you have an ice cream headache immediately.
It's seriously very cold. The Indian Ocean that comes down
from the tropics on the east coast of Africa's warm current,
and when they meet, it pushes all that cold water
to the top and it picks up these stormy conditions
to escape. Doctor is the southeasterly wind, and it clears
(15:50):
up the vineyards beautifully of any pesticide, of any smug
it's the doctor also because it takes any It makes
the air very fresh, and it's good for us. As
for wine making, where we are South Africa, our wine
region on the globe, it should be too hot to
grow the kinds of wines that we do. And the
(16:10):
reason we grow such good wines, nonetheless, is because of
that cold Southern Atlantic Ocean and the influence of that
Cape Doctors. So the maritime influence for us is very
very important. And then you have the Simonsberg Mountain and
Stalinbash right behind you. There we also have these beautiful
elevated mountains. They're absolutely glorious and they give us some
elevation too, which is another thing for the wine growing
(16:35):
to be cooler. So between that and the cold ocean,
we do the wines that we do.
Speaker 3 (16:41):
Yeah, and there's several regions. You have wines from many
of a lot of family, family right businesses, So I
think that's really important. I mean, there are some larger
investments there now. But I was on the Wines of
South Africa website preparing for this to just do a
little look over most of its family and a lot
of the wineries you work with are and we talked
(17:03):
about that a lot of the geographically and the map
I have sucked, so then put it up Geographically, the
Western Cape is where the majority of wines are produced.
So where is that relation to Cape Town.
Speaker 4 (17:17):
It's almost well in and around Cape Town really some
areas like Constantia or Durban Vole there's the market wine.
You and I had a few nights ago that's from.
Speaker 3 (17:31):
I'm always your picture of those wines. Wine that's right.
Speaker 4 (17:34):
In the on the on the sort of suburbian outskirts
half Cape Town and then the rest, you know, the
areas like Stalinbush the picture behind you par Fronch Hook.
I mean those are half an hour to forty minute
drive directly from the city center of Cape Ton, so
that those areas also around Cape to On you go
(17:56):
out a little bit further, maybe an hour two hours,
you get to places like the Swatland as the Yaml
and d and so it's all around that area. And
that of course is all around the area with these
two big oceans have this great influence for us. But
then when it comes to more bulk wine production, you
go up to the northern Cape to the area around
the Orange River, which is the border between South Africa
(18:18):
and Mabia on the west coast. A lot of wine
is produced there as well. But then we typically go
more into the bulk wine area.
Speaker 3 (18:27):
So grew amazing soils and you've got the alta toty
and you've got a pure that the winds just for everybody,
the wind is so important and because it purifies the area,
you've got these divergent winds with different temperatures, so it's
just an optimum condition to grow grapes. Now, South Africa
(18:49):
grows many grapes and it's known for many styles of wine,
but there are a few that are standouts that I
would say if you were going to your local retailer
looking at a restaurant list, you should look for. And
there are certain terms to understand when you look for wines,
(19:09):
because it's wine, they're called you know, there's an overall
terminal wines of origin, yes, which means they're authentically South Africa.
And what are some other things that you would We'll
start with what are some of the standout wines or
grapes that are produced in South Africa and where and where?
(19:30):
And then also I want you to talk about what
you should look for when you're considering buying South Africa wines.
What should be looking for so you know you're getting
something authentic.
Speaker 4 (19:38):
Yes, So our standout grape varietal by long shot is
shinnon blanc. As a country, we produce more Shennan blanc
than all the other countries in the world combined. Do
we typically make them from old vines in the old
days under a party. There was a quota system. The
farmers were given for what they could produce, how much
(20:00):
they could get for the wine, where they had to
grow what. And there was a lot of Shannon Blanc
grown for making brandy, and so now there are lots
of these old vines, old vineyards left, and so we
produce so many different styles of chinin from a fresh
stain of steel tank fermented, screw cap bottle, absolutely delicious, crispy,
(20:21):
high acidity, to something that compares to a vouvray where
we do barrel fermentation, fermented and fhora concrete eggs, wood maturation.
