There’s an awful lot of noise in the world these days. E-mails ping into our inboxes, mobile devices buzz with social media alerts, and brand messaging bombards our eyeballs everywhere, from the cinema to the golf course. Even choosing a glass of wine is a complicated business, with thousands of wines from hundreds of cellars begging us to pop the cork. Though he can’t do anything about your inbox, Wade Bales would like to help with that last problem. And perhaps do the wine industry a favour along the way. With more than two decades’ experience as a high-end wine merchant, Bales is increasingly establishing himself as a négociant, assembling wines from a variety of producers and cellars. Each year he creates up to 10 own-label wines, working with winemakers of the calibre of Martin Smith, Arco Laarman and JD Pretorius. But Bales’ latest releases have loftier ambitions, perhaps playing their own small part in rebooting the perception of premium SA wine both at home and abroad. "Inte...

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