Mandela label absorbs South African wines
Source: AFP |
May 8, 2013, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
OVER the years South African icon Nelson Mandela has inspired a clothing line, pricey artworks and countless cheap souvenirs, all of which have fuelled debate over the use of his image.
Now wine lovers can toast his name with the "House of Mandela" range launched by family members, a product that has raised fresh questions about the uses and abuses of the statesman's legacy.
The label's founders are adamant that the venture does not exploit him, however.
"This is not about Nelson Mandela, this is about the House of Mandela," said Makaziwe Mandela, his oldest living child aged 59, who started the label with her daughter Tukwini. "The driving force for us is not only to get into the wine as a commercial entity. This is about honouring all those who have gone before us."
Marketed in the United States earlier this year, the label was started in 2010 with various winemakers selected in the country's famed Cape vineyards.
The range's premier collection consists of two reds and one white dubbed the "Royal Reserve." The two top drawer reds sell for 399 rand (US$45), a hefty asking price in South Africa.
"The concept is very good, but I am not sure that the wines are that good, for such a price. That's the reality. They are too expensive," said a wine seller.
Technically, Mandela's brand is copy-righted and his foundation has shut down several brazen attempts over the years to cash in on his revered global status.
A court battle currently rages over the control of companies in his name.
Head of the Mandela Foundation's memory program, Verne Harris said that Mandela had wanted to avoid exploitation.
"The guidelines included things like 'I don't want my face on commercial products, I do not want to be associated with tobacco, alcohol'," and so on," he said.
Wine may be alcohol but the reality is that the Mandela surname is carried by the younger generations who have taken to projects such as wine making and reality TV.
"The name Mandela doesn't belong to Nelson Mandela. It belongs to a family," said Harris.
And not everyone thinks the wines are distasteful. The Cabernet Sauvignon was judged an "outstanding" 4.5 out of five by South Africa's well-known Platter guide. The other two got a four-point "excellent."
"They are super premium wines, the quality matches the price, and we are not shy about that," said Tukwini Mandela, 38.
Makaziwe agrees, saying the wine aimed to tell the story of the Mandela family's royal roots.
"There is a regalness about Africa. It is not that everything that comes from Africa is substandard. There is good quality," she said.
Now wine lovers can toast his name with the "House of Mandela" range launched by family members, a product that has raised fresh questions about the uses and abuses of the statesman's legacy.
The label's founders are adamant that the venture does not exploit him, however.
"This is not about Nelson Mandela, this is about the House of Mandela," said Makaziwe Mandela, his oldest living child aged 59, who started the label with her daughter Tukwini. "The driving force for us is not only to get into the wine as a commercial entity. This is about honouring all those who have gone before us."
Marketed in the United States earlier this year, the label was started in 2010 with various winemakers selected in the country's famed Cape vineyards.
The range's premier collection consists of two reds and one white dubbed the "Royal Reserve." The two top drawer reds sell for 399 rand (US$45), a hefty asking price in South Africa.
"The concept is very good, but I am not sure that the wines are that good, for such a price. That's the reality. They are too expensive," said a wine seller.
Technically, Mandela's brand is copy-righted and his foundation has shut down several brazen attempts over the years to cash in on his revered global status.
A court battle currently rages over the control of companies in his name.
Head of the Mandela Foundation's memory program, Verne Harris said that Mandela had wanted to avoid exploitation.
"The guidelines included things like 'I don't want my face on commercial products, I do not want to be associated with tobacco, alcohol'," and so on," he said.
Wine may be alcohol but the reality is that the Mandela surname is carried by the younger generations who have taken to projects such as wine making and reality TV.
"The name Mandela doesn't belong to Nelson Mandela. It belongs to a family," said Harris.
And not everyone thinks the wines are distasteful. The Cabernet Sauvignon was judged an "outstanding" 4.5 out of five by South Africa's well-known Platter guide. The other two got a four-point "excellent."
"They are super premium wines, the quality matches the price, and we are not shy about that," said Tukwini Mandela, 38.
Makaziwe agrees, saying the wine aimed to tell the story of the Mandela family's royal roots.
"There is a regalness about Africa. It is not that everything that comes from Africa is substandard. There is good quality," she said.
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