I mean, our shnons are truly magnificent. I don't think
you can buy about South African chinon and when you've
had one South African hin and try others because the
(20:43):
styles are so different, the bush vines that they've grown
from and so on, and the other red wine that
you had to look out for is our pinotage. It's
our very own homegrown variots. It was created in South
Africa in nineteen twenty five by a Stalenbasch University professor
who who rub the blossoms of sin so and Pino
(21:03):
noir together and it created seedlings which we called pinotage. Pinotage.
In fact, in this year twenty twenty five is one
hundred years old. This whole year has given to the
centenary for pinotage. And that's a delicious grape. And also
don't believe that we make any bad pinotage. And if
tomorrow a meteorite was to strike Earth and I could
(21:25):
have one last glass of wine tonight, it would be
a pinotage.
Speaker 3 (21:29):
Really that's interesting, you know, because for some it's a
it's a it's an acquired taste. I love it, but
you know, again, like many wines, you get to try
different producers and styles to settle on what you love. Yeah,
and it is a wonderful wine for those brye and
those barbecue.
Speaker 4 (21:48):
And fantastic red blinds, and we are saving Blanc is
very distinctive. And then you asked me about territories, regions,
appellations to go our number one reach and that our
most premium region is Stalinbosh. That's your background. But we
make amazing wines in front Chuk and Robertson and Paul
(22:11):
in the Swarzeland in Constantia. Constantia is our oldest wine
producing region.
Speaker 3 (22:15):
And it's very close to it's really really close to
Cape Town, I mean thriving down. It's there.
Speaker 4 (22:21):
And Napoleon on his death bed on Saint Helena Island,
he called for his favorite wine, which was the vendor
Constance from Constantia. That's right, and even George Washington was
drinking that wine in his famous tent. So goes back
our history.
Speaker 3 (22:40):
Now that wine is, as I recall correctly, it's a
sweeter wine the vin yes right and naturally yes, naturally
sweet wine, and it's yeah, I've got my I happen
to have my certified specialist wine notebook writer, make sure, uh.
And it is a very famous I don't ever call
a sweet wine dessert one. We actually talked about this
(23:00):
the other night when we were having some of your
wonderful sparklings you can talk about. I call a sweet
wine a sweet wine because many sweet wines can be
enjoyed with savory dishes and savory cheeses and blue cheeses,
and so you never want to just call it a
dessert wine, even though it's commonly enjoyed at the end
of a meal with sweet right. Yes, yeah, that's just
(23:22):
my thing, you know. Fun fact. So Shannon is a
standout and I happen to love Shannon from both South
Africa and the Lower Valley, my two favorite places. And
the ancient word of the historic word.
Speaker 4 (23:37):
Is stein, Yes, stan Stean. I'm always surprised when people
in the US know that that word stan because I mean,
we speak I'm Afrikaans is my first language, which is
like Dutch, and we say stan stin literally translates to stone.
And of course Shannon was also historically, we believe the
(23:58):
first grape to be ganted in the Cape. We're the
only country with a birthday for our wine industry. You
know exactly when the first wine was made. It was
February the second, sixteen fifty nine, because the Dutch governor
wrote in his diary on that day, praise be to
God today we finally made wine from Cape Grebes. So
we know it was Shennon Blanc. So Shannon goes all
(24:19):
the way back for us to that very early day
and that's when it was still called stein.
Speaker 3 (24:25):
Yeah, so is there a big what happens on that date?
Is there a celebration?
Speaker 4 (24:30):
It should be. I think wines of South Africa do
make a celebration of it. We should have a national
lot of day.
