Hi everyone
As some of you may know, Food24 launched a wine club named Vin-atics last year… mostly because we managed to snag Her Supreme Lushiness, outspoken wine personality Cathy Marston as our Wine Editor.
Of course, to be able to hold as much alcohol as Cathy manages in an average day, day after day after day, you need to be English. Which means she is having a really hard time dealing with our March Vin-atics theme: zef.
“But what does it even MEAN?” she asked me in our editorial meeting.
“Well, it’s like trashy Afrikanerdom, but with an ironic take,” I tried to explain. “Basically, cool young Afrikaners telling the world they can take their stereotypes and druk it in jou gat op.”
“But what does THAT MEAN?” she wailed. ‘and what on earth are we going to EAT?”
“We’re going to have a re-braai,” I said. “Because say what you like about Zef Afrikaners – they may be loud, rude, uncouth and a little frightening – but they would NEVER EVER let a braai go out.”
Cathy’s out of her depth, wine-wise, for the first time ever.
Clearly this month is going to be hard for her. So we had to send her very specific missions. First, she’s been tasked with finding some really nice dooswyn. Then we told her she had to find Klippies n Coke pre-mixed in a can.
And then, because we decided to take pity on our desperate but much-loved Wine Editor, we also said she could get some Hermanuspietersfontein, really gorgeous wines labelled exclusively in Afrikaans. (We’re not totally horrid.)
But clearly she needs your help. Can you recommend some wines you think embody the zef phenomenon? Which won’t poison our guests? (Who include Food24’s favourite son, Sardines on Toast and zef rock star Ch0pp3r of blog of the year, watkykjy and Wedding DJs fame.)
It’s no easy task, but as SA’s biggest foodie audience, we think you are our best bet for suggestions. To join Vin-atics, simply subscribe to the newsletter here. You can check out previous Vin-atics antics here (like the night Jan Braai let the braai go out, for example.)
If you like wine, but aren’t precious about it… then our Vin-atics wine club is for you. There’s also a case of wine up for grabs every month.
Now… I am off to torture our resident soutie a little more. My job is just CHOCKERS with fun.
Love and brandy-based happiness