The two newly graduated Cape Wine Masters (CWM), Marlee Malan and Rudolph Steenkamp, flanked by Jacques Steyn (ICWM) and Heidi Duminy (Cape Wine Academy).
Two newly graduated Cape Wine Masters (CWM) were presented with their diplomas at the annual awards luncheon on 11 August 2023, hosted by Heineken Beverages at the Tangram Restaurant at Durbanville Hills in Cape Town.
The diplomas were awarded by the Cape Wine Academy (CWA) and the Institute of Cape Wine Masters (ICWM), which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.
The two new CWMs are Marlee Malan of Vinochem Specialities in Kuils River and Rudolph Steenkamp, a wine and vineyard consultant and co-director of Salt Rock Wines based in Stellenbosch.
Malan’s dissertation focusses on the application of different types of commercial enzymes in wine production in South Africa as a sustainable, environmentally friendly processing aid. Her research finds that the use of enzymes in winemaking holds great economic benefit by optimising yield, efficiency and quality, while reducing wear and tear on machinery as well as turn-around times in multiple key winemaking processes.
The research and trials conducted over a three-year period clearly show the impact of correctly applied enzymes on juice yield, waste reduction, colour extraction, cellar capacity, and subsequent profitability. The more widespread application of enzymes has the potential to benefit South Africa’s wine producers because they have been proven to be efficient, cost-effective, safe, and sustainable.
Steenkamp’s dissertation gives a short summary of vineyard practices in South Africa and how to convert conventional farming to organic farming step-by-step, armed with an understanding of the complex symbiosis between soil carbon, microbes and the plant, andapplying this to increase soil fertility and plant health without using chemical fertilisers, pesticides, and fungicides.
He covers the history and origins of the organic movement and why it was seen as controversial to what is currently being taught in schools and at universities. There is also a detailed account of different organic certification bodies to help grape farmers/wine producers to identify the type of certification which is most relevant to the industry, the current European and American rules and regulations, the business side of farming with insights into structuring protocols and systems and financial risk assessments, and relevant practical solutions and methods for converting to grape organic farming, regardless of wine region.
These highly topical dissertations are available in full on the website of the Institute of Cape Wine Masters www.icwm.co.za.
The welcome address was delivered by Sharon Keith, marketing director of Heineken Beverages South Africa, on behalf of Jordi Borrut, managing director of Heineken Beverages, who had an unscheduled urgent appointment. This was the first public engagement in the wine industry by Heineken since the company took over Distell in April 2023.
She announced that Caroline Snyman, also a Cape Wine Master, has been appointed as director for the innovation, research and development hub of Heineken in Stellenbosch, where she will head up the first Heineken Innovation Hub in Africa and the Southern Hemisphere.
A short tribute was paid to the late Martin Moore, who died suddenly a few months ago after 25 years as winemaker at Durbanville Hills.
At the annual ICWM black-tie dinner held at Creation Wines on Saturday, 12 August, the names of the respective winners of the Wine Personality of the Year award and the Dave Hughes trophy were announced.
Pieter ‘Bubbles’ Ferreira, chief operating officer and visionary winemaker at Graham Beck Wines, was designated as the 2023 Wine Personality of the Year.
As the long-serving chairman of the Cap Classique Producers’ Association founded in 1992, Ferreira has been the driving force behind the rise of Cap Classique as a legitimate bottle-fermented sparkling wine style in its own right.
Ferreira has petitioned for the foundation of a quality charter and detailed indicators to protect the quality and reputation of the class and this has led to ongoing research and experimental projects in pursuit of its advancement.
Ferreira first crafted the maiden vintage of his Cap Classique 32 years ago and positioned Graham Beck as a world leader in the production of premium Cap Classique which was affirmed by international critical acclaim, awards, and special honours.
Ferreira actively champions Cap Classique globally and, in association with the Cape Wine Academy, the recently launched Cap Classique Academy has further inspired the trade and consumers through education. He generously shares his experience and skills by consulting and advising fellow members and producers.
He was the Diner’s Club Winemaker of the Year 2004 in the Cap Classique category.
Heidi Duminy, principal of the CWA since July 2020, was designated as the fourth winner of the Dave Hughes Trophy, instituted in honour of the co-founder and honorary CWM of the Cape Wine Academy in 1979, who died in February this year. It is awarded annually to the CWM who has made a notable contribution to the Institute of Cape Wine Masters (ICWM), wine education or to the wine industry in general.
She is a deserving winner, in the light of her tireless work since her appointment in promoting awareness of the CWA and giving it a new face and character as a non-profit organisation as a platform for future growthin wine education. She also spearheaded the renovation of the CWA’s premises at Oude Postkantoorin Stellenbosch and has elevated the image of the Institute and the CWA with the gallery wall of barrel staves featuring Cape Wine Masters since its inception.
Her dedication to wine education started when she qualified as a CWM in 2004. She has extensive experience spanning more than 20 years in the wine industry, including as marketing manager for Meridian Wine Merchants andshe previously worked for Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy in South Africa and DGB.
Heidi is a senior lecturer at the Cape Wine Academy. She graduated with Distinction from the Wine Magazine Judging Academy and is widely known for her particular expertise in Cap Classique and Champagne. She sits on several judging panels,including the Amorim Cap Classique Challenge, Veritas and the Trophy Wine Show.
Jacques Steyn, chairman of the ICWM, also made mention of the progress of the Institute’s Vision 2030 programme, which aims to promote greater racial and cultural representation in the ranks of Cape Wine Masters and which is also the focus of an SABC2 television programme called ‘Stories Untold’.