Speaker 3 (24:35):
As for them concern yeah, I mean no, they do
it here. I mean I get press releases like it's day,
it's National wine Day. It's National wine Day. Every day
for me it's National Timpornio Day. It's national you know,
it's all promotional. But that's really great that there's actually
a date. Now another term, and I'm going through the
term so that when any interview who were watching let's
(24:57):
they want to go and ask about South Africa wines,
are feel confident ordering them on a list. You know
the terms, because I think it's good to know. Besides,
you're probably entertaining and paying the bill, so you want
to make sure you're next your terms. Right, let's talk
about sparkling because we had some sparkling wines and I
have all my notes here the other night because we're
doing another show on sparkling wines later today. Cap plus
(25:20):
sik is the term. Why it was it created.
Speaker 4 (25:24):
So cuplustek is a very young appellation for us. It
started in nineteen seventy one, so cup plus sek is
exactly as old as I am, fifty four years old.
So it's new for us as in our industry and
we're making better and better cut classics all the time.
A cup classic translates this cape classic. Other terms for
(25:48):
it that you'll find as method to cup, clusik or mcc.
It means a wine that's made in the traditional mythod
the same medically employee and Champagne. Never in South Africa
used Champagne generically because we had a bilateral trade agreement
with the French in nineteen twenty six in which we
(26:08):
said we wouldn't and we never did. So we don't
say it's our Champagne or we don't even use method
champinnoir or anything of that. But that's the way that
it's made. As a young sort of a wine offering
from South Africa. It's growing really really fast. It's the
fastest grower in our industry, and yet we still only
(26:29):
export around eighteen percent of what we produce locally. Of that,
out of that eighteen percent, most of it goes, as
with most of our wines to Europe, and so not
many cuplus siks reach American shores. And our prices on
gapla sic are really great compared to you know, Champagne,
(26:51):
and we make it in different styles, do from different varietals,
unlike the French, not constricted to what varietals may go
into it. The wine that you and I had the
other night was a cup classique made from one hundred
percent column bar.
Speaker 3 (27:05):
Yes, silverthorn, river dragon.
Speaker 4 (27:08):
Yeah, you can have a cup classic from one hundred
percent Shinnon blanc or Cherras.
Speaker 3 (27:15):
It's actually I've had a few different ones. There's a
big one. What's the one with Grant Graham, not Graham Kurr.
Speaker 4 (27:21):
He was a coam Graham.
Speaker 3 (27:25):
Yeah, that was the one I was most familiar with,
particularly the rose. But but I just two of the
ones that we had, and I have all my notes
is on we had the Natita which is in Durbanville. Uh,
talk to me about and what does Natita mean? And
talk to me about that. It was founded in the
nineteen ninety a family. Yes, what's the story behind the winery.
Speaker 4 (27:50):
So Natita is the name of a type of protea flowers,
so our national flowers protea. It's kind of a giant bloom.
It looks a bit like an aphrodisiacsiac wears my head
an artist class It might be an aphrodisiac. You have
(28:14):
another of these, but they are different types of proteers,
and Natita is a type of protea that grows in
a in a tree. And the owners of this farm
we say farm in South Africa for a winery we
say wine farm. Bernard Vada and his wife. They started
(28:36):
this in nineteen ninety They called it Natita. She's an artist.
The the wood of the natida plant is what the
pioneers in South Africa used for ink, and she created
the labels on those bottles with with the Natia ink,
(28:56):
and so that's kind of wine.
Speaker 3 (28:58):
Put the photo back up because I'm at, yeah, that's
a photo back and once my engineer, just so I can.
So the first one is and I have my notes
as I said that Natita is a twenty twenty three
and they're called the Matriarch. They named after the mother,
which is very symbolic because mothers are very important to you.
(29:18):
And sadly you lost your money this year and I
lost mine in twenty twenty and I always twenty twenty two,
and I always think about mothers this time of the year.
But it's a great Mother's Day. Anything to honor your mother.
