WINE, FOOD, AND EVERYTHING THAT'S GOOD!

Between completing my final exam DipWSET, getting engaged, and touring Europe with my band, it’s been difficult finding the time to sit down and write. But when I heard about the latest initiative from Painted Wolf Wines, it felt like the perfect excuse to get back in the saddle!

After spending some time with Jeremy Borg, I understood why Painted Wolf is different. Jeremy has never been someone to shy away from the unknown. Time and again he’s backed himself, taken opportunities as they’ve come, and somehow those decisions (thankfully!) have led him to build one of South Africa’s most respected boutique wine brands. More importantly, he’s built one with a purpose far bigger than wine.

Long before Painted Wolf became one of South Africa’s best kept secrets, Jeremy was living in California, managing a successful restaurant after arriving in the United States as an illegal immigrant. One morning, a regular customer offered him part-time work at a winery. The part-time work turned into two years of driving forklifts, cleaning tanks and hauling grapes during harvest! This is where wine got under his skin.

Then, just as he was preparing to return to South Africa to become a winemaker, another opportunity came along…a safari lodge in Botswana needed a cook.

Naturally, most people would’ve stayed with wine. Jeremy headed into the bush instead. Clearly his inner dog was howling for adventure!

Looking back, he describes many of these moments as “accidents”. Personally, I don’t think that’s quite true. They happened because he has an unusual willingness to take that “leap of faith”, and see where life leads. Absolutely fearless in the face of the unknown! I imagine this is one of the many reasons I enjoy Jeremy’s company. We share many of the same values and a similar approach to life.

You don’t have to spend long with Jeremy before Botswana enters the conversation. Listening to him speak about those years, it’s easy to understand why. That’s where everything changed for him.

It was there, surrounded by wildlife, that Jeremy decided he wanted his life to contribute to conservation. There was just one problem…”I’m not a scientist”, he laughed. “I’m a cook and a winemaker”!

Therefore, he built a wine company instead.

Conservation isn’t something Jeremy added once the business became successful. It was written into the business plan before the first bottle was sold. Nearly twenty years later, Painted Wolf has donated more than R4M to conservation projects, supporting organisations such as the Endangered Wildlife Trust and the Painted Wolf Foundation in their work protecting African wild dogs and other threatened species. It’s not just a side project, it’s the reason the company exists, and it’s one hell of reason to back this brand!

Jeremy also spoke about another influence that has stayed with him throughout his career. The Californian winery where he learnt his trade was financed by hundreds of small shareholders. Friends pitched in during harvest. Money was quietly given to charity. Everyone had a stake in the outcome, and everyone shared in the success.

That way of thinking never left him.

He stands by the idea that success is rarely achieved alone. Like African wild dogs, people are at their strongest when they work as a pack. He believes in giving back without making a spectacle of it (it’s easy to say you care, it’s far harder to build an entire business around proving it). And perhaps most importantly, he believes that if you’re trying to do the right thing, people will usually find a way to help.

Those ideas run through Painted Wolf just as much as the wines do.

The latest example is the Kruger Carnivore Mixed Case.

Following Painted Wolf’s partnership with Jordan Wine Estate, Jeremy made the difficult decision to reduce the number of wines in the PW range. That left him with a collection of exceptional small-batch wines that no longer had a place in the future portfolio. They could’ve been discounted and quietly sold off. Instead, he decided to give them a second purpose.

The mixed case contains six premium wines, including some of Jeremy’s favourite bottlings, many from tiny vineyards/unique sites and some that may never be produced in the same form again. Bought individually, the wines are worth close to R1,800. The case sells for only R995. An absolute steal. The price includes delivery anywhere in South Africa.

PLEASE NOTE. This isn’t about buying discounted wine! This is about supporting a cause, and a brand which consistently gives more than it receives.

For every case sold, R600 goes directly towards purchasing GPS collars for lions in the northern Kruger National Park (the other R395 covers packaging, delivery, VAT etc.). So, the brand makes absolutely nothing from the money received.

Conservationists need these collars to monitor prides in an area where lion numbers have fallen dramatically through poaching. Jeremy has committed 6000 bottles to the project, with the aim of funding twenty collars. Buyers are also entered into a draw to win several safari and luxury accommodation prizes, but listening to Jeremy, that almost feels like a bonus.

With only 1000 cases of 6 available and more than 300 cases already sold, they won’t be around forever. If you enjoy discovering extraordinary wines while supporting a fantastic conservation initiative, now’s the time to grab yourself a case. As mentioned, many of these wines will no longer be produced (making this a very attractive, and exclusive offering)! A collectors item for sure.

What stayed with me after our conversation wasn’t a particular wine or tasting note, it was the importance Jeremy places on leaving something meaningful behind through his work. 

At the end of the day, Painted Wolf makes very good wine. But if you ask Jeremy, that’s only half the job.

Before I left, Jeremy offered me a glimpse of Painted Wolf’s refreshed packaging. If the wines weren’t enough to tempt you, the new labels just might be.

Buy here.