LEGEND has it he was conceived on a hillside vineyard at dawn on the first day of bud break. Touched by the goddess Demeter. Born on the damp floor of a cool cellar under a full moon on a sweltering autumn equinox at perfect phenolic ripeness. Raised on nothing but bread, wine, and hopeful aspirations. A vinous revolutionaire employing his mythical knowledge of the finest terroir to smokkel the most sought-after parcels from the Cape of Good Hope. The answer to prohibition and the age-old adage “n Boer maak ‘n plan”.
This is the Smokkelman Story – written by owner and winemaker Jozua Joubert.
In 2010, I unexpectedly inherited our family vineyard, Karibib. Although the farm was in a good condition, it still operated like a cooperative, and I felt the need for a transformation. Over the course of five years, my efforts shifted from selling grapes to major players, to exclusively collaborating with small independent producers.
Next step was a winery, also focusing on small independent winemakers, serving as a launchpad for upcoming wine brands. In May 2019 I finally had enough guts and the means to build the dream! My bricky and I build the winery in nine months, wrapping it up in January 2020 – perfectly timed for our inaugural harvest.
Then Covid and lockdown struck right after harvest. No wine sales meant looming disaster; a plan had to be made.
There was only one antidote; a dubious character “The Smokkelman” was born. I don’t know where he came from, but desperate times and prohibition have never gone well together. It started with one single barrel of my Syrah, bottled, and labelled by hand and packed in a generic box. It wasn’t enough. The second batch was a Cabernet Sauvignon, and I added a white wine, a Chenin Blanc that I smokkeled from some winemaker friends in the winery. That wasn’t enough – I’d created a monster, and he couldn’t be stopped.
The past three years seems like a blur, all I know is that I’m on the sixth batch of Smokkel Red, and the fourth batch of Smokkel white. Powered by the injustice of prohibition, born at the creative melting pot at Karibib Wine Craft, I now must source only the best wine from all over the Western Cape to keep him happy. The Smokkelman now has a mind of his own…
Some say he is the real Springbok head coach and that he convinced Cyril to make the 15th a public holiday. All I know is, he’s called The Smokkelman.
As part of Smokkelman Christmas we are offering 10% OFF on the Smokkelman wine until 31 December 2023. Use the code smokkelmanxmas23 to shop on online here.
