Thursday, 2 April, 2020
iol.co.za, Debashine Thangevelo
Head sommelier Wikus Human, the winner of the 2017 Moët & Chandon Best Young Sommelier competition at the 2017 South African Sommeliers Association (SASA) offers greater insight into his role and how it helps refine the dining experience.
He says, “I’ve had a long-standing love affair with wine. In defining my career as a sommelier, there are two moments that led me to believe that this was where my future lay.
"The first was disgorging a bottle of Le Lude MCC with Paul Gerber, one of the country’s leading Cape Classique makers; and the second driving Kevin from Ataraxia’s bakkie through his vineyards and being greeted as a winemaker (by mistake…). I am now privileged to work for The Marble group at two of South Africa’s top restaurants – Marble and Saint. It’s here I get to engage, and share my love of wine, with almost 800 guests a day.”
He continues, “The concept of a sommelier is a new one to most South Africans. Traditionally they’ve always been present at high-end fine-dining restaurants, predominantly in the winelands. These days, they are regular features in a number of more accessible establishments across the country. My goal, along with other sommeliers who love wine and have made it their career, is to share my passion and knowledge, and to enhance our guests’ overall dining experience.
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