South Africa’s premier safari brand Singita, recent winner of Travel + Leisure’s Best Hotel in the World (2008) award, has raised the bar once again with the opening of a premier wine boutique on site at Singita in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve. Recognised as one of the country’s most influential buyers of wine, Singita’s extensive cellar showcases a premium selection of wines, including some of South Africa’s most sought-after private reserves and vintage wines.

With a wine list that encompasses approximately 200 labels, wine has always been a key ingredient of the unique Singita experience. In 2006 and 2007 the Singita Ebony and Singita Boulders wine list received an Award of Excellence, the top Diners Club Wine List accolade.

The newly opened wine boutique is an extension of the Singita retail experience, and is centrally situated adjacent to the African Trading Store, the property’s acclaimed shop and gallery between Singita Ebony and Singita Boulders. It offers a custom-built boutique environment where guests may browse through Singita’s wine selection, and is an ideal environment for wine conversation and interaction with Singita’s team of wine experts and sommeliers.

Here guests may use the services of Singita Premier Wine Direct to purchase wines from the Singita collection that include sought-after Limited Release, Single Vineyard and Icon vintages, to either take with them or that may be shipped home on their behalf.

Each lodge has its own temperature-controlled wine cellar with a unique ambience, such as the distinctive underground cellar of Singita Boulders - complete with the enormous boulder that gave name to the lodge.

Wine connoisseurs also revel in the opportunity to enjoy personalized wine tastings courtesy of Singita’s experienced sommeliers who with effortless finesse, are able to guide guests through several vineyards, countries, years and cultivars to sample those that may suit their taste.

The individual Singita lodge cellars are supplied from a 10 000 bottle bulk facility at Singita Sabi Sand, which brings the ‘on property’ stock between the five South African lodges to close to 20 000 bottles, in addition to another 25 000 bottles in Singita’s bulk maturation facility in the Cape.

Led by Francois Rautenbach who heads the wine division, Singita has embarked on a training programme for young, wine-enthused staff members, providing educational assistance, personal mentoring and access to wine training programmes.