Maties successfully defended their title as Vino Varsity Champions after a commanding performance against the teams of UCT and Tuks recently.
This intervarsity competition between the wine societies of different universities, in this case the universities of Stellenbosch, Cape Town and Pretoria, was hosted by Backsberg for the fifth time.
UCT and Maties both arrived with scores of supporters who contributed to the festive atmosphere despite the cold and rainy weather conditions.
The first round comprised 30 general knowledge questions covering wine history, winemaking and international wines. According to Alana Ridley, Marketing & PR Coordinator at Backsberg, Maties had their A game on and dominated this section.
They also performed well in the second round – blind tasting. Teams tasted different wines and had to identify cultivars, origins, vintages, RS levels and faults, amongst other questions.
During the debate round (round three), teams debated the topic of alcohol advertising and the potential effects of the proposed ban.
Tuks disagreed with the assumption that the banning of alcohol will be in the interest of societal well-being and described the ban as a "blunt, clumsy instrument to address the problem". They argued that the ban would have little effect on the amount of alcohol consumed but will have a negative impact on the economy, stifle competition in the industry and even lead to job losses.
Maties argued that alcohol abuse is not a result of advertising but rather of socio-economic circumstances. "A ban would be misguided and economically detrimental," they added. Their suggestion was that the strategy be altered (not obliterated).
UCT admitted that the abuse of alcohol is a problem but expressed doubt that an advertising ban would prevent it. "Rather target the root causes of alcohol abuse," they said. They suggested that advertisements be used to inform people about the dangers of alcohol abuse and that limits on advertising could be considered – such as when and where the ads may appear. They won this round.
In the end, Maties were the overall winners, with Tuks in second place and UCT third.
Bryce Gillespie, captain of Maties' team, said it felt really great to have won Vino Varsity again.
"We really feel like this title belongs at Stellenbosch, the heart of the Cape Winelands. We felt the pressure this year, so we knew we had to step up our game. We've always enjoyed the strong rivalry between us and UCT, so it was really great to see the relative newcomers, TUKS, take 2nd place. At the end of the day though, wine is the real winner. The point of the competition is to encourage wine appreciation among the students of the universities, so we really hope the competition will continue to grow from strength to strength."
- The Maties Wine Culture Society consists of just over 400 members. They are one of the most active societies on the Stellenbosch campus with two events every week. Once a week they'll head out on a wine tour and in that same week, they'll also host a tasting on campus.
