Every glass has a story | The personality of place
- 23 hours ago
- 2 min read
Updated: 2 minutes ago
One of the pillars of our Art of Storytelling course, is that of place. A place often has a personality of its own, shaped by its history, geography and community. These intertwining stories often have a major impact on what you find inside your wine glass. In this snippet from the Art of Storytelling course, we explore the personality of place, and dive into one of the most characterful places in the South African winelands, the Swartland.
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Introduction to Personality of Place
Picture the moment. A guest at your table, somewhere between the Kalahari and the coast, asks the question every waiter knows is coming: "So, tell me more about this wine?"
You could answer with a tasting note. Or you could tell them where it comes from, and how that impacts what is inside the glass - and watch the conversation change. That is the idea behind The Personality of Place, part of our Art of Storytelling series on Beverageintelligence University. Because every glass has a story, and more often than not, the story starts in the ground.
Wine is geography you can taste
We have always believed that a wine is best understood through stories, not scores. And no story shapes a wine more than the place it grows. The cool Atlantic breeze funnelling into a valley. The clay that holds water through a dry summer. The old vines that have learned, over decades, exactly where they are. Winemakers call it terroir. We prefer to call it the personality of place - because like people, no two places are the same, and the best ones are full of character.
When your team can describe that character - not recite it, but tell it - a pour becomes a journey. The guest isn't just drinking a Chenin Blanc. They're standing in the Roundstone vineyard, without leaving their seat at the table.
Join Adi Badenhorst and Andrea Mullineux, as they share their unique places in the Swartland.
Swartland Philosophy and Grape varietals
Swartland Terroir
From watching to telling
Of course, watching a story is only the first step. Telling it - naturally, confidently, at a busy table on a Saturday night - takes practice. That's why the Art of Storytelling course pairs with Fundi Games, our new practice tool, where your team can rehearse their stories with Fundi, our AI tutor, until the telling feels as natural as the pouring.
Because the bottle is only as good as the person pouring it. And the story is only as good as the person telling it.
Elevating every pour. Across Africa. Since 2008.