This one is it was a it's fifty to fifty
shorten apen no war and that's a classic champagne. You know,
met the traditional mix in eighteen months on Lee's, and
(29:38):
it's the longer you age on Lee's, the more you
get that wonderful Brioche character that is so wonderful in toast,
and you know, it honors the matriarchs who played such
a pivotal role in establishing a building Natita, So it's
a very special wine for that.
Speaker 4 (29:53):
Well, I must just tell you quickly what those specifically,
Matriarch is named for. Bernard's wife passed away from breast cancer. Oh,
that's right, and that there's a tiny picture of her
on the on the neck label as well.
Speaker 3 (30:10):
So yeah, and then then then the one I just
absolutely loved. I love it both, but the Grand Matriarch,
which is a blancke and noir, which means it's one
hundred percent peano noir. But even the peano has a
red grape is you know, the juices are white and
thirty months on Lee So this has a lot of
savory characteristics to it, and it was very silky, almost
(30:31):
had an amber color to it. Is really elegant, and
I've got a lot of buckthorn and a lot of
interesting floral notes into it, beautiful wines, and I think
the retail price I was looking at said there is
still under fifty. I don't know about the Grand Matriarch.
But when I went on wine dot Com and wine Searcher,
I saw round thirty five to forty. I don't know
(30:53):
now because we never know it.
Speaker 4 (30:55):
I think, I think you're right, it's it's around city. Sweet.
Speaker 3 (31:00):
Yeah, so those are good prices. Everything is higher now
than before because we were just at a Martin's wine
cellar and I was bowled over by how expensive Ojulat was,
you know, just because of what's going on in the world.
But very good value because many champagnes, that French champagne
(31:21):
start at fifty, start at fifty and go up up
up from there, just so you know. And then the
Silver Thorn was, which is colin board, so totally different.
And from the Robertson Valley. Where's the Robertson Valleys my
map roberts and.
Speaker 4 (31:41):
No noist of Cape Town about three hours ride in
a car from from Cape Town. It's that eased to reach.
The Brida River runs.
Speaker 3 (31:54):
So very alluvial soils.
Speaker 4 (31:55):
Right, alluvial, so the kind of sandy soils. It also
has a there's kind of three different types of soils
there and it's kind of it's the only wine growing
area in South Africa. Interestingly, that where the lime occurs
naturally and in abundance in the soil. And it was
perplexing because we knew that that wasn't typically, it wasn't
(32:18):
in the past an ocean floor, right, So why and
the reason why is that there are these giant ancient
termite mounds that's created these these deposits of limestone and
the soil and Robertson. So Robertson is known as the
valley for wine, roses and horses. Yes, the horses, roses
(32:39):
and shot and aged very well in Robertson.
Speaker 3 (32:43):
Interesting, not been there, but I was interested in. I've
only been to frind Sharks, Cell Bash and Constantia and
not even a lot of time. In Constancia. We spent
most of our time in the Friend Shark and Shell
and Bars. So we missed our parl p A R
A R which is north of Cape Town. We just
(33:04):
needed more time. And you know, the wines are different,
like anywhere when you travel, they're going to be somewhat different.
In their style based on the Terrooi. The Robertson Valley
interests me a lot because of all the reasons you said.
And this is a beautiful wine. Columbard has its own
characteristic to it. And it's called the River Dragon Silverthorne
River Dragon. What's the story behind that? It's a last one.
Speaker 4 (33:25):
So owners John and Karen Lobesha, they own saw this one.
It's the small estate and they produce only a couple
of seas. In fact, John just now in South Africa
in the Platta's Wine Guide was awarded South Africa's top Yes,
I mean he really is a master of couple of seat.
But when you stand on the porch stoop, as we say,
(33:48):
of the winery, and you look out over the Breeder River,
there's a chain of mountains behind that looks like a
dragon lying on its back. And John loves the African
night sky and fossils, and he loves mythology and those stories.
And there's a mythology of the types of dragons to
(34:09):
be found in the world. And the laziest of the
dragons was the African dragon. And he was also very friendly.
