Bafana Zondo, wine lounge manager at the family-owned Quoin Rock Wine Estate in Stellenbosch, boasts 15 years' experience in the hospitality industry, both locally and overseas. His career at Quoin Rock started in 2019, and ever since then he and his team have been exceeding guest expectations.
As the wine lounge manager at Quoin Rock, what does your job entail?
My responsibility is to ensure that the daily operations are running smoothly. This includes making sure staff is well trained; we exceed guest expectations, sharing my wine knowledge with junior sommeliers as well as guests.
What were you doing before you started working at Quoin Rock?
I started my journey at Primi Piatti as a waiter while I was studying hospitality at Parktown College in Johannesburg. After graduating, I moved on to work overseas in the USA as a server and worked my way up to restaurant manager.
After 8 years of working abroad, I came back and started my wine journey at Bertus Basson's Overture Restaurant as a junior wine steward for 2 years. During this period I enrolled for a wine course at Cape Wine Academy. I was then promoted to head sommelier/restaurant manager at Overture.
I joined Quoin Rock in 2019 as a head waiter and was promoted to assistant restaurant manager. When Quoin Rock expanded their offerings, I was given the exciting opportunity to oversee the wine lounge.
What is your drive and passion to work within the wine industry?
My drive is to share my knowledge with the upcoming generation of junior sommeliers and to broaden my knowledge by interacting with people from different cultures and backgrounds.
What's your favourite Quoin Rock wine?
I love them all. However our Quoin Rock Black Series MCC 2013 stands out from the rest.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
I love spending time with my kids. I also enjoy reading, especially wine books, and watching wine videos.
This summer, look no further for Stellenbosch wine tasting at its finest. Bafana and his team at Quoin Rock Wine Lounge invites you to visit them and enjoy a tailored tasting of their fabulous wines, with the picturesque view of Simonsberg and slopes of vineyards as the backdrop. Their tasting room is open Monday through Sunday from 11h00 to 16h00.