She may be known as one of the South African wine industry’s many ultra-competent women who get things done but it was almost exactly a year ago that I saw, first-hand, how Carina Gous elevates the art of multitasking to heights most of us can only marvel at. And this happened in the kitchen of a wine farm along Portugal’s Douro River, where she took personal responsibility for ensuring that some thirty seasoned Portuguese winemakers received their first taste of that quintessential South African sacrament: the braaibroodjie.

The occasion was a gathering at the estate of Portugal’s wine maestro Dirk Niepoort where a travelling group of South African wine folk had been invited to treat their Portuguese counterparts to a proper South African braai. While most of the South Africans were quite happy to offer up limp New Zealand lamb chops and boerewors from a local butcher — owned, naturally, by an ex-Gautenger — Carina insisted that such a showcase could mean nothing unless braaibroodjies were on the menu.

Along with fellow traveller Daléne Fourie, wine editor at Netwerk24, Carina managed to track down basic sliced bread and Cheddar cheese, rare commodities in the rural north of Portugal. As flames in the farmhouse’s dining-room hearth mellowed into coals, the stack of braaibroodjies was assembled. From there, Carina kept a watchful eye, ensuring that this South African rite arrived before the hosts in a state of perfect, cheesily toasted completion.

Someone even conjured up a jar of Mrs Ball’s Chutney, giving the Portuguese the choice of experiencing their first braaibroodjie with or without the national relish. Needless to say, the sandwiches were the highlight of the evening for the local winemakers. The next day, one Douro producer told me he and his team were already impatient for the next visit so they could once again experience “the fire breads”.

When she’s not educating the Portuguese on braaibroodjies or crossing the globe to present wine-tastings and seal deals, Carina is at home at Kleine Zalze in Stellenbosch. She has worked with the winery since 2020, helping guide a brand that sits squarely at the top end of South Africa’s wine offering in both production and quality propositions. Her reputation as one of the industry’s most seasoned authorities in the spheres of marketing and wine business stems partly from her years as brand director and head of wine at Distell (now Heineken Beverages), and from her tenure as chairperson of Wines of South Africa (WOSA) from 2017 to 2023. She still sits on the board.

With Kleine Zalze exporting 70% of its production, Carina is well placed to speak frankly about why, more than three decades after sanctions fell away, South African wine has still not managed to fully capture the world’s imagination. Exports hover consistently around 310 million litres out of an average annual production of 880 million litres, and the struggle to command premium pricing and to shake-off the “cheap-and-cheerful” image remains stubbornly real.

“The truth is,” Carina says, “and this came up again at the Cape Wine show in September, that as a category South Africa is not one of the offerings restaurants, wine shops or supermarkets feel they must have.”

“When you look at what international buyers are exposed to, such as  Bordeaux, Burgundy, Provence rosé, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, Tuscan reds, German Riesling, these are wines that hospitality and retail in Europe and America believe they have to list because their customers know and want them. South Africa simply doesn’t have something they feel they cannot live without.

“Take Britain and Sweden, countries that have historically been good to us. Our category is shrinking there. So, when sales decline, how do I convince that supermarket or restaurant buyer that South African wine is a valuable proposition?”

I venture a counterpoint: surely the last 10 or 15 years of glowing media coverage: endless reports calling South Africa “the most exciting wine country on earth” and “the next big thing”. This must count for something, not?

“Yes,” says Carina, “but remember that those expert reports and specialist coverage reach a tiny number of buyers. They don’t touch the average, middle-of-the-road wine drinker at all. At Cape Wine we showed our very best, and the trade was impressed, not needing convincing. But when they go back to America, Hong Kong or Europe, they find their customers know next to nothing about South Africa compared to the famous, traditional wine countries. And it’s hard to keep a product on your shelves if your buyers’ do not share the same enthusiasm.”

At Kleine Zalze, however, with its strong domestic presence and major export footprint, Carina and her team seem to be moving with a more favourable current. She credits much of this to the strength of an established, visible brand alongside, of course, wine quality.

“Powerful brands create presence,” she says, “sometimes even more than the country they come from. Take Cloudy Bay in New Zealand. Forty years ago, no one knew New Zealand made wine. Suddenly Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc was everywhere, and that single brand built the country’s modern wine reputation. More prominent South African brands abroad would absolutely help grow the category.”

What stands out about Carina beyond the strategic thinking and industry acumen is her unfeigned, deep love of wine.

The daughter of a Montagu wine farmer, she grew up bewitched by the smells of fermenting grapes and the seasonal theatre of vineyard life. Afternoon sips of Muscadel on the farm stoep taught her early on to appreciate wine’s small miracles. “Wine and the wine industry are simply who I am,” she says, recalling how, during her university years, she stored her wine collection under her car seat because alcohol was banned in residence rooms.

This instinctive feel for wine serves her well at Kleine Zalze, where she and her team oversee a broad range of wines from diverse varieties. The approach is fluid and flexible, always with the goal of bottling the highest possible quality while building the brand.

“Kleine Zalze works differently from an estate limited to what grows within its own borders,” she explains. “Our aim is to express each variety at its best. So, we access vineyards in Stellenbosch and other regions, allowing us to craft Cabernet Sauvignon, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah — to name a few — from different parcels that each contribute their own character. We’re not known for multi-varietal blends, but in truth we blend single varieties from several regions to achieve the best possible expression.”

With Kleine Zalze sourcing fruit from regions as varied as Stellenbosch, Durbanville, Elgin, Darling and Citrusdal, the cellar can also explore remote, unusual sites for its experimental Project Z range, wines made from comparatively rare varieties like Palomino, Grenache Blanc and Alvarinho.

“Winemaker RJ Botha and his team believe, as I do, that creativity is essential,” says Carina. “There are always new vineyard pockets to discover, new cellar techniques to attempt and, if they succeed, to weave into our ethos. This keeps us surprising our customers with new directions in our traditional range as well as the boundary-pushing thinking that defines Project Z each year.”

Keep your mind open, she says.  Except when it comes to a braaibroodjie. There, the rules are non-negotiable. Absolutely no Chutney.

• First published in Die Burger newspaper.