He mostly liked to float on his back in the
sky writing with smoke in the sky. And so if
you stand on the porch of this wine, when you
look out over that mountain range and there's some clouds
(34:31):
over it, it looks like the Dracus Africanus. And so
he named this couple of sek of his the River Dragon.
And we now living in New Orleans and looking out
over the Mississippi River, I have felt the wine belongs
here too.
Speaker 3 (34:49):
Well, it's in the photo. It's it's the one to
the furthest to the right that all the labels are beautiful.
But you've got the Matriarch, the Grand Matriarch, and the
Tita and then the silver Thorn river Dragon the far
right on the screen.
Speaker 4 (35:01):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (35:02):
When when you told us that story, I remember thinking
about puff the magic dragon.
Speaker 4 (35:06):
Yeah, I think I think that dragon is like that.
Speaker 3 (35:08):
We live by the sea. Yeah, dragons who followed in
the land of Hanee where we were supposed to be
this week, but we're not. We're here in New Orleans.
That honey isn't kawhi? Uh? Really?
Speaker 4 (35:20):
Uh?
Speaker 3 (35:20):
Exotic? Now you have you've you've organized trips for like
regular people, but when you have customers go down because
your wines are sold well before we get into where
there's are there other wines that you would love to
highlight that maybe you think reallys of and that you
bring in that really show the character of South Africa
(35:43):
and the spirit that maybe are available. It would be
fun to talk about. I think you have one called
Problem Child. There's a wild Child wild Nata as well.
Speaker 4 (35:53):
It's an interesting this is about that one because it's
it's it's kind of fun. You know, there's a there's
a lot of talk about natural fermentation, right, fermentation you
don't add commercial yeast, and the wine ferments by itself.
Brendy and for wine makers generally, natural fermentation is stressful
because it might not start it a lot could go
(36:15):
wrong in the fermentation control. But also it's it may
be not as natural because if you are naturally fermenting
inside of a cellar, there is a lot of ambient
yeast in the air, ambient commercial yeast. That kind of
also it leads to the natural fermentation. But what Natita
does with their Wild Child, so when your bloc is
(36:37):
they take the juice in plastic crates and they carry
it by hand all the way back up into the
actual vineyard and they let the juice stand there and
that the fermentation then literally starts in the in the vineyard,
and that that I think takes a lot of courage.
(36:58):
I mean, yeah, is in there. And so that is
a truly truly natural fermental wine, their wild child. So
in your block.
Speaker 3 (37:06):
So if you're into you know, for me, wine making
is natural. But this is even more because things just
have to happen, which means, as you said, that anything
can happen for good is bad. So I have a
I don't think that adding commercial yeasts to wine is
a bad thing at all.
Speaker 4 (37:26):
I think it's like a chef who then has lots
more components to play with. This same wine maker when
he makes his semile, he ferments it in four different batches.
Each one he inoculates with a different strain of yeast
that he wants to qualities from, and he then makes
a blend. And so that's like making some fantastic French dish.
You know, you have all these different ingredients and the
(37:49):
luxury to work with them. So natural ferment is great.
The outcome isn't always predictable, but I don't think it's
so unnatural to inoculate with commercial yeast.
Speaker 3 (37:58):
But exactly, yeah, you know, natural wines. I sometimes roun
my eyes because to me, it's all a natural I mean,
you know, it's unnatural susan no alcohol wine that's re
engineered wine. We've had a lot of debates and well,
there is a market for it, and I'm not going
to say there is it because there was a big
(38:19):
because I'd learned that like forty percent of the country
doesn't drink alcohol.
Speaker 4 (38:23):
We've got to change that.
Speaker 3 (38:25):
Well, you know, some of it is health and religion.
