Accomplished winemaker Elunda Basson was appointed as the cellarmaster of Steenberg Vineyards in Cape Town in June 2021.
She is responsible for managing the entire winemaking operations at Steenberg. She works closely with farm manager, Johann de Swardt, and senior cellar foreman, Alfred Dalicuba, who have both been at Steenberg for 20 years. Together with Graham de Vries, Steenberg’s production manager, the Steenberg cellar team share a deep and experienced understanding of the wine estate's unique terroir, vineyard sites and winemaking culture.
Elunda studied viticulture and oenology at Stellenbosch University and completed her Diploma in Cellar Technology at Elsenburg Agricultural College. Thereafter, she spent a harvest at Dry Creek Vineyards in Sonoma County in California, U.S.A.
Her illustrious career spans over two decades, making still and sparkling wines for industry leaders including Nederburg, Pongrácz, and J.C. Le Roux.
Prior to becoming cellarmaster of the House of J.C. Le Roux in 2007, Basson cut her teeth in the wine industry at Rickety Bridge in Franschhoek followed by a seven-year stint at Nederburg. During the past 12 years, she has excelled as one of the country's Cap Classique specialists and has been richly rewarded with a slew of awards. Her crowning glory was the 2018 Vertex award for Pongrácz Blanc de Blancs, as the overall champion wine at Veritas.
As vice-chairperson of the Cap Classique Association, Basson works closely with chairman Pieter Ferreira of Graham Beck, promoting the standing of MCC.In this capacity she has travelled extensively to Champagne, France, and the Tuscany and Franciacorta regions in Italy.
Besides her Veritas Vertex honour, other achievements in the awards stakes include the World’s Best Shiraz trophy at the International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC) and making the cut in the Top 10 Sparkling Wines of the World at Effervescent du Monde. She is also a sought-after wine judge serving on panels for the IWSC, Veritas, and Cap Classique Challenge.
Apart from winemaking, her other passions include travelling and spending time with friends and family. More recently, a love of foreign languages has sparked some lessons in French and Italian.