South Africa, especially the Western Cape region, is a well-known wine producer globally. According to Wines of South Africa (WOSA), South Africa harvested 896 million litres of wine and exported 319 million litres of this desirable potion in 2020. This massive amount of wine, mainly grown on monoculture farms, 92,005 hectares worth, does not come without a significant impact on the natural environment.
Due to the significant importance of the vineyard footprint, WWF started the conservation champions initiative in 2004. WWF Conservation Champions is a unique and powerful partnership between the conservation sector and the wine industry. There is a need to collaborate to “enable biodiversity-friendly and regenerative farming practices to conserve their natural areas and continually improve their water and energy efficiencies” (WWF, 2022).
More Information
“WWF supports these farms in their environmental efforts by co-developing detailed environmental management plans, setting tangible targets and helping them to prioritise actions to address their most pressing environmental risks” (WWF, 2022).
Wineries are the ones who can ensure that they farm in harmony with nature and ensure that the natural areas are protected significantly when expanding into highly-threatened conservation-worthy habitats.
The WWF provides advisory support to eligible and committed wine farms as part of a biodiversity and water stewardship programme. It recognises those committed to farming with nature, not against it.
In May 2022, Soleil honours these Conservation Champions by providing a tasting kit in which you can taste some of the top wines produced by these conservation champions. The kit incorporates ten premium wines from wineries which are part of the World Wildlife Fund’s Conservation Champions Initiative.
The tasting kits are unique in that they include a personal voice note from each winemaker describing the wine and in this case, they also talk about the WWF Conservation Champions Initiative. The voice note is accessed by scanning the AR code on each of the vinitubes and on the tasting sheet.
You can support this critical initiative by purchasing a talking wine kit for yourself or as corporate gifts at https://www.soleil.club/order-a-kit.html (R275 per kit). 100% of the proceeds from the sale of the WWF Conservation Champions Kits will be donated to the WWF.
Awesome! You have your talking wine tasting kit. Now what?
Firstly, cheers! We hope you'll enjoy your interactive wine tasting experience and will discover some exciting new wines and wineries.
Why is it a ‘talking’ wine tasting? You’ll notice a unique AR code on each vinitube and on the tasting sheet. When you scan each one you’ll hear a voice over from the winemaker describing the wine and giving you some more info. It’s like sitting with each winemaker in their cellar while you’re doing your wine tasting. That’s pretty unique!
Step 1: Now that your kit is open, check out all the great wines in this month’s collection. Decide on which ones you're not sharing!
Step 2: Put the whites, rosés or blush wines in the fridge. You may even want to chill your reds a bit if you’re in Durban!
Step 3: Make it last. Plan your tasting over a few days. Get some nice snacks and food to pair them with. No rules - whatever works for you – from KFC to caviar!
Step 4: Start your tasting by first scanning the wineries AR code on the vinitube or on the tasting sheet and listening to the winemaker's personal voice note.
Step 5: Smell, sip, savour & repeat until you've tasted all the wines. Make a note of those you love.
Step 6: Each AR code directly links to the winery's website. Order those you enjoyed and use the club members vouchers supplied with each kit for some discounts and special offers.
Step 7: Most importantly, order your next SOLEIL Société Club tasting kit! Share the joy and buy one for someone you love. Besides making great gifts, they’re also great for ‘book club’ meetings and tasting events.
