About
An independent South African wine platform.
Smart About Wine exists to make South African wine easier to understand, and its wine country easier to discover.
Johan Botha
The winemaker behind the lens.
Johan Botha is a trained winemaker, professional photographer, educator and visual storyteller based in the Western Cape.
He understands the technical story behind the wine and the human story behind the bottle — and he photographs both without dressing either one up.
Smart About Wine grew out of a simple frustration: the best parts of South African wine were happening in vineyards and cellars where nobody was looking.
Background
Three disciplines, one platform.
Photography
Almost three decades behind a camera, working in portraiture, landscape, food and documentary photography.
Winemaking
Formal winemaking training and time in the cellar, which means the technical story is never guessed at.
Teaching
Years of explaining wine to people who were told it was complicated, in language that respects them.
Editorial philosophy
Photography first. Honesty always.
Editorial features are chosen on merit, not on budget. Commercial photography work and sponsored content are always clearly separated from independent journalism, and labelled where they appear.
Nothing is styled beyond recognition. If a cellar is dusty, it is photographed dusty. The wine is more interesting than the fantasy.
Mission
Help more people understand South African wine.
Help more people discover South African wine country.
Help more wine farms tell better stories.