Jamie Papenfus is a winemaker, nature lover, wife and mother. She has been the assistant winemaker at Waterford Estate since 2017. Before that, she completed two harvests in the Robertson Wine Valley and one at Stark-Condé Wines in Stellenbosch. At Waterford Estate, she works alongside cellarmaster Mark Le Roux. "We work well together," says Jamie. "Mark is a wise winemaker. He has a lot of knowledge and he loves to teach people. I learn a lot from him."
Read on and join us as we get to know the enthusiastic and down-to-earth wine enthusiast, Jamie Papenfus.
What's it like to work at Waterford Estate?
It's a lot of fun. There are a lot of interesting things happening in the cellar and outside in the vineyards. We experiment quite a lot with our grapes and wines, and that means every year is different here at Waterford.
Speaking of experimentation, what's something new that you've tried recently?
To take the example of Grenache, we've tried a little bit of whole bunch fermentation. We have also tried whole bunch with some of our Shiraz wines. Then, we also like experiment with our barrels, trying cement eggs for Chenin Blanc and clay jars for a few of our other wines.
Last year we did a co-fermentation of two red wines, Cabernet Franc and Malbec, to see what it does. Time will tell!
How did harvest 2023 go at Waterford Estate?
Leading up to harvest, we had humid days and a lot of rain. We also had quite a lot of rain during harvest. Because of this, ripening was a struggle, especially towards the end of harvest. We had to spend a lot of time sitting and waiting. A common problem associated with rain is rot, but I must say, our vines remained pretty clean. The sea breeze coming through at night and drying the grapes really helped.
The wines are looking very good. We've tasted some of the 2023 Shiraz, Grenache, Tempranillo, and Mourvèdre. We have also tasted all of the whites. The Chardonnay is looking very promising.
So with all the weather throwing us around, it was actually quite a good harvest. I think it's going to be one for the books.
How did you get into the wine industry?
My father is in forestry. Growing up, I often went to the forest with him. Because of my love for the outdoors, I always knew that I wanted to do a job that's more outdoorsy and not office-based. I wanted a job that's hands-on and combines nature and chemistry.
I studied winemaking at Stellenbosch University. After I graduated, I didn't know what to do. So, I drove to Robertson and I handed out my CV at about ten different wine farms. I was lucky enough to get a job at De Wetshof and I worked there for two years. It was amazing.
What is your favourite wine?
I love Chardonnay. There are so many different styles of Chardonnay. From very oaky Chardonnay, to very buttery Chardonnay, to lighter styles of Chardonnay. Our Chardonnay at Waterford Estate is not overly oaked and it's not super light. We use a bit of new oak to give it some creaminess, but because we use 300 litre barrels, the oak isn't that prominent. Chardonnay is just such an interesting cultivar to work with. It changes every time.
What is your advice to young people who want to become winemakers?
You must be willing to work hard. There's that saying that "hard work pays off" – and it really does. It doesn't always feel that way, especially when you're knee-deep in the crappy part of winemaking, which is a lot of cleaning. We often joke that winemaking is 90% cleaning and the rest is the other stuff. But you need to start with the basics. Even I still need to clean the tanks sometimes. Just work hard. Push through. It will bring you somewhere.