Meeting the Winemaker Reshaping the Cape Winelands

A conversation about belonging, representation, and the changing face of the Cape Winelands.

We had visited several charming wine estates that day, each beautiful in its own way. But this stop at Klein Goederust ended up feeling the most meaningful.

It was not because of the architecture or the scenery, although both were beautiful.

It was because of Rodney Zimba, the winemaker at Klein Goederust.

I was there with Wilma, my guide, who knows Rodney personally, so the conversation felt natural from the beginning.

There was nothing performative about him. No overly polished welcome speech. No rehearsed storytelling designed for visitors.

He simply started talking.

About wine.

About the land.

About the journey that brought him there.

And somewhere in that conversation, it became clear that this was about much more than winemaking.

Rodney spoke about growing up with vineyards as part of the landscape around him without ever imagining he would one day shape wines from that same landscape himself. He shared that his mother once worked on the land as a laborer, which made his journey into winemaking feel even more significant.

A portrait of Rodney Zimba's mother, displayed at Klein Goederust.

For generations, the Cape Winelands represented beauty and exclusivity, but not necessarily belonging for many Black South Africans.

Listening to him, I kept thinking about how much South Africa holds both histories at once.

The beauty and the complexity.

The privilege and the exclusion.

The old stories and the new ones still being written.

What stayed with me most was not bitterness. It was pride.

Pride in mastering the craft.

Pride in creating something world-class.

Pride in occupying a space that, for so long, did not feel accessible to many Black South Africans.

There was also a quiet sense of possibility in the conversation. The feeling that the Cape Winelands are slowly becoming more layered, more inclusive, and more reflective of the country itself.

And honestly, I think that is part of what modern luxury travel should do.

Not just showcase beautiful places.

But deepen understanding.

Create connection.

Reveal the people quietly reshaping the identity of those places in real time.

The Cape Winelands are already beautiful. Anyone can see that.

But experiences like this add something far more memorable than scenery.

They add perspective.

By the time we left Klein Goederust, I realized the most memorable part of the afternoon had nothing to do with the wine itself.

It was the conversation.

And to me, that is the difference between simply visiting a destination and truly experiencing it.

Want more of South Africa? I put together a free guide with everything I wish someone had told me before my first trip, the places, the pacing, the small things that make a difference. Download The South Africa Travel Guide here.

Warmly,

Asaba