While South Africans’ passports gather dust as international travel restrictions continue to limit our ability to globe trot, one wine bar in Cape Town, together with its partner-in-wine, is now offering patrons the opportunity to travel the world…through a glass.
‘The Wanderlist’ – a collaboration between Culture Wine Bar and Radford Dale – is a curated collection of premium imported wines, in an aesthetically stellar, state-of-the-art, temperature-controlled unit, dominating the entire wall forming the backdrop to Culture’s beautiful bar counter.
Matt Manning, owner at Culture Wine Bar and Chef Patron at Grub & Vine bistro and The Chef’s Studio – with all three spaces housed at 103 Bree Street – explains that the Wanderlist will compliment the extensive selection of South African wines that Culture and Grub & Vine already offer.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has seen South Africans continue to face lockdown restrictions that hamper their ability to travel internationally. We’re feeling a collective nostalgia for our past journeys, and I believe that there is growing desire to relive the memories from our travels, or experience the world, in some or other way, shape or form.
“Together with Radford Dale, we are excited to be able to offer bar-goers the opportunity to enjoy some incredible wines from around the globe, which they can benchmark against the fabulous South African wines that they will already find on our menu. I’m confident that this will also inspire an appreciation for the world-class talent that exists locally; something that we continue to champion.
“We’ll kick off with over 100 wines from our favourite wine regions around the globe; from Burgundy to the Rhône valley, the Loire, California, the Barossa, Marlborough and many more far-flung locations that will capture the imaginations of adventurous wine-lovers.”
Stellenbosch-based winery Radford Dale, renowned for its innovative approach to wine-making, also features an imports business, whereby it brings in wines from some of the world’s finest vineyards. Typically, the selection is composed principally of artisanal growers and small producers, specialists in their sites, with only a small handful of larger but philosophically-inspirational producers.
With Radford Dale responsible for the curation and supply of Culture’s Wanderlist, founder Alex Dale says that they are extremely excited to be able to bring international wines of outstanding calibre to the heart of Cape Town’s gastronomic hub.
“We’ve aimed to make some of the finest wines from around the world more accessible to locals. We’ll also be offering vertical selections of some of Radford Dale’s own single vineyard sites from the Cape, going back 20 years or so. Culture is the spot where lovers of wine will be able to find joy and adventure, in these torrid times, at uncommonly great value for money.
“If the Covid era has taught us anything, it’s to be generous; to enjoy each moment and to indulge others – whenever we have the opportunity,” he adds.
The Wanderlist is not the first collaboration between Manning and Dale; the two partnered in 2020 to launch the Restaurant Rescue Project; an initiative spearheaded by Dale that aimed to provide a lifeline for the Western Cape’s hospitality sector, battered by repeated and often arbitrary lockdown measures.
Manning says that he expects the pandemic will be in effect for some time longer. “While we are encouraged to see the vaccine roll-out gaining momentum, we are still limited in our ability to travel the world and create wonderful new wine memories – at least, for a while.
“We are excited to be able to offer our customers an incredible international selection, making these globally-renowned labels more accessible to everyone who loves and appreciates great wine. This is our Culture.”
