#BehindtheSelfie with... Tshepang Molisana
1. Where do you live, work and play?
I've recently moved back home, to Johannesburg.
2. What’s your claim to fame?
I was the 2016 Veritas Young Wine Writer of the Year.
My Afropolitan dream. | For the next month I'll be sharing sublime wine with the inimitable @jcwLIFE on @kayafm95dot9, please listen to Saturdays with Jenny from 09:00-11:00. It's too wild to fathom. I'll listen in on the radio | �� : 95.9FM in Joburg, ��: https://t.co/p7EGjJ7tsX pic.twitter.com/CczxAEsCNR
— Tshepang Molisana (@TshepiMolisana) March 3, 2018
3. Describe your career so far.
A dream come true.
4. Tell us a few of your favourite things.
Spending time with my friends and family, seeing my granny laugh, finding art that moves me, discovering wine I can't forget, tasting something that makes the hairs rise on my arms.
5. What do you love about your industry?
The warmth and generosity of the people I meet.
6. Describe your average workday, if such a thing exists.
I wake up about 5am, brush my teeth, make a cup of coffee, check my email and calendar. Work on compiling interviews, research for stories and compile notes on new wine deliveries. Then I eat breakfast, get ready for my day job and head to work from 9-5.
7. What are the tools of your trade?
A very good nose, a well-trained palate, fairly vast knowledge about agriculture, economics and global trends. Also, a wild sense of humour, a handful of adjectives, patience, timeous invoicing, an excellent work ethic, the ability to commit to deadlines and an agile demeanour.
8. Who is getting it right in your industry?
Internationally, Dr Jamie Goode, Eric Asimov, Wine Folly and very many more.
In South Africa, I suppose the veterans continue to inspire, I'm always amazed by Neil Pendock's wine knowledge, Winnie Bowman is a pro, Fiona McDonald, Graham Howe, Abigail Donnelly, Len Maseko, Jeanri-Tine Van Zyl and so many others have made this industry one that I've felt so proud to become part of.
But, previous awardees of the Veritas Young Wine Writer of the Year Award – Malu Lambert, Sandile Mkhwanazi and Marthélize Tredoux – have all done phenomenal work.
It's a challenging time in the publishing industry, I admire writers who continue to commit to producing excellent, enlightening work while navigating these challenges.
9. List a few pain points the industry can improve on.
If I knew the answer to that, I would save the water crisis! I think it's hard, we need to continue work on training and education, we need to find ways to reconsider the business model for print publishing, we need to understand how to embrace digital, we need to study good writing to become better – and we need to do all this while keeping the lights on and paying the rent. It's tricky.
10. What are you working on right now?
I've been privileged to review wine for Marie Claire magazine. I've recently started working on a series on careers in the wine industry for Wineland Magazine, I've had the pleasure of working on my first story for Sawubona, the in-flight magazine for SAA, I occasionally have the honour of writing for the Mail & Guardian Friday paper, I am working on a new project with Taste Makers Africa, and I'm working on a short story.
Marching into a new month, new week, new career? A day in the life of a sommelier. | A conversation with Brenda Karamba, Majeka House Restaurant Manager and Sommelier for @WineLandSA | https://t.co/UYZdG3qgpo
— Tshepang Molisana (@TshepiMolisana) March 5, 2018
Thank you @Wandawyn @jgmrichter @MajekaHouse @manleycom pic.twitter.com/WjOSDFEqaY
11. Tell us some of the buzzwords floating around in your industry at the moment, and some of the catchphrases you utter yourself.
I don't know if there are catchphrases, but wine certainly has its own language, which is why I obtained my WSET Level 2 certificate and intend to study further. Words like ‘minerality’, ‘corked’ and ‘malolactic fermentation’ were not part of my vocabulary before.
12. Where and when do you have your best ideas?
Sometimes it will be out of the blue, so I always keep a notebook and my phone's notes folder nearby. Sometimes it's while I'm sitting in front of the computer working, which is ideal.
13. What’s your secret talent/party trick?
I take notes without looking down at my notebook.
14. Are you a technophobe or a technophile?
Technophobe, for sure. I still struggle to blog. I'm sometimes months behind on Instagram. But I'm trying to keep up with digital as well as print and other forms of media.
15. What would we find if we scrolled through your phone?
Photos of my friends and family. Many photos of my grandmother. Many images of bottles of wine.
16. What advice would you give to newbies hoping to crack into the industry?
Work hard, be persistent, be willing to learn, be resilient, don't get lost in the noise, know what works for you, find your own voice.
In 2013, I was a Veritas Young Wine Writer of the Year and I consistently continued to work, even when it didn't seem possible. I'm grateful to all the people who kept encouraging me, and all the people who published my work.
Simple as that. You’re welcome to email Molisana, and be sure to follow her on the following social media channels: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tumblr
*Interviewed by Leigh Andrews.
About Leigh Andrews
Leigh Andrews AKA the #MilkshakeQueen, is former Editor-in-Chief: Marketing & Media at Bizcommunity.com, with a passion for issues of diversity, inclusion and equality, and of course, gourmet food and drinks! She can be reached on Twitter at @Leigh_Andrews.
