THE COLD SOAK: May 2026

Wine sales are down. New labels keep launching. Nobody seems quite sure what AI is going to do to wine media. And somewhere in the middle of all that, South African wine keeps getting better.

This month, David Clarke and Christian Eedes discuss the state of the industry following the Vinpro/FIA Summit, the growing challenge of attracting new drinkers, and whether wine is becoming harder to navigate than it needs to be.

They also look at recent releases from Anysbos, Hogan, Leeu Passant, Corney Family Wines, Raats Family Wines, Storm Wines and Glenelly Estate, touching on everything from pricing and ratings to the ever-growing number of wines competing for attention.

As always, there are a few disagreements, a few digressions, and plenty of opinions. It's also our longest episode to date. Whether that's because there was more to talk about or because we swapped coffee for wine is left to the listener to decide.

THE COLD SOAK: brought to you by the Ex Animo Wine Club (exanimo.co.za/wineclub/) 

Once a month, we sit down to talk about everything that went down in South African wine. New releases, industry gossip, bold moves, questionable decisions—we've got opinions on all of it.

Hosted by Ex Animo Wine Co. director, David Clarke, with winemag.co.za editor, Christian Eedes, the podcast brings together two respected voices with a clear-eyed view of what matters and what does not.

Each month’s episode cuts through the noise of new vintage releases, incisive analysis of Winemag.co.za reports, and opinionated conversations about the direction of the industry. 

At its heart, The Cold Soak is about informed perspective: rigorous without being pretentious, analytical without losing its sense of humour. Clarke and Eedes balance professional critique with a relaxed, conversational rhythm, making it as engaging for industry insiders as it is for curious wine lovers looking to understand what is in their glass.