VERITAS 2021

WHITE WINES/WITWYNE 11

his retirement 11 years ago. Here he had made pioneering contributions to the establishment of the viticulture consultation service of KWV and Vinpro. Johan’s career was marked by his involvement with many industry committees and organisations such as the South African Society for Enology & Viticulture, Stellenbosch Agricultural Society and the South African Agricultural Counselling Association of which he was chairperson of the Western Cape branch. He was also one of the first members of the Western Cape viticulture discussion group. He was a member of the working group for the drafting of cultivar guidelines for the Western Cape wine cultivation regions and founding member of six viticulture study groups for Stellenbosch producers. Under his leadership, the drafting and presentation of management courses for wine grape producers took precedence. He wrote viticulture notes for the certificate and diploma courses of the Cape Wine Academy and often acted as examiner for the Cape Wine Master students. Johan was an inaugural management member of the Pinotage Association and remains today as an honorary member. He has published about 38 local, and 3 overseas publications on viticulture and counselling. ERICA PLATTER Erica comes from a sugar farm in KwaZulu Natal. This is also where she was schooled and completed her university education. Her dream to become a journalist came true when she started working at the Cape Herald as editor of the women’s pages. There after followed a career as news reporter and columnist for newspapers in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg. Erica and her foreign correspondent husband, John conceived the idea of a South African wine guide when they moved to a small farm in Franschhoek in 1978. “Platter”, an instant best-seller, saw its first publication while they still held day jobs – Erica was deputy editor of national women’s magazine, Fair Lady, while John wrote, farmed and made wine on the three different farms which had become their homes, including Delaire - which Erica had named. Today Erica is a writer, editor and publisher of wine and food story books. They sold their interests in the Platter book and moved back to KwaZulu Natal. Their next book, Africa Uncorked, winner of the international Glenfiddich Award, chronicled their travels to and through the vineyards and cellars of 13 different countries, from Algeria to Zimbabwe. Story-telling is the Platter couple’s forte. It is what has also distinguished Erica’s four food books, focusing on the produce, dishes, chefs and cooks of KwaZulu Natal, and in particular, this province’s quintessential dish, Durban Curry. These all won Gourmand World Cookbook awards. More recently, she reported on young Zimbabwean refugees who have become top sommeliers. Jancis Robinson featured the original story on her website and the ZimSomms are now the stars of an international documentary film. Erica’s writing is still continuing – the Platters are ready to embark on their next wine odyssey, the rise of SA chenin. And as we know Erica, it will happen, a little differently, a little later.