You can't assarily change that. But you know that means
that there's more of us to enjoy. But there is
a place. But I am an ardent wine consumer and
love the process of how wine is made, in the
story and in the place of origin, which is what
(38:47):
South Africa is so special because these wines do have
wines of origin. They're very unique to their country and
their region, and that's the way all wines should be
wherever you travel in the world. Now, for anyone who's
thinking about going to South Africa, we talked the other
night about how probably four safaris were too many. Of course,
(39:08):
two were in South Africa and two were in Bartswana,
which is a different country, but it was a lot. Well,
many people dream of going on sofarris and they're wonderful,
but they're very expensive and they're very scheduled and you
eat a white What are some other things you would
recommend besides doing Asafari? What the things?
Speaker 4 (39:28):
You're American traveler who's coming to South Africa for the
first time. There are now amazing direct flights that take
you directly to Cape Town. United flies out of Washington, DC,
Delta flies out of Atlanta. They take you directly to Capti.
It is a long flight that puts a lot of people,
but get yourself to Cape Town. You can never possibly
(39:50):
be disappointed. That is a first world city, is I
think naturally speaking in terms of the ocean and the mountains.
Just want to know is the most beautiful city in
the world, and it's the first wall city. It's got
amazing restaurants and you know, hotels, and there's no end
to you know how spoilt you will feel being there
(40:11):
in the shopping and all of that. So so start
your journey in Cape to On. If you are coming
to South Africa, take at least ten days, but it's
preferable e take two out of capt On. You can
fly to the safari destinations that would typically be around
the Kruger National Park on the Prime King Reserves. They
or to Wartswana where you and David went, the Akabango Delta,
(40:32):
or Chobi or Namibia. It's all about a two hour
flight out of Cape to on go have a safari,
as safari should be about three nights, four days, and
they are amazing. But they are so luxurious that that
you know, the eating and the drinking and the you know,
that idea of that absolute white linen, high threat count
(40:53):
luxury in the middle of the wilderness is quite something.
And then in Cape Town, spend some time on the beach,
on the oceans, go to the Winelands, go up Table Mountain,
go to the Cape of Good Hope where the two
oceans literally meet dramatically. That's the day's art. And go
see the penguins.
Speaker 3 (41:12):
Harmana's right.
Speaker 4 (41:13):
The penguins are at a boulders beach and Simon's pass. Yeah,
there's a there's a colony of African penguins, which we
call the jackass penguins, and that's because they sound like donkeys.
They make amplasson. They're intercretibly cute to see uh, spend
a lot of time in the waterfront, the amazing art museums, shopping,
(41:34):
the food you itinerary will be very full. If you
can make it a bit further out. Get to Harmanus,
go see the whales. The best land based whale watching
in the world, isn't that Manus. You can literally just
walk along the cliff tops and the whales will be
doing true.
Speaker 3 (41:49):
Is there a season for that?
Speaker 4 (41:52):
The season typically starts around August to December for the whales.
But but some whales, because they come for the migration,
they come and have their babies there and walk.
Speaker 3 (42:02):
So August would be the end of winter into spring
or you remember, everybody, it's the opposite.
Speaker 4 (42:11):
It's decided just to stay. Yeah, often see whales all through.
Speaker 3 (42:15):
The I did, we we did. We spent New Year's
even Cape Town and we went to Christmas Week. I
think I'd like to have spent more time in Cape Town.
But we spent a lot of time in Stellembosch and
Franserick and Consentia visiting wineries and we didn't. We just went.
We didn't even an appointments, We just showed up. I
don't know if you can do that now, but we did,
and it's so worth it, but take your time because
(42:36):
you don't want to rush it. And then we went
to our monas, we saw the penguins. We went to
the Cape of Good Hope. It's like a lot of
feral monkeys down there. That was my birthday gift to
the woons Baboo. They were everywhere like gangsters. Yeah they
are gangsters. They'll steal anything, so we just hold on
to everything you have. I go to see the baboos
(42:57):
and we have a photo of us there. That was
my birthday gift. And then we went on to Krueger
and so far as our luxurious and so romantic. I mean,
this is an ideal honeymoon trup, Yes for sure, And
that's pretty much what we did, except it was before
the wedding because I also turned into birthday trip. It is.
