Editorial: The Swartland Revolution at 15 – Vive la Stagnation?
By Christian Eedes, 22 April 2025
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By all accounts, this year’s Swartland Revolution was a triumph. The wines were thrilling, the crowd suitably adoring, the hangovers probably manageable (see Michael Fridjhon’s piece here). But the question I can’t help but ask – perhaps because I wasn’t there – is this: Can we still, in good faith, call it a revolution?
Granted, some creative licence was being exercised when the event was first conceived, and yes, there’s still brand equity to be leveraged. But at what point does a word like “revolution” start to feel a little glib – if not outright distasteful?
After all, we live in a country where a real revolution – against systemic repression – was fought and, in part, won. As we approach Freedom Day, marking 30 years since South Africa’s first democratic elections, it seems worth pausing to reflect on what’s at stake when using terminology that carries such historical weight.
This year’s Swartland gathering marked 15 years since the inaugural event. Back in 2010, there was something stirring. The South African wine industry was in flux: the KWV had long since relinquished its statutory powers, transformed from super-cooperative to corporate entity, and the comforting blanket of price supports and surplus removal was gone. Grape growers, understandably distressed, began exiting the industry in alarming numbers – from 4,786 in 1991 to just 2,350 in 2023.
At the same time, however, the number of cellars crushing grapes soared, peaking at 582 in 2011. The Swartland “Revolution” emerged to prove that independents not only had a place in the new order but could thrive. And indeed, the Fab Four – Badenhorst, Mullineux, Porseleinberg, and Sadie – have gone on to build wildly successful brands, re-shaping perceptions of what South African wine can be.
But herein lies the rub: if revolution implies systemic transformation – something that benefits the many, not just a charismatic few – has that actually happened?
The broader picture tells a more sobering story. In 2024, South Africa’s vineyard area shrank to 86,554ha, down 15% from its 2006 peak. Grape supply is tightening, and while we remain the sixth-largest exporter by volume, we’re still outside the top 10 in terms of value. Premiumisation might come easily to the Swartland’s stars, but it remains elusive for the rest.
Let’s not forget: revolution, properly defined, is about overturning entrenched systems, establishing new structures, and delivering lasting benefits for the majority. Mere regime change won’t cut it – true transformation is deeper, more inclusive, more enduring.
Have the Swartland icons revolutionised South African wine? Certainly – for themselves. But perhaps they now serve more as outliers, a reminder of how resistant the broader industry remains to real change.
Of course, some readers might be tempted to dismiss all this as sour grapes. As mentioned, I wasn’t at the event. At R9,500 a head (before travel and accommodation), I couldn’t justify the spend. The organisers made clear no media would be invited – saying it was too tricky to choose who made the cut. I would respectfully suggest that a refusal to invite scrutiny is, in fact, a classic counter-revolutionary stance.
Still, I’m not cynical enough to think the revolution is over. If its core ideals remain unmet, then perhaps it’s time for a reboot – one grounded in today’s realities, broader in reach, humbler in tone, and bold enough to face the hard questions.
Because if we’re still calling it a revolution, then surely we owe it to ourselves – and the industry – to make sure it actually is one.
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Udo Goebel | 22 April 2025
Reading your writing again it strikes me that you compare the Swartland Revolution with the uprise against Apartheid. Two different worlds in my opinion. Not fair and I really don’t see why you made the comparison?
With the help of ChatGpt, this seems like a good summary:
The original intention of the **Swartland Revolution**, launched in **2010** in the **Swartland wine region** of South Africa, was to **celebrate and showcase the region’s unique terroir and its new wave of winemakers**—particularly those making **natural, minimal-intervention wines**.
Here’s a breakdown of the **key goals** behind the movement:
### 🍷 1. **Highlight the Swartland as a serious wine region**
– At the time, Swartland was often overlooked compared to Stellenbosch or Franschhoek.
– The Revolution aimed to **put Swartland on the global wine map** as a region producing high-quality, expressive wines.
### 👨🌾 2. **Support like-minded, artisanal winemakers**
– A core group of winemakers—like **Eben Sadie**, **Adi Badenhorst**, **Chris & Andrea Mullineux**, and others—wanted to create a community focused on **authentic, terroir-driven wines**.
– They championed **old vines**, **dry farming**, and a **natural approach in the cellar** (e.g., native yeasts, minimal oak, little or no filtering).
### 🍇 3. **Promote natural and sustainable winemaking**
– The Revolution celebrated **minimal-intervention winemaking**, moving away from overly manipulated, industrial wines.
