Ex Animo Wine Co.

Hello and welcome to the Ex Animo Wine Co. Podcast.
I’m David Clarke, and today is our annual SONA — our State of the Nation Address — where we take a step back and look at where South African wine really stands right now.
I’m joined by Christian Eedes of Winemag.co.za, and together we unpack the bigger picture — how producers are navigating a tougher market, where quality is rising, which regions are finding their voice, and what feels genuinely exciting versus what might be overhyped.
It’s a candid look at the momentum, the pressure points, and the opportunities shaping the Cape wine scene at the moment.
Before we dive in, a quick mention: if you enjoy discovering great wine without the guesswork, have a look at the Ex Animo Wine Club. We curate a selection of wines we genuinely believe in, delivered to your door, along with proper notes and context so you understand what’s in your glass and why it matters. Members also receive free delivery and 10% off our ticketed events.
You can find all the details at exanimo.co.za/wineclub.

Right — let’s get into it with Christian:

Welcome to the Ex Animo Wine Co Podcast: a series of interviews and discussions with winemakers and great minds from the world of wine.

In this episode, David Clarke chats with Winemag.co.za Editor and Wine Reviewer, Christian Eedes. This is the 4th annual Wine SONA (State of the Nation) discussion.

In it, David poses questions to Christian about the state of SA wine in 2025, such as:
- How do we get more South Africans to drink wine?
- Why vineyards are decreasing
- Foreign wines: why are they not necessarily better than South African wine?

*A video version of this interview is available on YouTube*

Welcome to the Ex Animo Wine Co Podcast: a series of interviews and discussions with winemakers and great minds from the world of wine.

In this episode, David Clarke talks with respected wine farmer, Johan Reyneke speaks about his approach to regenerative wine farming. Johan speaks about how biodynamic methods have helped to grow top quality grapes while also nurturing the land, animals and people at Reyneke.

Johan explains “The Reyneke vineyards are herbicide, pesticide and fungicide free. Just like any organic vineyard should be. Instead of spraying weeds with poison, we carefully select and grow companion plants amongst our vines to outcompete the weeds. These companion plants have the ability to fix nitrogen from the atmosphere, help break up compacted soil or even harbour a beneficial insect or two.”

*A video version of this interview is available on YouTube*

Welcome to the Ex Animo Wine Co Podcast: a series of interviews and discussions with winemakers and great minds from the world of wine.

In this episode, David Clarke talks with ‘Poenie’ Lourens’ from Lourens Family Vineyards. Poenie grew up in Paarl, near Stellenbosch, but doesn’t come from a winemaking family. Poenie’s wines are catching some attention from the reviewers and it is clear that he is a winemaker with real natural talent.
Watch the chat about his winemaking journey and the story behind the celebrated ‘Lindi Carien’ blended white wine.

*A video version of this interview is available on YouTube*

Welcome to the Ex Animo Wine Co Podcast: a series of interviews and discussions with winemakers and great minds from the world of wine.

In this episode, David Clarke talks with Chris Alheit about his multi-award-winning wines. Chris’ white wines, founded on an unmatched understanding of Chenin Blanc grapes. These wines are elegant, sophisticated and unsurprisingly - multi-award-winning.

Chris tells us how he first started to appreciate wine as a young wine steward, and how that curiosity led him to study and master Chenin Blanc in the Western Cape.
Wines such as Cartology and Magnetic North are served in the finest restaurants worldwide and critics agree - these wines are precise, focused, concentrated and “quite brilliant”.

*A video version of this interview is available on YouTube*