Singita, One of Africa’s Most Influential Wine Authorities
- Singita’s wine list encompasses over 222 labels supplied from a specialist maturation facility in the heart of the Cape Winelands
- Many of the wines are exclusively procured or commissioned for the Singita guest wine-style profiles
- With award-winning chef Liam Tomlin and an unmatched wine cellar, Singita is taking safari dining boldly into the future
[Singita](https://singita.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwkpfWBRDZARIsAAfeXapOqoqz3-2SM88csEzRaP3CqUzTXmSVaaOpxUAzq7pyIG6mFa0H5-caAnlWEALwwcB)_, the conservation brand behind twelve award-winning lodges and camps in Tanzania, South Africa and Zimbabwe, is recognised as one of Africa’s most influential collectors of wine. Its extensive cellar showcases a premium selection of the continent’s most sought-after private reserves, exclusive release, limited single vineyard, and rare auction wines many of which are no longer obtainable even by rare-wine auction. Importantly, Singita’s buying process goes beyond merely purchasing bottles of wine. Instead, it focuses on guest wine-style trends coordinated with contemporary Southern African wine and handpicking environmentally conscious producers with community development at the forefront.
The Singita Cellar and Head of Premier Wine
Many of the most critically acclaimed wines are produced in miniscule volumes and are often sold-out prior to official release. Singita’s wines not only feature many of these contemporary rarities but older vintages of the wines are the norm rather than the exception. Head of Singita Premier Wine, François Rautenbach, manages the selection, and in some cases even advises winemakers of guests’ preferred wine-styles at the creation or blending of new wines, their acquisition, maturation and distribution of the wines to each lodge - overseeing all aspects of Singita’s extensive wine cellar. François is deeply invested in hospitality, having lived and worked in Africa, France, the UK and Australia – always with a focus on food and wine excellence. He is a graduate of the Cape Wine Academy and received a distinction at the Michael Fridjhon Wine Judging Academy in 2008. Francois has also served as a judge and panel chair for prestigious wine events worldwide and is sought out by industry professionals for insight, advice and wine calibration. François’s close working relationships with specific winemakers ensures they are aware of the international guests’ exposure value and thereby Singita is offered allocation volumes not available to other buyers. The result is a premium selection of wines from smaller specialists, complemented by the rarest wines from larger producers. Be they wines from emerging cutting-edge Swartland winemakers such as David & Nadia back to their maiden vintages, the rarest and uniquely vintage Pinotage ‘Le Vin de François’ – a mere 1,200 bottles sold at the by-invitation-only annual auction, or the Cederberg – V Generations Cabernet - available fifteen years back to maiden vintage and the internationally acclaimed Nederburg Auction sweet wine rarities, some still in their youth three decades later.
The selection is supplied via temperature-controlled logistics from Singita’s dedicated maturation cellar in the Cape Winelands to the remote lodges and camps for guests to sample at no extra cost. Singita is one of the very few places in the world that matures wines and offers them to guests at the point of optimal enjoyment – whether that is three or thirteen years later.
Singita Wine Experience
With award-winning Cape Town-based chef Liam Tomlin and an unmatched wine cellar at the helm, Singita is taking safari dining boldly into the future. Singita’s collaboration with Liam brings freshness, modernity and global flavours to the menus, which are based on seasonal produce grown by communities in the local area. The breadth and depth of Singita’s cellar, and in particular contemporary South African wines such as Cape-White blends, perfectly combine invigorating flavours and textures to complement or contrast the freshness and spice within Liam’s recipes. Building on the gourmet experience at Singita, up to seven in-house sommeliers are available to lead informal bespoke wine tastings in incredibly scenic settings. A once-in-a-lifetime experience for guests takes place at Singita Sasakwa - perched above the Serengeti plains and set within a magnificent 350,000-acre private concession in Tanzania - Singita Grumeti. From the superb vantage point atop Sasakwa Hill, which has dramatic and elevated views over the migration, guests can retire to a cliff-top table for dinner with fine wine tastings by the sommelier.
Singita Wine Premier Direct Service
As a natural progression following these memorable wine experiences, Singita offers the Premier Wine Direct Service, a popular addition for guests to access personally selected consignments of South African wines. Available to make-up and take home or specialist-freighted to many parts of the world, this service offers a unique momento for guests to enjoy after their time on safari.
Sustainability and Community Development
In 2018, Singita moves closer towards its goal of being a completely zero waste and carbon neutral operation. Singita has implemented the _One Planet Living _framework at all lodges and camps, based on ten guiding principles of sustainability which reduce greenhouse gas emissions, save water, improve waste management and recycling. This follows through with Singita’s approach to wine, whereby all the Singita lodges are using state-of-the-art refrigeration to store wines, which reduces electricity consumption by as much as forty percent. In addition, Singita specifically transports larger volumes of wine collectively in temperature-controlled containers and vehicles, thereby reducing carbon footprint by not relying on a multiplicity of unprotected local deliveries. Singita purchases wine from producers who prioritise environmental sustainability by minimising water use, utilising large-scale solar-power generation while retaining or redeveloping natural fauna-and-flaura corridors within the certified Integrated Production of Wine protocol (IPW). Community development is of equal importance and back at the lodges, Singita also works alongside Liam and the Singita Community Culinary School on an exchange programme for interested culinary students from local communities, guiding them at grassroots level towards careers in hospitality.
Note to Editors:
Singita is a conservation company that has been preserving African wilderness for the past 25 years, offering an exceptional safari experience with 12 luxury, award-winning lodges and camps across 5 regions in Africa. In partnership with non-profit funds and trusts who implement strategic conservation projects in each region, Singita is preserving and protecting pristine land and wildlife populations and helping to create economic independence within local communities surrounding the reserves.
Press Release
Contact: Singita Public Relations
Email: PR@singita.com
Reservations can be made through the address below
Singita, Tel: +27 21 683 3424, Email: enquiries@singita.com, www.singita.com