– The goal was **purity and place**—letting the vineyard and the vintage speak for themselves.
### 🎉 4. **Create a vibrant, inclusive wine culture**
– The annual **Swartland Revolution event** (2010–2015) was part wine symposium, part party—with tastings, talks, food, music, and lots of passionate people.
– It brought together winemakers, sommeliers, and wine lovers from around the world in a **laid-back, unpretentious setting**.
So, in essence, the Swartland Revolution was about **changing perceptions**, **raising standards**, and **building community**—all while keeping the vibe fun and rebellious. It helped kick off a broader movement in South African wine toward authenticity and innovation.
Tim Parsons | 22 April 2025
The world loves a tag line; “golden triangle” in Stellie, for example. The attention focussed upon Swartland, since 2010, has been a wonderful reward for the principle partners. Why shouldn’t they benefit, expanding their operations, and gaining worldwide profile benefits the whole sector! It’s a little curmudgeonly ( I do hope my predictive text doesn’t fail me) to criticise the use of a word because it may have historical connotations for the writer. It may well be the last one, at which point, you’ll need to find some other nebulous subject to exercise your writer’s spleen! Cheers.
David Wright | 22 April 2025
This was less of a review and more of a hit piece on the Swartland Revolution organizers. It also seems the tight-fisted journalist has also been hit by the ‘woke’ stick.
I was there – and the R9500 paid was worth every penny.
Viva La Revolution.
Christian Eedes | 22 April 2025
Hi David, The piece was intended as a considered reflection on how we use language like “revolution” in the context of South Africa’s broader historical and socio-economic realities. It’s entirely fair that you enjoyed the event and felt it offered value; that doesn’t preclude space for critical engagement. As for your description of me as “tight-fisted”, I’d gently point out that journalism – especially in the wine world — is rarely a path to riches. Attending a R9,500 event simply isn’t feasible for many working writers. That’s not being cheap; it’s about making ends meet.
Melvyn Minnaar | 22 April 2025
Maybe it is now – in line with current political trends – a question of each for him/herself. (The smart high-end marketing spin for this party will indeed find fertile ground amongst those who have the cash. And the rest will still peruse the lower shelves of the wine shop.)
The fact that the terribly-named Heineken Beverages has just reported a drop of 20 percent in sales for the last quarter may also be a sign that, as far as consumers are concerned, no revolution has taken place. With one legendary wine brand after another quietly disappearing from the production lines of that new holder of the once famous SFW/Distell annals, one cannot be optimistic that South African wine culture is alive and well as a collective. The Heineken people “apologise” by saying they are still “learning” (about “more profitable wines”.) Oh well.
I wonder what those who signed off on that Judas deal are thinking these days. Started, like the chaps of the Swartland Revolution by a group of wine people in Stellenbosch exactly a hundred years ago, Stellenbosch Farmers’ Winery was pretty revolutionary at the time too. Now its legacy only lives on in whiffs of memory…
Erwin Lingenfelder | 22 April 2025
What goes around comes around
Erwin Lingenfelder | 22 April 2025
Revolution is often followed by greed. While it is an established brand the Swartland has not reinvented the wheel. Many great local wines are still made in the traditional wine-growing areas, at relatively affordable prices.
If AGOA pulls the plug on SA wine exports I suspect that the Swartland stands to be hurt where it counts most for us all: our pockets. We are not going to pay what they currently earn in the US.
Udo Goebel | 22 April 2025
Sounds to me as sour grapes 🙂
The title of this event was Back to the Revolution, not giving freebees to journalists sounds very wise when you organise an expensive event and you could give the original 4 some credits for putting Swartland as a region on the map. I am sure many more winemakers/wineries/brands have benefited from their work. Any Swartland wine is now an easy sell compared to 15 years ago.
Cheers and no I could not make it but would have loved to join.
RUDI KOTZE | 22 April 2025
Agreed Christian that, at the cost thereof, the 2025 event was hardly representative of the ‘portion of the population’ typically associated with a revolution of any kind.
That said, the event is the Swartland revolution, not the South Africa revolution and it can hardly be argued that the Swartland has been revolutionised from a wine perspective and that this certainly goes wider than the founders.
Keith Prothero | 22 April 2025
I agree that R9500 was a hell of a lot to charge and certainly put many off , including myself and my family !! Guess the Revolutionaries did not want the riff raff there but only those who could afford the prices their wine now commands !!
Cannot really blame them as it was after all a commercial event and no longer the emphasis on marketing a “brand “ , as it was initially.