Find South African wine industry contacts

Juan Slabbert

Winemaker - Kumala

Juan Slabbert was born in the small town of Robertson in the heart of the Cape Winelands. He studied Viticulture at Elsenburg Agricultural College and only after his first crush at Graham Beck Wines decided to become a winemaker.

Niel Bester

Cellarmaster

Plaisir De Merle

+27.218741071

Niel Bester - Cellarmaster Plaisir de Merle. As the first and only winemaker at Plaisir de Merle, Niel Bester has set a difficult precedent for future winemakers to follow.

De Wet Viljoen

Winemaker

Neethlingshof Wine Estate

+27.218838988

De Wet Viljoen was raised on a wine farm in the Breede River Valley and attended Stellenbosch University where studied oenology and viticulture after obtaining a BSc in microbiology. Before returning to South Africa, De Wet worked for two vintages at Kendall-Jacksons La Crema cellar in California.

Bruce Jack

Bruce Jack Wines

I grew up in Cape Town, South Africa, the son of a visionary architect and a brilliant musician/writer. We first lived on Surfers’ Corner in Muizenberg, where, in big storms, the waves crashed onto the front windows of our small cottage. My father taught me how to surf when I was about 5 and I’ve been surfing at Muizenberg ever since.

RJ Botha

Cellar Master

Kleine Zalze Wines

+27.218800717

Although initially not from a winemaking background, RJ was always intrigued by the science of winemaking and thus studied BSc. Agric Viticulture and Oenology at the university of Stellenbosch.

Kobus Gerber

Winemaker - White

Durbanville Hills Cellar

+27.215581300

“I am a winemaker who believes good wine is made in the vineyard with minimal human intervention. I sincerely believe South Africa offers high quality wines to palates around the globe. My goal is to make an iconic South African white wine.”

Kobus Basson

Managing Director & Owner

Kleine Zalze Wines

+27.218800717
+27.836291733

In 2013 Kobus Basson became the sole owner of Kleine Zalze and to this day he is actively involved in the day-to-day management of the business in his role as Managing Director of Kleine Zalze.

Edmund Terblanche

Winemaker

La Motte

+27.218768000

2004 to date: Cellar Master at La Motte Wine Estate, Franschhoek, South Africa 2001-2003: Assistant winemaker at La Motte. 1999-2000: Assisted in winemaking at Eaglevlei Private Cellar, Paarl, South Africa 1992: Nature Conservation for the SA Navy Saldanha. 1993- 1997 : Assistant Head of Parks, Benoni Town Council, Gauteng, South Africa

Gerhard Swart

Winemaker - Flagstone

Accolade Wines

+27.218525052

Flagstone’s Head Winemaker, Gerhard Swart, believes that one should never stagnate. “You always have to be thinking about how you can stand out from the crowd. Be it more interesting labels, varieties or, like we do at Flagstone, combining particular terroirs to create wines that are intriguing and unique.”

Josef Dreyer

Winemaker

Raka Wines

+27.283410676

I grew up on our family farm in the Overberg where we farmed soft citrus and livestock. During 1999, when I was 15, I helped to establish the first vineyards on the farm, and had to take my turn watering them. I was at boarding school during the first harvest, but came home as often as I could, and was there with our first bottling of wine in 2002.

Izele van Blerk

Winemaker: Red Wines

KWV Classic Collection

KWV winemaker Izele van Blerk’s motto, “expect the unexpected”, both provides the stimulation she loves and keeps her on her toes in the winemaking business, where “no one wine will ever taste the same twice”.

David Nieuwoudt

Owner and winemaker

Cederberg Cellar

+27.274822827

In October 2005 the phone rang: David had been invited to become a member of the Cape Winemakers Guild, the 37th member since the Guild’s inception in 1982. What a rare honour this is for a winemaker fighting the odds three hours north of South Africa’s wine hub!

Marco Ventrella

KWV Head Viticulturist

KWV Classic Collection

+27.218073414
+27.828888820

Like a really good wine, Marco Ventrella matured into winemaking.

Wilhelm Coetzee

Winemaker - Red Wine

Durbanville Hills Cellar

+27.215581300

Wilhelm Coetzee joined Durbanville Hills as red winemaker in 2008 and his passion and talent for winemaking are evident in the awards his wines have since garnered at international competitions.

Chandré Davey

Winemaker - Fish Hoek & Dragon's Back Mountain

Accolade Wines

Chandré Davey was appointed as Accolade winemaker in 2019 and is responsible for the Fish Hoek, Dragon’s Back Mountain, Flagstone Poetry, and Own Label wine ranges.