1 – Weave together your concepts, palate paradoxes, dul and intentions, traditions and innovation. How did you develop this philosophy? How do you shape the wine experience you created at the Saxon Hotel?
The palate paradox came from observation and saw how people react when they tasted what was really moving. Over the years I have realized that the great taste is not just from the glass of wine. It's about what the wine unlocks. Often it is a conflict with memories, stories, and sometimes even with one's own expectations.
I began to see beautiful tension. Dul and restraint, restraint, familiarity and surprise, a new story of excellence in the Old World and Africa. I wanted to create a philosophy about something that respects tradition but refuses to be trapped in it.
At Saxon, this is exactly how we approach wine programs. We not only combine wine and food, but we also curate moments. The Burgundy Grand Crew may sit with Chenin Blanc from the wild, unveiled Swartland, as both tell stories of place, time and intention. That balance is unforgettable paradox.
2 – As a leading figure in Africa's luxury hospitality, how do you incorporate African cultural stories and local terroirs into your wine programme to create a clearly African sensory story?
For me, the spirit of African hospitality lies in stories and stories, and stories live in the land.
When curating a wine experience, I'm not just asking “something that tastes good.” You are asking questions like, “What does it belong here?” So local terroirs are more than just geography, and are biography. Carry fingerprints of climate, community and culture. From the dusty textures of Swartland to the cool climate tensions of Elgin, each bottle is part of a living archive.
In Saxon, you will be able to meet guests in African wines that are not only technically great but emotionally rooted. Introducing Chenin from upcoming farms and talk about its lineage or combine Xhosa-inspired flavors with dishes to match those grown on ancestral lands.
Imitation of Europe is not interested in us as we write a completely different script.
3 – Curated wine experiences for a wide variety of guests, from presidents to poets. What is the most memorable moment in your career when wine pairings and tastings unlock deep connections and stories for guests?
I have a completely unexpected response to this. I remember a deep conversation I used to be with my former colleague. My former colleague remembers a great sommelier who had an extraordinary, almost visceral connection to minerality. He had a past that most of us could speculate, as a child soldier in a conflict-filled area in Africa. He once told me that when I came across wine with a particularly thin, gunpowdery note, with a clear mineral, it would bring him back to certain, unforgettable memories. He spoke about the smell of gravel earth, which he once walked as a child soldier. He explained how wine evokes the aroma of “a light rain following the newly bombed Earth.”
It was a powerful and incredibly moving image. To him, the essence of the mineral was more than just a pleasant note. It is a sensory echo of survival, a proof of a wounded, still purified landscape, and a resilience. It showed how deeply our personal history is with our perception of wine. A way that a single scent can unleash a flood of both beautiful and heartbreaking memories and emotions.
4 – Reviewing prestigious competitions like The Diners Club Wine List Awards, what trends have you seen in wine culture across Africa and how has it impacted the global hospitality scene?
There is an awakening that has not happened throughout Africa's wine culture.
We see a transition from colonial imitation to confident identity. Young sommeliers, winemakers and curators have rewritten the language of wine, which is less euro-centric terminology, and replaced it with more culturally tuned storytelling. The wine list is becoming more inclusive, not just with the featured labels, but with the voice behind it.
There is also an increase in conscious curation from sustainability to social equity. The black-owned vineyard has gained visibility. Indigenous ingredients influence pairing philosophy. And both local and international guests are more open than ever to hear stories of African wine told by Africans.
Globally, this is turning your head. In Europe, chefs were referring to salt bush pairings and Michelin sommeliers fermenting Swartland. Africa isn't just participating in the global hospitality scene, but we are shaping it.
5 – Your job extends beyond the basement, from lectures by guest at university to working with winemakers in South Africa, Spain and Italy. How do you balance the balance between education, innovation and storytelling in its mission to enhance wine culture?
I have now seen education, innovation and storytelling not as separate lanes, but as a single braided code each one strengthens each other.
Education is where it begins. You cannot respect or break rules that you don't understand. Whether teaching students in Johannesburg or co-hosting a masterclass in Sydney, I ground it not only with textbook theory but with actual knowledge that I lived wisdom.
Next comes innovation. Once you understand the framework, you can play it. That might mean using African fermentation traditions in wine debate or rethinking food pairing via decolonized lenses.
Storytelling is the soul. This is a way to translate facts into emotions. Wine is not just a drink, it is a time stamp, a love letter, and sometimes even a bottle rebellion. If I can communicate that through class and conversation, I know I'm doing more than I teach. I help people taste their whole presence.
6 – Duty-Off, you are a rare cigar and art collector with a bespoke walk-in himidor. How do these passions affect your approach to wine and hospitality?
I think they are all part of the same instinct. This is to slow down the time and taste the interior story of the details.
Cigars are very similar to wine and require patience and presence. You are not in a hurry for a great cigar, and you will not swallow a great burgundy. Both have a ceremony. Consider cutting, pouring, and pausing before the first draw. It sharpens your senses. You begin to notice nuances everywhere, especially about people, conversations, and feelings in the room.
Art, on the other hand, teaches me how to compose music. How colour and space speak to each other, just as the flavor does. Curating a wine list is like hanging a gallery where everything balances, but each piece must also have its own.
These passions intersect professionally. I hosted an evening of cigars and wine. There, not only does the guests taste, but they reflect as well. I matched vintages with music, paintings and sometimes scents. Ultimately, its best form of hospitality is not about consumption. It is also about communion.
7 – Linked taste, design and precision engineering as the face of BMW South Africa's i7 campaign. How do you view the intersection of luxury industries, such as wine, hospitality, and automobiles, that shape the future of experiential travel in Africa?
We are moving to an era where luxury is no longer an extravagant. It's about orchestration. The most memorable experiences are those that seemingly different elements harmonize with something that will never forget.
In Africa, this intersection is full of possibilities. Guests arrive at the BMW i7 and step into a world-class suite, greeted with small batch method cap classic glasses sourced by local reclaimed vineyard, but they don't just serve them. You tell a layered story of innovation, sustainability and identity.
These wine, hospitality and automotive industries all evolve around the same principles of purposeful, meaningful design and craftsmanship. When they collaborate intentionally, the result is an experiential trip that feels ambitious and grounded in place.
I see Africa leading into this space, not as a copy of European luxury, but as a soulful, sense-rich travel frontier, as intended by every touchpoint. And I'm here to help shape that story.
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