John Platter Wine Guide 2012

Platter's Guide was conceived in 1978 by wine lovers and print journalists John and Erica Platter, after reading Hugh Johnson's ground-breaking Pocket Wine Book. The couple wryly recall that the first (1980) edition – an attempt at assembling a local version of the Pocket Book, recording as many of the why, where, when and how specifics as possible – was dismissed as “boring” and a “waste of their money” by a compositor employed by the very company commissioned to do the printing! But three decades, two Best Wine Guide Worldwide awards, and well over a 1.4 million copies later, we’d like to think the Platters were onto something. They’ve since handed the reins to a new team, and we’re doing our best to remain the favourite guide to who’s who and what’s what in South Africa’s winelands.