Roodeberg turns 75

KWV'S ICONIC RED: UNTIL 2004 IT WAS SCARCELY FOUND LOCALLY

- Jim Freeman

Great wines weave themselves into the fabric of our lives, becoming part of our stories; poured at celebrations and shared at dinner tables with those we cherish most."

Journalists are taught that opening a story with a quote is a sin made cardinal when the words flow from the mouth or pen of a fellow member of the media.

But I am unable to better - let alone match - the words wine writer and brand consultant Jeanri-Tine van Zyl-Punt recently used to open her paean to Roodeberg, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year.

"For the first 55 years, Roodeberg was exclusively made for export," she wrote.

"Although not readily available locally until 2004 without an acquaintance with a KWV quota, Roodeberg has always enjoyed iconic status in the hearts and minds of South Africans.

"Bartering sought-after test match tickets, biltong and the like in return for a bottle or two was common practice."

I remember the smug expression on the face of the company director under whose roof I dwelled for some years in the early '90s when he presented bottles of KWV's premier wine on special occasions.