Hardy McQueen launched Nice Bev Co. in July 2020 with a simple mandate: build a home for South African winemakers from marginalized communities who deserved more than the industry had historically given them. The project sources fruit from multiple Cape Winelands appellations and turns it over to a rotating cast of gifted collaborators, each with full creative freedom over their cuvee.
Backstory
McQueen came from the food world as a chef before transitioning into wine negociant work. Nice Bev Co. was designed from inception to disrupt the concentration of ownership and opportunity in South African wine, giving Black winemakers and women a commercial platform at a time when such opportunities remained rare. Within four years of launch, winemaker Kiara Scott-Farmer became the 2024 Diners Club Winemaker of the Year, only the second woman to receive the honor in the award's 44-year history.
The Region
Grapes are sourced from across the Cape Winelands, including Paarl, Wellington, Stellenbosch, and the Cape South Coast. The Atlantic and Indian Ocean influence a climate of warm days and cool nights, allowing Chenin Blanc, Cinsault, and Sauvignon Blanc to retain freshness and definition without intervention in the cellar.
Winemaking
Natural winemaking is the house philosophy. Only indigenous yeasts are used for fermentation. Sulfur additions are avoided wherever possible. The Say Less Chenin Blanc receives 15 percent skin contact; the Just Land Sauvignon Blanc spends seven days on skins. The Ancient Fizz-Eezy sparkling wines are made using the methode ancestrale, capturing primary fermentation bubbles without disgorgement or dosage.
The Wines
The portfolio includes Say Less Chenin Blanc, Just Land Sauvignon Blanc, Leave it With Me Red (Syrah, Cinsault, and Grenache), Ancient Fizz-Eezy Chardonnay, and Ancient Fizz-Eezy Cinsault Rose. Winemakers contributing to the project include Kiara Scott-Farmer, Natasha Williams, Kayleigh Hattingh, and Wade Sander, one of the only Black farmer-winemakers working on his own family land in South Africa.