Two of the four candidates selected to enter the programme for an intensive two-year stint have made good progress during their first year, completing the necessary study and research and participating in the various tasting activities.
They are Lethabo Komana, a chef and events management consultant, and Xolani Mancotywa, a certified sommelier, qualified chef and culinary artist.
The CWA was launched on 1 May 1979 as part of the Stellenbosch Farmers' Winery (SFW) Wine plan. In 2003, the Cape Wine and Spirit Education Trustgranted the Cape Wine Academy the right to award the Cape Wine Master (CWM) qualification and confer the Cape Wine Master’s title, in collaboration with the Institute of Cape Wine Masters.
The first three CWMs to graduate in 1983 were Bennie Howard, the late Duimpie Bayly and the late Tony Mossop, who were also the founding members of the ICWM in 1983.
With the addition of the latest two CWMs, the number to attain this elite self-study qualification in the 44-year history of the CWA has now reached 113, including the three honorary members. Of the total active membership of the Institute, Western Cape members comprise 74%, Gauteng 22%, KwaZulu-Natal 3% and Free State 1%, with overseas members making up 14% and RSA members 86%. The total membership profile of the ICWM is 52% male and 48% female. There are 12 deceased members.
Profiles and dissertations
Profile: Marlee Malan
Marlee Malan grew up on a farm on the outskirts of Stellenbosch. She studied marketing part-time and has been working since 2011for Vinochem Specialities, a leading distributor of speciality products to the South African beverage industry, specialising in enzymes.
This gave her the inspiration to investigate the potential benefits of applying commercial enzymes in wine production in South Africa as a sustainable, environmentally friendly processing aid.
Marlee started with the introduction to wine course at the Cape Wine Academy to gain more knowledge about the South African wine industry and that was the starting point of her ever-expanding appreciation for South African wine. This has been a life-changing and inspirational journey for her and she hopes to inspire more people to love, appreciate and drink South African wine!
Marlee Malan's dissertation: "The uses of enzymes for winemaking in South Africa"
CWM Marlee Malan’s dissertation on the uses of enzymes for winemaking in South Africa investigates the potential benefits of applying commercial enzymes in South African wine production as a sustainable, environmentally friendly processing aid.
Her dissertation focusses on the application of different types of enzymes for South African winemakers to improve their process and highlights all the added benefits. Her research finds that the use of enzymes in winemaking holds great economic benefit by optimising yield, efficiency and quality, while reducing wear and tear on machinery as well as turn-around times in multiple key processes.
The first part of the study comprises a literature review that provides the theoretical context underpinning the various enzymes and the processes involved in the application of combinations of commercial enzymes at various stages of the winemaking process. A cost model is presented that calculates the advantageous effect of correctly applied enzymes on profitability. The review concludes with a comprehensive review of the legislation and documentation surrounding the use of enzymes and guidelines for their safe use.
Field research is presented in the second part of the study. Interviews with a representative sample of South African winemakers were conducted to determine the extent of progress made in enzyme application in the vineyard and cellar, and to identify best practices based on their experiences.
The research and trials conducted over a three-year period clearly show the impact of correctly applied enzymes on juice yield, waste reduction, colour extraction, cellar capacity, and subsequent profitability. The more widespread application of enzymes has the potential to benefit South Africa’s wine producers because they have been proven to be efficient, cost-effective, safe, and sustainable.
Profile: Rudolph Steenkamp
Rudolph Steenkamp is a wine and vineyard/viticulture consultant and co-director of Salt Rock Wines based in Stellenbosch.
He attained a degree in Cellar Management with cellar technology as an additional module from Elsenburgin 2010. He has nearly ten years of winemaking experience attained as winemaker at Haskell Vineyards (from June 2018 to February 2023), assistant winemaker at Groot Constantia (from January 2015 to June 2018), and assistant winemaker for a year at Stellenbosch Vineyards (in 2014); he also did a three-month spell as harvest assistant winemaker at Hidden Valley in Stellenbosch in 2013.
"My goal is to have my own land, make good wines and have a sustainable way of life. I like making elegant wines and enjoy viticulture very much. I enjoy the ocean and spending time with my two sons and wife. My biggest achievement is becoming a father and making a few good wines along the way."
Rudolph's dissertation: "Vineyard practice in South Africa and how to convert conventional farming to organic farming"
This topic was chosen to give farmers/viticulturists more information and a better understanding of the basics of conversion from conventional vineyards to organic vineyards in South Africa.
The unknown is what puts a lot of farmers/viticulturists off attempting to convert to organic.
The paper starts with the history and origins of the organic movement, and why it was seen as being controversial to what is currently being taught in schools and at universities. There is a brief but detailed account of different organic certification bodies to help the farmer to identify the type of certification most relevant to the grape/wine industry.
The focus is on making the current European and American rules and regulations more understandable, following a step-by-step method. More detail is given on why organic farming is done in a certain way, promoting understanding of the basic yet complex symbiosis between the soil carbon, microbes and the plant, and applying this to increase soil fertility and plant health without using chemical fertilisers, pesticides, and fungicides.
The paper also focuses on the business side of farming, giving insight into structuring protocols and systems to help the farm business adapt to the new method of farming. It also briefly touches on the financial risk and opportunity of going organic. This will help the farmer make a calculated risk assessment of whether it is financially viable for their business to proceed or not.
The last chapter focusses on practical solutions and methods that are current and relevant for organic grape farming in South Africa, regardless of wine region.
These practical solutions have already been implemented on several organic farms around the Cape wine growing regions, and provide the farmer with some sound practical methods to implement during the conversion period.