Helping his dad out on the farm transporting grapes to the local winery, he found the winemaking process fascinating and would bombard his dad with questions, hoping to one day realise his dream of owning his own wine farm.
After school he studied oenology and viticulture at Elsenburg and after graduating experienced a few harvests as a cellar hand at a number of South African wine farms. To ensure he was equipped with an all-round experience in the industry he completed harvests in New Zealand and the USA, respectively.
He joined the winemaking team at Opstal Estate in the Slanghoek Wine Valley as assistant winemaker for two years, and then moved on to Du Preez Estate for a further five years before being appointed as the winemaker for Laborie Wines.
Kobus is truly passionate about winemaking as he believes you are working with a living organism which must be treated with the utmost care and respect in order to achieve the perfect result. Being part of the KWV winemaking team he feels every day is a learning experience as he is surrounded by a hardworking team with a wealth of knowledge, experience and passion for the art of winemaking. Kobus regards this experience as helping him reach one of his major goals which is to make a positive contribution to the wine industry.
Besides his love for wine, Kobus makes time for his other passions which are outdoors, fishing and exercise.