Tops at Spar sponsors Gugulethu Wine Festival, launches KwaMashu

The KwaMashu festival will be held on 25-26 July 2014 at the K-Cap Film School in Gia Road in KwaMashu.

Says Mark Robinson, Tops at Spar Group liquor manager, "The company is thrilled to confirm its commitment to the Gugulethu Wine Festival and the residents of Gugulethu and look forward to another sterling event in 2015. While we regret that the event could not take place in 2014, we look forward to focusing our attentions on the newest festival in our stable, the inaugural KwaMashu Wine Festival. After 20 years of democracy, we agree that it is time to shine the light on this largely unknown hub of creativity and talent located between Durban and Umhlanga."

Both the wine festivals found their inspiration in the successful Tops at Spar Soweto Wine & Lifestyle Festival, which celebrates its first decade in September. This festival attracts visitors and sponsors from around the world to a three-night celebration of wine, food, art and music, in the heart of the vibrant city of Soweto from 4-6 September 2014.

Says Marilyn Cooper, Cape Wine Master and co-founder of the Soweto Wine & Lifestyle Festival and consultant to the Gugulethu and KwaMashu festivals, "It is with great pride we see our festivals take shape and meet the needs of local communities, gradually changing the landscape of the wine industry. When we started the wine festival, the vision was to make wine accessible to people who had largely been excluded from enjoying wines; to see this flow into other areas and be embraced and adapted to the communities and visitors it attracts. It is a welcome boost for the wine industry in South Africa."

For more information, go to www.gugulethuwinefestival.co.za or www.sowetowinefestival.co.za.