Love and Wine

Cape Winelands, Hot Tea: All the Real-World Gossip Behind Netflix’s Love and Wine (2025)

When Netflix uncorked Love and Wine, fans expected a light, fizzy rom‑com. What they got was that plus a whole barrel of discourse: copycat accusations, fandom baggage, and chemistry so strong people started side‑eyeing the cast’s interviews. Let’s swirl, sniff, and sip the juiciest real‑world gossip around the movie.

Scandals & Controversies: The “Tomato vs Wine” Copycat Drama

• The biggest scandal hit before the film even dropped. When Netflix SA released the trailer, South African outlets reported that social media users were calling Love and Wine a near clone of Brazilian Netflix rom‑com Rich in Love (Ricos de Amor) .
• One viewer allegedly dubbed it “Rich in Love (African version)” ^[1].
• Another went in even harder: “The only difference is wine. In that movie, it’s tomatoes” ^[1].

• The criticism focused on the core premise: both films feature a rich heir who hides or alters his identity to impress a woman who has zero time for entitled rich boys ^[1][2]. In Love and Wine, Owethu/Ovee trades lives with his down‑to‑earth childhood friend to prove his charm isn’t just about money ^[2].

• Local press framed it as a “copycat criticism” storm, with fans debating whether Netflix was just reskinning international hits for African markets ^[1][2].
• Important: the coverage notes there was no official clapback or statement from Netflix or producers Quizzical Pictures about the accusations ^[1][2]. Silent treatment = choice.

• Plot twist: after release, some South African press reported a “shift in opinion,” saying the film actually won over viewers despite the earlier shade . It went on to be celebrated as warm, heartfelt, and a total crowd‑pleaser in year‑end round‑ups ^[3].

Romance Rumors & Chemistry Watch

• Promo reels from Netflix SA and True Love magazine leaned hard into the chemistry between leads Masali Baduza (Amahle) and Ntobeko Sishi (Ovee), calling their on‑screen romance “adorable” with “quirky chemistry” . A sponsored reel literally sells them as the duo bringing you “the ultimate South African rom‑com” with intense, complicated love ^[5].

• At the same time, both actors stayed firmly in “we’re just talking about the characters” mode whenever romance came up in interviews, focusing on dating green flags and ideal dates rather than any real‑life sparks ^[5]. So:
• Fact: the promo machine pushes their chemistry and a “folded for him completely” love story on screen ^[5].
• Unconfirmed fan speculation: Some viewers online have read that easy banter and premiere‑night closeness as signs of off‑screen feelings, but there are no concrete receipts tying them together romantically beyond the job.

• Away from the film, Sishi’s love life has its own buzz in SA media: he’s been linked to former Miss South Africa 2021 Lalela Mswane in local coverage, marking him as firmly in “certified lover boy” territory even before the movie’s release . That only amped up interest in how he’d play a smooth, privileged heart‑throb on screen.

Cast Baggage & Fandom Drama Following Masali Baduza

• Masali Baduza did not walk onto this set as a blank slate. By the time Love and Wine hit Netflix, she was already a lightning rod thanks to her role as Michaela Stirling in Bridgerton’s queer storylines.

• On social platforms and fan spaces, some Bridgerton watchers complained about the gender‑swapping of book character Michael Stirling to Michaela, sparking accusations of homophobia and racism from other fans who defended Baduza . This broader backlash wasn’t about Love and Wine, but:
• It bled into conversations where people were sharing Love and Wine news and praising her performance.
• One fan group thread about her casting in the movie outright slammed “racists and homophobes” in the fandom while celebrating her new rom‑com lead ^[7].

• Interviews and panels around the same period show Baduza and co‑star Hannah Dodd openly addressing the backlash and defending the queer storyline, which only raised Baduza’s profile going into Love and Wine . For Netflix, that controversy accidentally turned into free global visibility for a local SA rom‑com.

Thando Thabethe: Off‑Screen Drama, On‑Screen Lobola

• Thando Thabethe, who plays Lena in Love and Wine, had a very loaded 2025.
• Local lifestyle press highlighted that she closed the year appearing in both How to Ruin Love: The Lobola and Love and Wine for Netflix, joking that her final 2025 projects showed just how booked‑and‑busy she was .

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• On Instagram she posted about a “LOVE filled day!! Junket for How To Ruin Love & Love + Wine PLUS we are officially out of office,” teasing how back‑to‑back press for two love‑centric projects had her tapped out ^[10].

• Away from Netflix, SA gossip pages have covered her messy past relationships, including a widely reported restraining order against ex Lunga Shabalala . While that’s not directly tied to Love and Wine, it absolutely colored the lens fans used when watching her play a complicated romantic foil on screen.

Wild Trivia & Behind-the-Scenes Nuggets

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• Global push, local pride: Multiple promos and captions hammered home the flex that Love and Wine would stream in 190 countries, making it one of Netflix SA’s splashiest worldwide launches ^[2][12].

• #1 in South Africa: Fan pages and local entertainment accounts celebrated when the film climbed to the Number 1 Movie in South Africa on Netflix after its opening weekend, with posts thanking viewers for making a homegrown rom‑com trend ^[4].

• Winelands flex: Coverage of the movie’s release emphasized that it was shot around Cape Town and the Cape Winelands, with local slang, food, and views built in as part of the selling point for global audiences ^[2][3].

• Music cross‑over: Ntobeko Sishi used his own socials to playfully ask which of his songs fans would have put on the Love and Wine soundtrack, blurring the line between character Ovee and Sishii the musician‑heart‑throb .

Fan Reaction: From Side‑Eye to Soft Spot

• Early on, copycat accusations had some viewers threatening to skip it. But once the film landed, local critics and audiences described it as:
• “Romantic, thoughtful, and emotionally grounding” ^[4].
• A “warm, heartfelt, and unexpectedly moving” watch that ended up on year‑end “favorites” lists ^[3][9].

• One widely shared X review gushed that the life‑swap storyline was “beautiful to watch” and loved how many parts of Olwethu open up and “start over” emotionally as the movie goes on .

So no, Love and Wine hasn’t spawned on‑set fistfights, leak scandals, or wild lawsuits—yet. But between the “tomatoes vs wine” copycat drama, Masali Baduza’s imported fandom wars, Sishi’s lover‑boy aura, and Thando Thabethe’s very public off‑screen love life, this deceptively cozy rom‑com is sitting on a surprisingly flavorful little gossip vintage.