The Call from Tim Atkin: Respect for South Africa's Wine Industry

The Promising 2025 Harvest at the Cape

Tim Atkin has shared his insights on the promising vintage of 2025 and the international standing of South African wines:

With a few grapes still hanging on the vines, the conclusion regarding the quality of vintage 2025 has already been reached. After several tough years, South Africa is currently experiencing its best harvest in years. “Really promising,” describes Eben Sadie, the country's most renowned winemaker.

Everyone is happy with what is being processed in their cellars. However, there is a growing unease about the future of the wine industry. Recently, I had dinner with a group of producers, and the conversation was the only sobering part of the evening. Just recently, Donald Trump imposed a 31% tariff on South African wines – one of the highest in the world. The news could have been worse – the United States is “only” the fourth largest export market of the Cape – but that isn't the only worry. “The wine industry is in a real slump,” one of them told me.

Market Challenges

Unfortunately, things look just as bleak in the United Kingdom – the country that imports the most South African wine. “The UK used to be a reference market,” says Alex Dale from Radford Dale, “and it has become just a nuisance.” This has a lot to do with the new, absurd tax system. The still-cheap image of many basic South African wines also contributes to the issue.

To maintain a “competitive” price for Cape Chenin Blanc, two UK supermarkets have requested producers to lower the alcohol content of their wines. This process requires manipulation – utilizing centrifuge technology, adding gum arabic, water, or sugar – all leading to additional costs. “We're being asked to spend money to produce a worse product,” remarks Pieter Carstens from Leeuwenkuil Family Vineyards, “just so retailers can avoid paying taxes.”

Another complaint from producers is the simultaneous demand of being sustainable and/or Fairtrade certified while still keeping prices extremely low. And this isn't just the fault of the UK. Someone showed me an offer from a Scandinavian monopoly with an extremely stringent catalog of ethical obligations. “All this for 2 euros a bottle,” he commented.

Thirty-one years after the return to democracy, South Africa remains a deeply unequal society. A short drive from the boutiques and wine bars of Stellenbosch reveals the stark contrast to Third World poverty in Kayamandi – change is slow. Whites constitute only 7.3% of the population but own over half the land. The unemployment rate among whites is at 7%, while it exceeds 30% among black South Africans.

Community Commitment

The majority of wine producers are well aware of these realities. They are genuinely striving to improve the country they love. I have lost count of how many wineries have invested in their communities – often quietly and without media attention. Rijk Melck from Muratie confided to me about the daughter of two of his farmworkers. The parents were illiterate; she is now a doctor. “We made that happen,” he said.

The South African wine industry wishes to be part of a better and fairer society, and this is happening – albeit more slowly than ideal. There are more black winemakers in leadership roles than ever before. Social sustainability – just as important as ecological – is a goal most wineries are committed to.

But all of this costs money. “How can I pay a fair wage to my staff while being forced to lower prices continuously?” A producer asked. “The demands from some retailers not only concern me and my business but also a whole agricultural community of 250 people and their families. We are one of the few successful transformation projects in the Western Cape after 20 years of land reform still standing. But I'm about to lose 20% of my business.”

This producer has chosen to say no. No to the suggestion of creating a different, inferior product just to meet a price point. No to carrying the tax difference in the UK if he wants to keep producing the quality wine he has always made. It is a brave stance. And one we should acknowledge. The future of the South African wine industry isn’t just the producers' responsibility; it is also ours – from importers, retailers, journalists, and consumers. We can all make a difference by being willing to pay more for simple wines from the Cape. The truth is unavoidable, even if uncomfortable: Without profitability, sustainability – let alone transformation – is impossible.