Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Breaking into men’s world of winemaking
MAKING it in the wine industry takes time learning about the art of making wine and building relationships, especially if you do not have land to grow your own grapes.
South Africa’s first black female winemaker, Ntsiki Biyela reflects on 13 years in the male-dominated industry.
Biyela, 39, was born in Mahlabathini, northern KwaZulu- Natal, where she tended to the family’s livestock and other household chores while attending school. One of her high school teachers walked into the classroom one day with two application forms and asked who was interested in studying at Stellenbosch University, 1 400km away from home.
The forms were in Afrikaans, a language associated with the unjust apartheid regime the country had just shaken off.
“I raised my hand. All I knew was that I wanted to study, it did not matter where the programme was taking me.
“I wanted to change my life and an opportunity was presented to me,” she said.
With the help of her Afrikaans teacher, she filled in the form and some time later she learnt she had been accepted to begin her studies in 1999.
Initially she wanted to study chemical engineering but when SAA offered to pay for her studies in Viticulture (grape cultivation) and Oenology (winemaking), she grabbed the opportunity.
“Sometimes life presents you with different opportunities from what you want. It is important to grab those opportunities and make the most of them,” she said. “All the modules were in Afrikaans. I remember thinking to myself: ‘I am going to fail’ but the thought of packing up and going back home was not an option at all.”
While Afrikaans-speaking students had the advantage of studying in their mother tongue and having prepared notes from lecturers, she relied on textbooks and attended some classes with Forestry students which were presented in English. On completion of her studies she interned with Delheim Wine Estate before joining Stellekaya Winery in 2004.
“I threw myself in. No job was not for me, I learnt as much as I could from administration to managing the cellar and everything in between,” she said.
As Stellekaya’s resident winemaker, Biyela distinguished herself in red wines with her Cape Cross 2004 vintage winning a gold medal at the Michelangelo International Wine and Spirits Awards in 2006. In 2009, she scooped the Landbouweekblad Woman Winemaker of the Year.
In 2014 she started making wine under her own brand, Aslina Wines which started selling in 2015. The company launched this year.
Named after her late grandmother, Aslina Wines buys grapes from certain vineyards in the Elgin Valley and Paarl and uses a Stellenbosch-based cellar.
“It is important to have the right grapes with the right exposure to the sun and be able to tell the difference. This is where good relationships come in,” Biyela said.
Her brand symbolises a collaboration between wine from Western culture and a calabash from African culture. She describes her wine as authentic with the ability to evoke memories to the drinker.
Under her new brand, Biyela makes Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and a Bordeaux blend called Umsasane. “Umsasane is one of the iconic trees in Africa, it is the Acacia tree. This happened to be my grandmother’s nickname,” she explained.
She exports to the US, Taiwan, Germany, Denmark and Ghana. Locally, her wine is available at Sunset Beach Wines and at Cellar in the City at the V&A Waterfront.
Unlike when she first encountered wine as a student, Biyela enjoys drinking as much as she enjoys making the beverage.
“My wine moment was when drinking one of the first wines I made that had won a medal, with my grandmother,” she recalled.
Biyela is also involved in the Pinotage Youth Development Academy as a board director where she shares her experience with youths between 18 and 25, about how to get into the wine, tourism and hospitality industries.
The academy targets matriculants and introduces them to personal development, leadership, wine tasting, computer literacy and other programmes over 12 months.
“I am where I am because someone cared, I want to do the same for others,” Biyela said.
The academy was founded with assistance from the Dame Hilary Cropper Foundation in the UK.
Her advice to those who wish to get into the wine industry: “It is important to understand the industry before getting into it. Don’t get into it for quick money”.
noloyiso.mtembu@inl.co.za