Photo by Joel Ross Studios
a message from tina jones
Welcome to South Africa !
A year ago , no one on the Banville & Jones team had yet visited South Africa . We knew we needed to change that . Travel is a great educational opportunity for wine experts and wine lovers . Visiting a wine region brings us close to the current trends and lets us look at the hows , wheres and whys of the wine industry .
Over the past few months , five Banville & Jones staffers made South Africa a priority . Each of us had high expectations , and South Africa exceeded those expectations at every turn ! The country ’ s tourism is all about experience ; the culture is young , energetic , and alive and we were welcomed into it enthusiastically . I should add that we felt safe wherever we went — even up close with the lions !
Our wine experiences were amazing . Over the past few years , our friends Paul and Shirley Martens of Blend Imports have brought wonderful wines to our market . We visited many of their suppliers , and saw first-hand the fast-paced growth in South Africa ’ s quality wines . We were delighted by the amazing wine culture and feasted on a terrific variety of wines !
Join us in a look at this amazing , energy-filled country . Mike Muirhead takes us through South Africa ’ s wine regions ; Sylvia Jansen takes a close look at South African sparkling wines ; and collectively , Gary Hewitt , Mike Muirhead , Sylvia Jansen , Darren Raeside and I share our travels with you .
We hope you enjoy this issue , and we look forward to seeing you in the South Africa aisle of our store !
Tina Jones
10 http :// banvilleandjones . cornervine . com