An in depth look at the current challenges facing the South African wine industry through a conversation with Richard Bampfield MW and Richard Kershaw MW. This webinar is open to all levels of knowledge but would be perfect for students studying the WSET Level 3 Award in Wines or the WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines.
Event details
Wine webinar
The South African wine industry has been particularly devastated by the impact of Covid-19 and subsequent government actions. The extent of the damage was recently highlighted in a powerful article by Bruce Jack for The Buyer. Motivated by this article, which explains how their vineyard could be permanently diminished by the present oversupply, and a desire to help the industry, Richard Bampfield MW has spearheaded various initiatives. Through encouraging people to purchase South African wines, it is hoped this will help to create space for the imminent harvest and encourage orders from retailers. In support of this, WSET School London hopes this webinar will increase awareness of the heart-breaking situation. Richard Bampfield MW will speak to Richard Kershaw MW, founder and winemaker of Richard Kershaw wines in Elgin, to provide insight into the myriad of challenges currently facing the South African wine industry, how it has impacted different size producers, and the 2021 vintage that is imminent. We encourage you to purchase a South African wine of your choice to enjoy alongside the webinar, and post about it on social media using the dedicated hashtag #myfavouritesouthafricanwines.
Richard Bampfield MW
Richard Bampfield graduated in French from Cambridge in 1981 and immediately decided the wine trade was where he could put the language to best use. He managed retail wine shops in the North West of England for JW Lees Brewers for 7 years, then spent a year getting his hands dirty in vineyards around the world, also working in wine cellars in California and Australia. Having passed the Master of Wine Exam in 1990, he joined the Australian producer, Brown Brothers, and managed their European operations until 1999. He left them to set up his own company, specialising in public relations and offering wine consultancy, talks, tours and courses. Principal clients now include Lidl, Albert Bichot (Burgundy), Leith’s School of Food and Wine, Santa Rita (Chile) and Château Brown (Bordeaux). He is also a partner in Wine Ring, the leading personalisation software for the wines and spirits industry. A growing interest in sustainability has led to him becoming a founder member of the new international group called the Sustainable Wine Roundtable. He regularly guides groups of students and press on visits to Bordeaux and Burgundy, and has been actively involved in the promotion of English wines. He is now probably best known for his work writing tasting notes and evaluating wines for Lidl. Richard is a past Chairman of the Association of Wine Educators and was the European Champagne Ambassador 2009. He is a Panel Chair at the prestigious International Wine Challenge in both the UK and China.
Richard Kershaw MW
Born and raised in Sheffield in the UK, Richard studied in London and enjoyed a successful career as a chef before finding wine. After a basic winemaking diploma he travelled to California, Chile, France, Germany and Hungary to work as a cellar-hand. Arriving in South Africa in 1999 he became assistant winemaker at Mulderbosch, and winemaker at Nelson Estate in Paarl for two seasons. By 2003 he was Cellarmaster at Kanu and then Group Winemaker of both Mulderbosch and Kanu by 2009. In 2011 he passed his International (British) Master of Wine and became the second residential South African and first winemaker in South Africa to hold this qualification. Richard, his wife and their two daughters moved to the cool climate of Elgin in the Overberg region of the Western Cape to pursue his dream of making his own wine. In 2013 Richard released his maiden vintage 2012 Kershaw Elgin Chardonnay and the following year his 2012 Kershaw Elgin Syrah, both showcasing clonal select, site specific, cool climate wines. Both these wines received acclaim internationally and here in South Africa.
In recent years he has expanded his stable of award-winning, much in demand wines to include Kershaw Elgin Pinot Noir and the Kershaw Deconstructed Chardonnay and Syrah range (single site, single soil, single clone wines), as well as the GPS Series which explores extraordinary sites outside the Elgin ward, and the Smuggler’s Boot range of wines – an experimental range of wines that uses several varietals from outside the Elgin region and breathable plastic eggs and cubes for fermentation/maturation He is widely recognised as putting Elgin on the map as a leading South African Chardonnay producing region. Richard is much in demand when not in the vineyard or cellar. A wine show judge for many prestigious competitions around the globe, he is also part of the educational panel for the Institute of Masters of Wine, lectures for the WSET in South Africa, and shares the breadth of his knowledge with students and consumers via talks, tastings and blogs.
We encourage attendees to join with a glass of South African wine, if possible, to support their wine industry. Let us know what you're tasting on Instagram:
#myfavouritesouthafricanwines
@WSET_school_london #WSETSchool
If you enjoy the webinar, we would love to welcome you onto one of our WSET wine courses, all of which can be studied online from your home. More details here.