Up-and-coming local winemakers to watch

Every so often we hear the fizzing excitement of an up-and-coming young wine professional making waves in the industry. Today we delve into the why and how of these young winemakers came to be in the industry and what the future may hold for these budding stars.

Kiara Scott (Brookdale Estate Winemaker)

What motivated you to join the wine industry and subsequently become a winemaker?

Winemaking as a career was something new and exciting that I had not heard of before. It presented opportunities for growth and a platform to express creativity to educate others and participate in transformation, which I am passionate about.

What was it like working on your very first vintage as a winemaker?

Exciting, thrilling and nerve-wrecking but mostly fun. In wine, I’ve learnt, unlearnt and re-learnt. After gaining experience and knowledge over these few years, it felt like the perfect start to a new journey.

Juandre Bruwer (Winemaker at Diemersdal)

What is the best part of your job?

The best part of the job is without doubt the feedback you get from customers. The enjoyment you see on their faces after tasting the wine. Because at the end of the day, I am not only making wine because it is my passion but because the customer enjoys it more.

Can you tell us more about yourself?

In 2009, I took part in the harvest at Perdeberg Wines. In 2010, I enrolled at Elsenburg, where I studied oenology (winemaking and vineyard practice). In 2014, I spent 10 months at Saronsberg and then, at the end of October 2014, I started at Diemersdal as a junior winemaker. In 2017, I became a winemaker and I still enjoy every moment.

Danielle Coetsee (Cap Classique whizz at Boschendal)

What is your winemaking philosophy?

I am a firm believer in the motto that ‘you get out what you put in’. In winemaking, this is even more important than just an individual’s approach to the process and detail of work required. The best wines are made from the best sites and, consequently, the best fruit. Making sure you source grapes from the most sustainable and well-positioned areas ensures that you already have most of the requirements to produce the best possible wines (or, in my case, Cap Classique). The production of a Cap Classique-style wine (secondary fermentation in bottle) is an extremely detail-oriented process, in which you need to ensure that at each defining moment and opportunity the preservation of the amazing fruit that went into the wine is experienced when the person opening that bottle is welcomed with the flawless ‘pop’. And that is what I will be pursuing my entire career, chasing the perfect bubble.

Michael Malan (Winemaker at Simonsig)

What motivated you to join the wine industry and subsequently become a winemaker?

A: I am the third-generation Malan winemaker, after my grandfather and father, so it was probably in my blood from the beginning. But it was always such an adventure for me growing up on our family farm and spending time in the cellar and in the vineyards. But it was only after school, in my gap year, when I went to do a harvest in the northern part of Italy, that I was convinced it was my calling. During this time, the people I worked with could hardly speak or understand any English, but strangely I still felt at home and comfortable in the environment.

Tania Kleintjies (Winemaker at Spier)

What motivated you to join the wine industry?

My love for science and nature drove me towards a BSc in Agriculture degree. The idea of winemaking really intrigued me – creativity backed with science. I knew that the wine industry was a white, male-dominated field and the rebel in me knew this is something that I can conquer. I wanted to be part of the action and production was, therefore, a no-brainer.

Were you inspired by other winemakers when you began?

When I started out, I heard about the women pioneers in the wine industry but, at that time, I just wanted to be a rockstar winemaker!