South African wine with Jasper Raats of Longridge Wine Estate

Twin Cities Wine Education is pleased to welcome a special guest from the other side of the globe

The Wines of South Africa with Jasper Raats of Longridge Wine Estates

South African wine has been getting more and more attention in the last few years, competing with Portugal for the title of the new "it" wine country in terms of increased quality and top notch tourism.

But South African wine remains a mystery to many. Waves of mediocre wines in the 1990's solidified a certain opinion for many. At the same time, especially on the east coast, more and more young sommeliers are filling their wine lists with gems grown near Cape Town.

In this class we'll dive deep into understanding South African wine including the history of the industry, key varieties and the qualities that South Africa brings to the equation, the role of the importer in the process, and the main wine regions of South Africa (and how to shop for the best bottles from them).

About our guest
Specializing in organic and biodynamic farming, Jasper Raats will be joining us to discuss the meteoric rise of South African wine in the last eight years, focusing on the efforts of people like him who are cultivating a sustainable future in the vineyards. We'll taste a wide range of incredible wines including "The Emily," one of the most popular wines we have by the glass at Red Rabbit.

Jasper is a top notch and entertaining presenter and we are honored to have him join Twin Cities Wine Education for this special night. Get ready to laugh and learn!

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From the Longridge Estates website:

"Heading the team is Jasper Raats, who has been a winegrowing consultant since 2006. He has worked in this capacity in various regions and countries and has a passion for organic and bio-dynamic growing.

With his winemaker wife, Sally, he also started Koru Wines in New Zealand and his two single vineyard wines became very sought-after in a relatively short time and the most expensive Marlborough wines of their type, receiving incredible international acclaim.

Going further back, he founded the successful Raats Family Wines with his brother and after working at acclaimed Vérité in California also worked in Burgundy, Pouilly Fume and Sancerre, before taking charge of the then up and coming Sumaridge near Hermanus.

In 2003 Jasper extended his international career by joining the Henri Bourgeois team as viticulturist and winemaker at their pioneering project in New Zealand. Clos Henri quickly jumped to the top list of producers in Marlborough."