Savage Wines & Tembela Wines
Winemaker
In the industry since 2011
Scored 92/100 from Winemag for his maiden Verdelho release
Banele Vakele prefers to rub slightly against the grain. Firstly, he chose a career in winemaking. ‘Most of my contemporaries preferred something much more stable.’ And it is the chemistry of the process that initially drew him in – the vineyards, farm production – rather than the final product. While he certainly tried wine as a younger man, this was invariably a process of exploration. ‘Each varietal had its own flavours; a different taste profile. I was fascinated.’
In 2011, he enrolled at Elsenburg Agricultural College, and completed a degree in oenology and viticulture. That was followed by three years as part of the Cape Winemaker’s Guild Protégé programme, with time spent at Ernie Else, Groot Constantia and Savage Wines. He also immersed himself in France, at Domaine Chevrot in Burgundy. Banele travels by nose and by taste, and later worked at Troon Vineyards in Oregon, and Sunshine Creek in the Yarra Valley, Australia. ‘To learn from different winemakers around the world: these are highlights of my life.’
There is still a job to be done educating South Africans about wine, he believes. So Banele takes people to the vineyards that once inspired him. ‘Wine tastes different with a view.’ He notes, however, that those in the new middle class are getting increasingly knowledgeable about what they put into a glass. ‘This is quite an exciting time!’ But he is quick to disabuse anyone with romantic notions of viticulture. It’s a dirty, muddy business – and his clothes are invariably stained by the product he works with each day. That’s not to say there isn’t passion, of course. ‘When I work with grapes, I still feel like an excited schoolboy.’
In 2019, Banele took up the position of assistant winemaker at Savage Wines – based in Salt River. It is here that he also produces wines under his own label, Tembela – named for his late mother. The name translates from isiXhosa as ‘faith’, ‘hope’ and ‘belief’. ‘And my mother had faith, hope and belief in me!’ Banele’s first independent releases were a Syrah – ‘dramatic stuff’ according to Winemag – and a Verdelho. The latter is a particularly unusual choice, but completely in keeping with Banele’s mischievous ‘otherwiseness’. ‘I really prefer to travel my own journey.’