Canadian-born Norma Ratcliffe – founder of Warwick Wine Estate along with her late husband, Stan – is widely known as the "First Lady" of the South African wine industry, as she was one of the first women in the country to make wine. She was also the the first woman to join and chair the Cape Winemakers Guild (CWG).
Norma and Stan bought Warwick Wine Estate in 1964. It took them twenty years before they released their first wine. La Femme Bleu Cabernet Sauvignon was released in 1984, after which the estate went on to bottle the first ever "Cape Blend" in the world, won multiple international wine awards, appeared on some of the world's most prestigious wine lists, and even became a wine of choice for James Bond in one of his many adventures.
She is one of the founding members of the Women in Wine Exchange, a group which aims to foster links and networking between women in South African wine circles.