“I’d Take a Crate”: SA Stunned by Bottles With Weathered Labels Telling Story of Western Cape Storms

• Wine content creator Wine with Lebo shared an Instagram video showing bottles with storm-damaged labels
• The bottles form part of the Bottles of Hope initiative, supporting Western Cape wine farms hit by storms
• Mzansi social media users reacted with warmth, with some saying they would buy a whole box

A Gauteng wine lover has left Mzansi touched by bottles with weathered labels. She found them while shopping at Food Lover’s Market Hillfox in Roodepoort, Gauteng. The bottles form part of a campaign helping a flood-hit Western Cape wine farm rebuild.

The wine enthusiast, known online as Wine with Lebo, posted the video on Instagram on 15 July 2026. She explained that the weathered labels tell a story of resilience after recent storms. Devastating floods swept through parts of the Western Cape in May this year.

Vineyards, farms and family businesses across the winelands faced months of recovery afterwards. Some producers reported losses running into millions of rands from the extensive flood damage.

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Bottles of Hope campaign supports flood-hit wine farms

Among the hardest hit was Van Loveren Family Vineyards, a beloved family-run wine farm in Robertson. Millions of bottles survived the floodwaters but emerged covered in mud and silt. Instead of discarding the stock, Food Lover’s Market partnered with Van Loveren instead.

The initiative, called Flood Wines Bottles of Hope, sells the marked bottles to shoppers nationwide. Every purchase directly helps support the flood-affected wine farm as it continues its recovery. Food Lover’s Market said the campaign is about far more than simple wine sales.

Lebo said she spotted the bottles while shopping at Food Lover’s Market Hillfox. She noted the weathered bottles are also stocked at other Gauteng branches nearby. The bottles sell for three for R100, offering shoppers quite a discounted deal. Food Lover’s Market has confirmed that all proceeds go directly back to Van Loveren. The retailer said it earns nothing from the sales of the flood wines.

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Mzansi social media users were deeply touched by the story behind the imperfect bottles. Many said they would proudly display the bottles rather than hiding the mud stains.

Watch the video below:

Source: Briefly News