Fueled by the passion for understanding wine, Dr. Carien Coetzee completed her PhD (Agric) in 2014 at Stellenbosch University, specialising in Oenology (Wine Science).
Her research focused on the effect of winemaking techniques on the wine composition and quality with a special focus on aroma compounds and the development during winemaking and aging.
As part of her research experience, she spent time at international wine research institutions in New Zealand, Portugal, and Germany to learn from renowned researchers worldwide.
She published numerous peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals and conferences proceedings and was awarded the TATA Africa Scholarships Award for Women in Science in 2013 for exceptional research conducted.
After working in the academic environment, she made the shift to the industry and worked at a leading commercial wine laboratory where her role was to provide support to wine producers regarding any wine-related queries focusing on faulty wines. This close collaboration with the wine industry inspired the creation of Basic Wine, a business aiming to assist winemakers and wine consumers to better understand wine.
Basic Wine offers consulting services the South African wine industry and Carien regularly writes blogs and articles to boost knowledge transfer. She also offers workshops, courses, and educational tastings for winemakers as well as consumers. Her aim is to translate technical academic information into a user-friendly format, all the while working closely with producers to ensure that the knowledge can be transformed into action.
She is a judge at the annual FNB Sauvignon Blanc top10 competition as well as Concours Mondial du Sauvignon and thoroughly enjoys the judging process where opinion differences can be discussed and respected.
Carien considers herself the “forever student”, eager to both build on her academic foundations and stay in tune with the latest developments in winemaking, wine science and wine judging while expanding her experience in all sectors.