Tasting Notes
"Rising star Banele Vakele's wine brand honours his late mother, Tembela fittingly meaning ‘faith, hope and love’. So fresh and pure, this wine feels like daybreak. Cool, green aromas of limes, apples and figs brighten into lemon peel and sun-warmed thatch. His day job as Duncan Savage’s assistant has rubbed off in the hands-off winemaking here, the 13 months in old 600-litre barrels not impacting the crystalline acid structure – like a snowflake that melts into a finish of yellow peach." Malu Lambert, Decanter.com
More Info
A man on a mission, Banele Vakele of Tembela’s journey into wine is nothing short of extraordinary. Growing up in the township of Khayelitsha outside of Cape Town, he earned a scholarship to a smart Constantia high school and it was here, and a vineyard that his classroom overlooked that Banele used to stare on to at particular moments of ennui mid-class that so drew him to wine. Today, he now works as assistant winemaker for Duncan Savage in Salt River, where he makes his own wines. In Xhosa, Tembela means to have faith, hope and belief, all sentiments that his mother had in Banele's decision to pursue a career in wine. The wine label pays tribute to the things that are most important to Banele: women wearing traditional Xhosa attire carrying wine barrels, infusing two matters that are most important to him: his culture and his love of wine.