All Change at the Cape Winemakers Guild

The Cape Winemakers Guild (CWG) has announced its new management committee for 2011, with Louis Strydom of Ernie Els Wines taking over the chairmanship from Simonsig’s Johan Malan. At the same time, three new members of the prestigious Guild have been announced as well, Coenie Snyman, Gottfried Mocke and Johan Joubert.

New Management
Renowned for his excellent winemaking principles and enduring dedication to the creation of world-class, quality wines, Louis Strydom is tasked with managing the Guild’s affairs for the next two years.

“It is a great honour to be elected chairman of the Cape Winemakers Guild and I look forward to the new challenges of an ever changing organisation during my two year tenure,” says Strydom who will continue his current involvement in the Guild’s Protégé Programme and Development Trust in addition to his new responsibilities as chairman.

The two new incumbents to the committee are David Finlayson of Edgebaston, a former chairman of the Guild, and Andries Burger of Paul Cluver Estate Wines. Duncan Savage of Cape Point Vineyards has taken over the responsibilities of Guild cellarmaster whilst Bernhard Veller of Nitida will serve another term as treasurer.

Three New Members
The Cape Winemakers Guild has expanded its membership to 44 with the induction of three new members, Coenie Snyman of Rust en Vrede Estate, Gottfried Mocke of Cape Chamonix Wine Farm and Johan Joubert of Kleine Zalze Wines.

Coenie Snyman has been with Rust en Vrede since 2006 and earned the title of Diners Club Winemaker of the Year in 2009 for Cabernet Sauvignon amongst his many local and international wine achievements. He is a passionate winemaker who balances his scientific approach to winemaking with practical experience and instinctual wisdom.

Gottfried Mocke who has been at Chamonix since 2001, is one of South Africa’s most acclaimed winemakers of Chardonnay. His Chardonnay Reserve achieved 5 stars in both Platter’s South African Wines and the Decanter awards last year. An excellent taster, his palate is well informed and this may be credited to his extensive travels and work experience on various estates in the USA and Germany.
 
Johan Joubert who has been with Kleine Zalze since 2002, has an innovative approach to winemaking without losing sight of established principles and traditions. He also holds that honesty, hard work and passion are the key elements for a successful winemaker. A regular gold and double gold medal winner at top local and international wine competitions, two of Johan’s best achievements were winning the Robert Mondavi Trophy for Winemaker of the Year at the International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC) in London and receiving the Tri-Nations Trophy for his Cabernet Sauvignon.

Established 28 years ago by eight independent winemakers, the CWG’s vision has been to elevate South African winemakers to amongst the best in the world and to set a standard for winemaking that is a benchmark for the local industry and the rest of the world.

Membership of the Cape Winemakers Guild is by invitation only and is extended to winemakers who have been responsible for the production of outstanding wines for a minimum of five years, and who continue to do so.

The Guild is committed, through its members, to innovation and consistent production of high quality, limited edition wines and prides itself on setting benchmarks for ever greater South African wines.

In conjunction with Nedbank, the Guild runs various upliftment programmes in the winelands such as bursaries for secondary and tertiary education and the Protégé Programme, a mentorship programme for young, aspirant winemakers, which is managed through the Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Development Trust.