Yes, there is a winery in Joburg. A very small one. It’s a little part of one of the largest parks in the country, which is full of Jozi wine and other food surprises, including an urban farm for charity.
The writer supports Nosh Food Rescue, an NGO that helps Jozi feeding schemes with food “rescued” from the food chain. Please support them here.
For years I was an avid fan of Joburg Wine, made in what had been the garage section of a boutique hotel in Rivonia. I liked to joke about its being the most elegant garagiste winery. Glen James and Sara Webster used grapes from their own farm in the southern Cape and went to work on them up here. Sadly for me, Glen and Sara eventually left Jozi to live on their farm and I lost the wonderful Joburg Wines that made such great gifts. The bottles were stunningly labelled and the wines were pretty good.
However, the Gerakaris Family Wine bottle labels also feature a clever barcode in the shape of the Jozi skyline. They may not have their own wine estate and so buy grapes in from the Swartland or Elgin, but their major…