19 Oct 2015

Stanbic Bank, a member of the Standard Bank Group, hosted a wine tasting session in Francistown recently.

The bank’s chief executive officer, Leina Gabaraane, said the wine tasting night event was organised to thank loyal customers who continued to support the bank even during hard times. Gabaraane emphasised that the event was not for any serious presentation but an interaction time with their customers.

A wine connoisseur, Koketso Mphotho, who served different wines from a large white marquee, explained in an interview that wines were categorised into two, being a Merlot and a Chardonnay. “Merlot is a red wine while Chardonnay is a white wine,” she said. She also stated that grapes, which made wines, were in different types too.

She noted that some of the wine grapes included the Shiraz, Pinno noir, Pinno tage, Cap serve and Chenin Blanc, among others. “The types of grapes used are always written on the wine bottles so people may know whether there are buying a sweet wine or a bitter wine,” she said.

Some of the wines tasted at the event included famous brands such as Lutzville, classified as an entry wine and originating from the Eastern Cape in South Africa. Ms Mphotlho explained that Lutzville wine was apparently discovered by sheer accident and it is a vintage.

There was also a Stellenrust wine, which Ms Mphotlho explained originates from Stellenbosch in South Africa. “Stellenrust actually taste better with chocolate,” she said. Another interesting wine was Kleinerust, which was among the favourite of the night.

It is a white wine classified as a blend and Ms Mphotlho encouraged Batswana to take time to know their wines so that they know the good ones to buy. “Many people re always surprised to know that there is a lot of history behind a bottle of wine. They are sometimes surprised to know that you can make white wine from red grapes,” she said.

Also present at the event was Adrian Vermooten, Standard Bank Africa’s Head of Channels. Ends