Swirl, Sniff, SIP And Story - How Narrative Makes Wine Mean More

Long before tasting rooms and Insta-worthy vineyards, there were people. Characters. Romances. Epic treks. And, yes, wine. It turns out that what’s in the bottle often starts with what’s on the page. Because the truth is, the more you know about a wine’s backstory, the more you feel connected to the glass in your hand.

Take Laurens Campher, for example. A young German soldier who landed in the untamed Cape in the late 1600s, he fell in love with Ansela van de Caab, a woman enslaved at the Castle of Good Hope. Every few weeks, Laurens would walk – yes, walk – the 50-kilometre journey from Stellenbosch to Cape Town just to see her. Three days on foot, no horse, just heart.

Then there’s Johannes Augustus Dreyer, who reportedly fled Europe after a fatal duel over a woman. A century and a half later, his descendants would plant more than 1 300 vines on a Swartland farm. That land became Leeuwenkuil – ‘Lion’s Lair’ – a now-iconic name echoing wildness, resilience and history. Leeuwenkuil’s home turf was once the stomping ground of the Cape lion, now extinct but immortalised in the ironwork on the farm’s historic front door. The land was rough, raw and dry – a place where only the toughest vines (and people) survived.

These aren’t just great stories. They’re brand DNA. Muratie (established by the descendants of Laurens and Ansela) and Leeuwenkuil know that their origin stories matter. In a world increasingly cynical about ‘premium’ labels, story is the great unifier. It disarms us. It invites us in. As Cape Wine Master Ginette de Fleuriot puts it, ‘Narrative is a connection; it’s colourful and meaningful and brings an emotional response to the table.’

Ginette recently hosted a Wines with Stories masterclass for Vinimark, where she’s Head of Wine Education. Her insight? Wine lovers aren’t just looking for tasting notes, they’re looking for meaning.

And the story gives meaning. Because let’s be honest: if Laurens and Ansela hadn’t defied the odds and started a family, would Muratie even exist? And isn’t it fitting that Leeuwenkuil’s Reserve Chenin Blanc – drawn from bush vines over 55 years old – still channels that same boldness of its sword-wielding forebear?

Of course, not every story starts with an epic romance or a lion. But every wine worth drinking has a tale worth telling.

In Robertson, Bon Courage owes its roots to the fearless André Bruwer, who dared to turn Colombard from a brandy base into a standalone wine. Today, André’s Fame Colombard stands proudly on the shelf as a tribute – and as a reminder of what happens when you back your gut.

At Nitida in Durbanville, a family project turned into an award-winning estate. Engineer-turned-winemaker Bernhard Veller’s debut Sauvignon Blanc bagged double gold at Veritas. The farm’s name? Borrowed from the Protea nitida and echoed in the poetic name of its white blend, Coronata Integration. Yes, even the botanist got a cameo.

Over in Franschhoek, Boekenhoutskloof’s Sémillon is made from the grapes of vines planted in 1902, 1936 and 1942 – and, yes, still going strong. That’s not all: the wine is fermented and matured in a combination of French oak and concrete eggs, ovoid-shaped concrete tanks inspired by ancient amphorae.

Then there’s Lanzerac, located in Jonkershoek, Stellenbosch, who boasts a rich and storied history dating back to 1692. Over the centuries, the estate changed hands several times, with its name eventually being changed from Schoongezicht to Lanzerac in 1920 under the ownership of Mrs. Elizabeth Katherina English. She developed the property into a celebrated wine estate, helping lay the foundation for its later fame. Lanzerac is particularly notable for producing the first-ever commercially bottled Pinotage in 1959.

Beyerskloof’s Pinotage blend, Traildust, tips its hat to Pinotage’s origin story, combining Pinot Noir and Cinsault, its parent grapes. Inspired by a Louis L’Amour quote, ‘Traildust is thicker than blood’, the label pays homage to all the hands that built the legacy. It’s personal. It’s proud.

Not every great wine story starts centuries ago. Neil Ellis doesn’t have a 300-year-old manor, but he does have seven consecutive Veritas double golds and a pioneering legacy. He was the first to shift the spotlight from the cellar to the vineyard, championing wine of origin. He made the first wines from Elgin (Whitehall Elgin Chardonnay) and Jonkershoek (Groenekloof Sauvignon Blanc). And he did it all with quiet excellence.

And finally: Ernie Els. This global sporting icon fell for wine through love – his wife’s Stellenbosch roots. Ernie teamed up with winemaker Louis Strydom in 2000 to produce the inaugural vintage of his Signature Cape Bordeaux-style blend. As Louis says, ‘Ernie doesn’t tell me how to make wine, and I don’t tell him how to putt.’

In 2004, he found the 70-hectre piece of land that later became home to the winery. Nestled in the Golden Triangle of Stellenbosch, it’s not only exquisite to look at, but provides the rich soils that offer the ideal growing conditions for their favoured red varieties.

So, what’s the takeaway?

Retail shelves may be crammed with pretty packaging and visible award stickers, but none of that can replace a good story told well. Which is why storytelling matters more than ever – for wineries, for wine lovers, and for everyone who believes wine should move us, not just impress us.

So, change up your routine this weekend. Visit a farm. Hit a tasting. Swirl, sniff, sip – and soak up the story.

Because wine is more than flavour. It’s a feeling.