It is one of the most amazing, romantic and stunning
(43:18):
bucket list trips that I think everybody needs to do.
I know I want to go again. And Cape Town
is you mentioned. You mentioned the Bibia which is nearby.
You could spend your entire time in South Africa. There
is so much to do, but if you're going to
go the distance, take the extra time because it is
a long trip and you get back how often now, Suzann.
Speaker 4 (43:41):
Well, a lot. Last year I went. I went to
Cape Town five times. Yeah, I stay maybe about six weeks.
I just now in. I spent all of August and
September in Cape Town back then two months now, so
it's a lot. I've spend the majority of my time here,
but I think it comes close to about half in
(44:01):
total that does get spent in Capito. So my family,
my friends, there's a whole other lifestay. Most of you know,
the base for my law practice is still it is
still inking.
Speaker 3 (44:12):
Well, you've got a great double life because you've got
the best of both worlds. New Orleans is an amazing
place to live, isn't it. Yeah, And like Cape Town,
it's just a multiverse of cultures and spirit. And South
Africa is the same way. Just this amazing culturally diverse
area and great food. Same like New Orleans. Just the
great migrations came through and they were both similarly trading ports,
(44:37):
major trading ports on the water, so you've got that
influence as well. Of course, the Cape of Good Hope
is one of the most dangerous ones to navigate there's
it's famous for the incredible shipwrecks, so there's an amazing
history there. I can't wait to go back your wines.
First of all, share your website if people want to
learn more about working with you or getting your wines
(44:58):
or learning about the wines.
Speaker 4 (45:00):
Thank you. So it is South to South wines dot
com bring wines from the South of Africa to the
deep South of the US and have a warehouse here
in the Orleans and distribution in the southern states surrounding me.
Speaker 3 (45:20):
So if you come to New Orleans and everybody should
become the New Orleans. You'll see Susan's wines on several
menus wineless, terrific restaurants and we always try to order
them when we go because we love them. Thank you
and we love you. And I hope everybody's excited about
stepping out of your comfort zone and looking to try
something new. Try some South African wines. The South Africa
(45:41):
Sparkling ones are terrific. And everybody's stalking up for the
season and in no travel Tuesdays coming up and everybody
should be planning a big trip because you only live once.
And as they say in Italy, My dear, am I
now or never? So do that now or never trip
because you only live once and you do it when
you're in your prime. Susan, thank you. Is there a
(46:02):
toast that you when you toast everybody to life or
when you're toasting one? Is there when you can say
an Africans.
Speaker 4 (46:08):
I Afrikaans we just which is like a zoon time
I suppose health.
Speaker 3 (46:16):
Well, I don't think I'm going to study African on
my deal lingo. I'm just starting Portuguese and I'm already
I'm already having difficulty with that. But it's it's a pronunciation.
Speaker 4 (46:25):
I mean, the language is that a pronunciation might be
might be hot, but you you have a willing teacher.
I love to speak well.
Speaker 3 (46:32):
I'm going to have to learn that. And when I
go back down, I always try to study the language
of where I go. That's like my thing. But let's
toast again in the holidays. I know I'll see you soon.
I hope everybody here has Even though this is an
evergreen show, I'm still going to wish everybody happy Thanksgiving
because that's what I do. And I like to end
my show this way. And Susan is an example. You
(46:53):
have choices in your life on how you want to live.
You may have one career one day, you may have
a new career another day. You may have one host
one day, you may have another one another day. The
point is do things on your terms and not on
the terms of those set by others who want you
to live up to their standards. You set your own
standards and live your way and of course on your terms,
(47:14):
and always choose. You're a list of fabulous. I'm Melanie Young.
Follow me Melanie Fabulous. Check out all my shows on
more than sixty five podcast channels and YouTube. And thanks
for joining me, Susan, and thank you everybody out there.
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