Pick up almost any bottle of South African wine, and it’s unlikely to have been made by a winemaker of colour. But things are changing. There’s an increasing determination to improve opportunities, notably for young South Africans who want to enter the industry. Initiatives such as the Cape Winemakers Guild (CWG) Protégé Programme, which enables newly graduated winemakers from disadvantaged backgrounds to spend time working with some of the country’s leading winemakers, have benefited several award-winning youngsters. They include Kiara Scott Farmer, who was voted 2024 Diners Club Winemaker of the Year.
“Back in 2020, there were only a handful in serious roles. Now there are almost double that,” says Rudger van Wyk, another young CWG Protégé Programme alumnus who started his own wine brand, New Dawn, after a successful stint as head winemaker at Stark-Condé in the Stellenbosch region.
The stories behind those forging a path in the industry are impressive. Berene Sauls, whose elegant Burgundian-style pinot noir sells for more than £40, began working as an au pair in one of South Africa’s most prestigious wine regions, Hemel-en-Aarde. She graduated to a clerical job before becoming part of the winemaking team, then founded her own brand, Tesselaarsdal. Praisy Dlamini, meanwhile, worked her way up through the wine business to start a groundbreaking winery called Her, entirely staffed by Black women.
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Good news stories abound in the South African Winelands. The #wineforgood campaign, launched by wine.co.za in June 2016, is all about sharing these uplifting stories. We dedicate the month of April to our #wineforgood campaign each year, sharing a good news story every day. Join us in spreading the good news about South African wine. If you'd like to submit a story, please email editor@wine.co.za.