Nederburg’s talented young viticulturist is Isabel Teubes. She took up her position at the award-winning Paarl winery in early December 2019, and is responsible for overseeing all of Nederburg’s vineyards in Paarl, Simondium and Groenekloof, as well as those of its wide network of suppliers in many of the Cape’s top growing areas from Durbanville to Gansbaai, from Elgin to Ceres.
Down-to-earth and unpretentious, she hails from Vredendal, where she was born and raised on a wine farm situated along the banks of the Olifants River.
“I’ve been actively involved in farm activities relating to winemaking and viticulture since the age of 10. I understood early on that the oldest and golden rule for keeping a healthy vine bearing succulent fruit, is to maintain balance between the rooting system and the canopy. Modern viticultural practices and techniques allow us to determine wine styles in the vineyard already. This really excites me!” she says.
Before joining the DGB winemaking team in 2014, she obtained a degree in agriculture from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). Matching her innate passion for wine growing with incredible effort and hard work meant an opportunity to travel to the United States (US) to discover and learn. She spent some time working in the US wine region of Russian River in the Sonoma Valley, where she enjoyed incredible exposure to international viticultural standards and practices.
Isabel says she is driven to succeed by the unique challenge of each harvesting season. “Each vintage is different. Each year comes with its own set of challenges and opportunities.”