Nice Beverage Co.

Nice Beverage Co. is a proudly black-owned wine negociant founded in July 2020 by Hardy McQueen, a chef turned wine entrepreneur who launched the brand during one of the most turbulent periods in South African wine history -- the Covid-era alcohol bans. From the outset, the company was built with a clear social mission: to create space for emerging wine talents, particularly women and black winemakers who have been historically excluded from the South African wine industry.

Nice Bev Co. operates as a negociant rather than an estate producer. McQueen sources grapes and finished wines from a rotating cast of winemakers drawn from marginalised communities across the Western Cape. There is no single house style imposed on the collaborators -- the unifying thread is a general enthusiasm for lower-intervention winemaking. Only natural yeasts are used, and the wines are vegan-friendly, reflecting a commitment to honest, minimal-manipulation production.

The bottled wine range includes Say Less Chenin Blanc, Leave It With Me Red Blend, and Ancient Fizz-Eezy -- a pet-nat sparkling made from Cinsault using methode ancestrale. The names are deliberately informal and contemporary, pitched at a younger, more diverse audience than traditional South African wine marketing tends to target. In addition to bottled wines, Nice Bev Co. made waves with the launch of UNFLTRD, a canned wine range that includes Sauvignon Blanc, Pale Rose, and Chenin Blanc. The canned format was a deliberate choice to make quality South African wine more accessible and portable.

Nice Beverage Co. does not operate a tasting room, cellar door, or physical estate open to visitors. It is a brand and negociant business, with wines available through online retail, selected wine shops, and a growing international export network, particularly into the United States where the natural wine community has embraced the label. For wine tourists, this is a brand to seek out at bottle shops and restaurants rather than a destination to visit.