Growing up in Gauteng and spending holidays in the Cape visiting wine farms made winemaking seem like an impossible dream. So Maryke Botha studied optometry instead.
But a move to the Cape soon convinced her to switch and study winemaking at Stellenbosch University. “At first I thought it was all about chemistry, but I soon learnt it was about art as well.”
Before joining Bosman Family Vineyards' all-woman winemaking team in 2023, Maryke worked at Eikendal Vineyards and Wildekrans Wine Estate. She also completed a harvest in California, USA.
“Bosman Family Vineyards is known for its excellence, but also for its pioneering work with lesser-known cultivars and sustainable wine-growing practices. I feel really privileged to get the opportunity to maintain the high standards entrenched in the Bosman cellar, but also live out my own passion.”
Maryke Botha holds a Cape Wine Academy Diploma, having completed the challenging wine course along with her father, Barend Botha, in 2024.