First black woman winemaker in SA

BEFORE VARSITY SHE HAD NEVER TASTED WINE After breaking new ground, Ntsiki has won gold and fourstar ratings for three of her blends.

eet South Africa’s first black female winemaker, Ntsiki Biyela, from the boutique winery Stellekaya in Stellenbosch, who is managing a winery and producing fine wine.

Her blends of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinotage have won gold medals and four-star ratings and are a must for wine lovers attending this year’s Tops at Spar Wine Show.

An annual event that tours South Africa, the show is now in its 11th year and brings its popular interactive and edu-taining experience to Pretoria for the first time on August 25-27. I’ve been fortunate to grow up surrounded by so much love and support from my family. From my early days growing up in rural KwaZulu-Natal, I was always inspired by the people around and especially nature. I knew that one day I’d find myself doing something that would harness its beauty. I can travel anywhere in the world and feel confident I will make new friends, because it’s who I am. But just as much as I enjoy being social, I find solace in a good book and feel refreshed after spending time hiking in nature. Not at all. I had never tasted wine before going to Stellenbosch University. I did want to pursue a career in engineering but I had no money to pay for my studies. Which is why I started out as a domestic worker so I could save. I was recruited by Jabulani Ntshangase (my guardian) and got offered a scholarship by SAA to study winemaking at Stellenbosch University. Luckily I fell in love with winemaking while I was there. The biggest challenge is nature because it’s the one thing we have no control over and it’s such a big part of the winemaking process. As a child I was surrounded by traditional beermaking, which is a very similar process to that of winemaking in that they both ferment. However, it was only once I started studying that I truly fell in love with winemaking. Women approach winemaking in a more gentle and natural way. As an industry that’s been mostly male-dominated, the more women I can inspire to