Winery
Mosi Wines was created in 2014 by top sommelier Joseph T Dhafana and was named after Mosi-oa-Tunya, the village in Zimbabwe where Joseph grew up. He learnt a lot from famous Swartland winemaker and viticulturist Chris Mullineux. Joseph’s maiden vintage had 4 stars in Platter’s Wine Guide. With Mosi Wines his vision is to make wine which is both accessible and of the best quality possible. The Mosi Wines and spirits are named after family members as this is a family owned business. Joseph T. Dhafana : “For now we have Chenin Blanc named after my son Tinashe, our Syrah is a tribute to my father who passed away in 2004.” The Mosi Wines has been expanded this year with a new range of Sauvignons Blanc and Chenin Blanc : Mapopoma. The new Mosi Gin named “WaMambo” will also be introduced shortly by African Wines.
Wine maker
Joseph T Dhafana’s life story reads reads both like a thriller and a fairytale. In 2009 he and his wife fled from poverty-stricken Zimbabwe in a container that was railway-transported into South-Africa. For a couple of weeks they found shelter in the Central Methodist Church in Johannesburg. Joseph managed to find a job as a gardener at a restaurant in the Swartland. In 2010 he was promoted to barman, and there, on his 29th birthday he had his first-ever glass of wine. Joseph: ‘My mind was in the vineyards, I was thinking how someone could convert grapes to such a wonderful liquid. The wine bug followed me from that day.” He passed wine courses, blindtasting championships, was in panels and became a wine judge. Now he is one of SA’s most renowned sommeliers, one of the 4 Zim Somms and Head Sommelier at the iconic La Colombe restaurant in Cape Town. In 2014 he started making his own wine and gin.
