Katie Barratt Shares The Magic Of South African Wine As She Transforms Every Tour Into An Adventure

Katie Barratt turns every wine tour into an adventure, laced with a dash of magic. She’s been introducing fellow wine lovers to the best of South African wine, food and culture for years.

Born in England in the small Midlands village of Great Hayward, Katie Barratt moved to Johannesburg with her parents when she was nine. She’d dreamt of becoming a lawyer but a gap year changed that and she enrolled at the Technikon Witwatersrand Hotel School to study catering management.

During her first year, a wine tour to the Cape proved life changing. The group’s first stop was Meerlust Wine Estate, where Katie – eager to explore – waited with her classmates in the heat outside the cellar. When the wooden doors finally opened, she remembers the moment as being almost cinematic as Hannes Myburgh, the eighth-generation owner of Meerlust, stepped into view, illuminated by rays of sunshine. She felt weak at the knees, either from the blast of CO₂ from the fermenting grapes or a temporary crush, but what remained etched in her memory is the combination of science, people and place.

In the days that followed, Katie toured some of the Cape’s finest estates and met some of South Africa’s great winemakers of the 1990s. Their enthusiasm and stories about the world of wine lingered with her.

After graduating in 1994, Katie began her hospitality career in Johannesburg, first as a catering manager at AECI and then as picnic manager at Spier with the reopening of the farm’s restaurant in 1995. She later joined Ben Filmalter, the opening team for Mugg & Bean at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, to help them launch the popular coffee house chain.

Katie then moved to Knysna to take on a key role at French bistro restaurant Lush. She oversaw the restaurant floor and wine lists, and introduced customers to her love for wine. The job further strengthened her front-of-house experience and widened her interest in wine.

Her aim at the time was to get as much sales and management experience as possible. She wanted to understand every layer of the hospitality industry to prepare for one day acting as a consultant or creating something of her own.

The idea for The Wine Fairy was sparked while she was working as a sales representative for Meridian Wine Merchants. On a long roadshow in 2003, after days of tasting, entertaining and very little sleep, one final lunch with winemakers led to a playful moment. Katie had reached her limit of wine tasting and, as she sat toying with her glass, a fruit fly landed on it. Everyone joked she’d become a “wine fly”, but another winemaker declared, “She’s our fairy. She makes the magic happen.” The name stuck, and friends and colleagues began calling her The Wine Fairy.

A commitment to education has always matched Katie’s passion for wine. Over the years, she completed the Cape Wine Academy Diploma, trained in garagiste winemaking at Stellenbosch University, earned her certification as a wine judge, and completed a postgraduate diploma in business management at Stellenbosch Business School. She also gained harvest experience at Meerlust in 2005, which inspired her to eventually make her own wines. She now produces wines under the label The Catherine Barratt Collection, comprising a Chardonnay, The Pearl, and a Cabernet Sauvignon, The Rose. Katie buys her grapes from growers in Wellington and Robertson, and makes her wines in a little corner of the cellar at Atlas Swift in Franschhoek.

She also worked with DeMorgenzon, helping owner Wendy Appelbaum to build the estate’s tourism business during the week and focusing on The Wine Fairy on weekends. In 2012, having spent years honing her skills, studying and providing mentorship, she parted ways with DeMorgenzon to devote all her energy to The Wine Fairy.

The magic behind The Wine Fairy

Katie’s joy in her work comes from connecting people with wine, food and travel. She treasures the diversity of her experiences that range from meeting first-time wine tourists to hooking up with international winemakers. “The most rewarding thing is seeing people light up when they taste a new wine,” she says.

Her business provides a variety of curated wine and travel experiences. Signature tours include The Classic Caper, which introduces visitors to the South African landscape; The Sovereign Sips, the premium experience with a winemaker as tour guide; and The Cape Peninsula Passage with a bit of South Africa’s culture, breathtaking landscapes and wine tasting all thrown in. Each tour is designed to suit customers’ tastes, from the tried-and-tested winners to finding unknown off-the-beaten-track secrets.

She promotes small producers, women in wine and wineries with social responsibility programmes, and ensures their stories are told and celebrated. “One of the best ways to help is to buy their wine, include them on my tours and share their stories,” she says. She also teaches guests how to taste wine using her three-step tasting method and five senses of taste.

While she adores all the wine regions, some such as Robertson and Hemel-en-Aarde speak to her in a unique way, not just for the wine but also thanks to their architecture, landscape and stories. “Choosing a favourite region is like picking your favourite child,” Katie says with a laugh. Her focus is always to showcase what each region has to offer.

One of her most memorable experiences on her journey with The Wine Fairy was hosting wine icons Bo and Heidi Barrett of Chateau Montelena in the Napa Valley and the famous Judgment of Paris fame. Another unforgettable experience was leading a private wine tour of the Victoria Falls. “It’s not just the wines that make these trips magical, but the combination of the stunning setting and sense of adventure,” she says. In between tours, she creates wine lists and hosts private functions, applying her knowledge of all aspects of the industry.

Local tourism scene

Katie sees wine tourism as integral to South Africa’s broader travel scene. Almost every visitor she meets, whether they’ve come for a safari or a stay in Cape Town, finds their way to the Cape Winelands. “Wine experiences are no longer just about buying bottles,” she says. “It’s everyday life here, and people are more and more curious.”

Since starting out in the industry, tourism in South Africa has evolved dramatically, she says. “Tasting rooms have become more sophisticated, prices have shifted and experiences are now the focus.” She believes the synergy between wineries and expert guides heightens the experience and provides tourists with unique insights.

Her advice to travellers is to find the magic. “Find the fairy,” she says. Jokes aside, she encourages them to do their research, share their preferences and be open-minded about their experiences. “Trust the professionals to show you the beauty and magic of the Cape Winelands,” she says. “You’ll leave with memories that last a lifetime.”

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