Drostdy Hof together with the dynamic duo from Vino Noir proudly presents Blends and Friends, a 6-part video series that explores the beauty of blends, both in wine and life, in the company of new friends. Today, we’re getting to know the hosts of Blends and Friends – brothers and creators of Vino Noir, Thulani Xhali and Qhama Xhali – to get their take on the world of wine.
What is Vino Noir, and where did the idea start?
“Why are we called Vino Noir? Because we’re noirs drinking vino! It was during lockdown, and we were just hanging out together, sharing a glass of wine on a cold Saturday afternoon. We were casually discussing whatever bottle of wine we were drinking, and Jes (our producer, editor, director of Vino Noir, and Thulani’s wife) recorded a candid chat we were having. After she showed us the recording, and with a bit of arm twisting and some back and forth, we decided to create short two-minute videos and post them on Twitter to see if people would enjoy watching them. People received it well, and we decided to just keep putting content out there. The aim for Vino Noir has always been to have a good time while showing the fun, unpretentious side of wine; we want the conversations around wine to be more relaxed”.
In the Blends and Friends series, you sit down with different industry blending experts from various walks of life to get to know more about their individual passions, the stories behind their journeys, etc. Tell us where you’re from and some of your personal passions.
“We’re from King William’s in the Eastern Cape. We were raised by our mother and went to Dale College right through to grade 12. After school, Thulani went on to study at Stenden in Port Alfred, and Qhama studied marketing at NMU in Gqeberha. We now both live in Johannesburg. When it comes to passions, we both have a range of passions—besides our love for SA wine, Thulani has recently gotten into golf and loves all things watches, and Qhama is an avid road runner and is fragrance obsessed”.
In your opinion, what is the biggest misconception about the world of wine?
“That wine is for a select few. Wine is for everyone (over 18 years old, of course) who is keen to know more about it. These stereotypes about wine lovers are slowly being eradicated, but it is a slow and laborious process. Nothing about wine should ever be intimidating, especially in South Africa, where we make some amazing wine”.
How do we change these misconceptions and make everyone feel included and open to trying wine?
“We would say, make the language around wine less intimidating by giving out simple yet unpatronizing explanations to terms that are often used around wine. These wine terms are often pretty easy to understand, but they can be intimidating for some. This is also why we were so excited to partner with Drostdy Hof and their approach to making wine and blends more inclusive and welcoming to everyone. We think it’s quite clear to see in the Blends and Friends series that we’re chatting to a selection of South Africans from different walks of life and industries and that there truly is a blend within the Drostdy Hof range for everyone”.
What do you love most about the range of expertly blended Drostdy Hof wines, and do you have a particular favourite blend?
“The fact that there is something for everyone—different people will find one or more Drostdy Hof blends that they will enjoy or find interesting in the range. There’s a great deal of choice. In terms of a favourite, we would say that the Light Dry White is definitely one of our favourites. It’s a light-natured wine, and the tropical fruit flavour on the palate with a touch of citrus is always so refreshing for easy-drinking vibes”.
As previously mentioned, in the Blends and Friends series, you get to sit down with different people who are blending experts in their own right to uncover some really interesting stories about who they are, where they come from, and their journey to pursue their passions. Do you have a favourite story from one of the guests featured in Blends and Friends?
“Firstly, what we loved most about this series is finding out more about everyone’s backgrounds—how they got to the point they are at now as leaders of their respective industries. In most of the stories, you’ll find that they needed to overcome some sort of adversity and that there was one person or a group of people who played a key role in giving each person the opportunity they needed to get where they are today. It’s also really inspiring to see that all of the guests featured are paying it forward in some way by giving others the kind of opportunity they once enjoyed themselves. Our favourite guest story definitely has to be about barista and business owner Sihle Magubane. Just the fact that someone took a chance on him when he knew nothing about coffee and supported him. Today, Sihle has his own business called Sihle’s Brew and employs more than 10 people. It’s a great success story and an example to us all that any passion or industry, no matter how big or unreachable it may seem, is reachable”.
