{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The Wine Centric Show","title":"Bruwer Raats | The Man Who Built South Africa’s Most Iconic Wine","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3507,"description":"Bruwer Raats planted his flag in the Polkadraai Hills when nobody else wanted to be there. The soil was granite, the land was cheap, and the two varieties he chose — Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc — were widely considered the least exciting grapes a winemaker could possibly champion. His colleagues called him a mad hatter.That was 2000. Today, Polkadraai Hills is a declared ward on the label of one of the world's most consistently decorated wines.Matt goes deep with Bruwer on the full arc: growing up in post-apartheid South Africa and the democratic shift that shaped his entire career; training stints in Bordeaux, Napa, Germany, and Tuscany; why granite soils and a south-facing slope were worth more to him than prestige real estate in the Golden Triangle; the braai conversation with his friend and partner Mzo that gave birth to MR de Compostela — South Africa's first 50/50 black-white wine company, not by mandate but by friendship and shared ambition; and the discipline it takes to declassify your only wine in 2010 and again in 2019 because the vintage simply wasn't good enough.There's also a cars-and-wine pairing game to open, the now-legendary Ferrari traffic cop story, and Bruwer's four-bottle prescription for anyone who wants to understand South African wine.First South African guest on The Wine Centric Show. Long overdue.\nWe’re grateful for the support of our episode partners:\n▪️Fearrington House: https://fearrington.com/\n▪️Glasvin: Use code WINECENTRIC for 10% off: https://tidd.ly/41vgdSQ\n🔔 Subscribe for more deep dives into wine culture.\n🎧 Listen now on YouTube + all podcast platforms\n🔗 Full episode and show notes at winecentricshow.com\n#BruwerRaats, #RaatsFamilyWines, #MRdeCompostela, #SouthAfricanWine, #StellenboschWine, #PolkadraaiHills, #CheninBlanc, #CabernetFranc, #CapeClassics, #WinePodcast, #WineInterview, #WineEducation, #SouthAfrica, #Pinotage, #FineWine, #OldVineProject, #WineAndFoodPairing, #TheWineCentricShow, #Stellenbosch, #WineTasting","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/vUFcStfgzzIgLspOTR6nSw_boW0s7hNF7Dbay33qG4M/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9mNDhm/ODNkYjEzNWYzMGI0/Yzg0ZTUzY2RlMGYw/OWY4Ni5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}