Enjoyment of wine can be increased by just a bit of knowledge, says accountantturnedwine seller Vaughan Johnson
Marianne Merten
Cape wines, Cuban cigars and dinky brandy bottles shaped like Table Mountain are proving an irresistible mix at Vaughan Johnson’s shop, together with its?friendly service and expert advice.
For more than 10 years the shop at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town has served South?Africans and tourists with a broad selection of Cape wines, frequently from?small exclusive estates or new entrants to the wine market, often from a?small harvest. The wines are bought at auctions, direct from the wine?estates and sometimes on the basis of samples that are regularly dropped?off at the store.
“In a certain way the supermarkets are the missionaries: they introduce?people to wines. We are the tertiary education,” says Johnson an?accountant who turned his passion for wine into a decadeslong career.?
There is the “Sunday Best Red” selection, bottles of Rupert and Rothschild?Baron Edmond (priced according to its exclusive name at R128,99) or?Mulderbosch Faithful Hound, produced in honour of the dog who sat by a tree?on the estate waiting for the owner’s return for two years after he sold the?vineyard.
“This is not a shop solely for wine experts. Our best customers say, ‘I don’t know much about wine, what do you recommend?’ Then we can help select a?range,” he says.
There is a story behind most of the wine estates, like Allesverloren, which?burned down more than 100 years ago. Other labels create?excitement, particularly among overseas visitors, by the mere translation of?their names, like Buitenverwachting Beyond Expectation.
“Wine is not just simply an alcoholic drink. It is geography, history,?culture. The enjoyment can be increased with a bit of knowledge about wine,”?Johnson says. “Most South Africans know little about wine a subject that requires expert and friendly advice.”
And that is exactly what you will get. Vaughan Johnson’s Guide to the Best of the Cape is a little booklet listing various restaurants, book and?gift stores, the best coffee places and scenic escapes. Apart from this Johnson and his staff, dressed in long aprons in maroon and dark blue, also serve as unofficial tourist information guides, who will offer advice on what to do in Cape Town.
Johnson says it is wrong to think good wines at an exclusive shop are?expensive. Prices for a good, everyday bottle of red or white Cape wine?start at R11,50. The most popular wine among overseas tourists is the Klein?Constantia Savignon Blanc at R45. And then there is the rare 20yearold KWV?brandy for R360.
Many overseas tourists cannot believe that they can buy for $5 the?equivalent of a very good Californian white wine that would cost them $20?back home, he adds.
“We have been improving [the quality of wine] at a furious rate over the?past 10 years and will continue. Wine prices regrettably have risen too much,?too fast and local consumers are perplexed or upset.”
Johnson says Shiraz is definitely South Africa’s grape of the future?because it is soft but generous taste. Yet many of the best wines do not?leave the Western Cape or even South Africa. But because there is more?disposable income in Gauteng, wines often fetch better prices there.?
The shop delivers wine anywhere in the world, except the United States and Canada, by air, ship or ordinary post. Wine is also packed in secure?sixbottle boxes to be carried on to aircrafts.
Johnson has supplied wine to politicians and film stars and to members of the White House, Buckingham Palace and the?Pentagon.
The Cuban cigars were introduced some time ago because of demand from American customers, who cannot?buy the cigars because of the trade blockade.
“There is a lot of trust involved in the relationship because of the lack?of knowledge about wines,” Johnson says. Customers return repeatedly and?even tell their friends about the wine shop. And so the reputation of?Vaughan Johnson’s shop travels by word of mouth and has never needed formal advertising.
But it has not always been easy. In August 1995 police tried to close the?store for trading on Sundays even though an application for extended hours had?already been filed and was later approved.
“We are happy to supply you with the addresses of a number of shebeens where?you will be able to purchase liquor on Sundays. Please do not get drunk and fall in the water,” says the sign that adorned the shop’s doors for several?Sundays.
It still hangs at the back of the shop today testimony to Johnson’s wry sense of humour.