Post date: Apr 12, 2012 5:46:15 PM
STELLENBOSCH, SOUTH AFRICA (REUTERS) - A new class of wine makers is emerging in South Africa with blacks, many of whom once worked the land, now taking over vineyards in an industry dominated for centuries by whites.
Ntsiki Biyela is one of an emerging group of young black winemakers in the South African wine industry, which for centuries has been dominated by whites because of apartheid's land legacy.
Ntsiki Biyela is South Africa's first black female winemaker. Born in rural KwaZulu-Natal in a village called KwaVuthela, Biyela was raised by her grandmother with her siblings.
The 34-year old was awarded a full scholarship by South African Airways to study viticulture and oenology at the University of Stellenbosch in the Western Cape where she is now based.
Biyela said a friend and mentor Jabulani Ntshangase encouraged her to opt for viticulture, a decision she doesn't regret, even though she wanted to study engineering.
"I think like any other job, wine making is all about loving what you do, its all about the passion, its all about the understanding and the excitement around the whole season of harvesting, blending, bottling, looking at the product, talking to people at the end of the day when they taste the wine that you have made. At the end of all this its all about the passion and excitement about it, loving what you do," she said.
After winning Woman Winemaker of Year in 2009, her presence as a successful black woman is a new possibility in the traditionally white, male winemaking industry.
Her job has seen her travel around the world and places she only dreamt of. She has been to wine shows in Germany, Sweden, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. She also visits clients in China and USA.
After completing her apprenticeship at Delheim wines, she joined Stellekaya Winery in Stellenbosch at the beginning of 2004 as a junior winemaker and in 2005 visited Bordeaux in France to work during harvesting season.
Stellakaya is a family business owned by a husband and wife, but Biyela is the brand of Stellekaya. Located in Stellenbosch, Stellekaya means home of the stars, a combination of the Italian word for stars, Stella and Kaya, an African word for home.
Her 2004 and 2005 Cape Cross won a Gold medal at the Michelangelo Awards. It was the first gold medal won by a black winemaker in South Africa and it was her first vintage.
But Biyela says wine making is not an easy job. Her job includes negotiating with the grape farmers on pricing and contracts, visiting the vineyards long before the harvest and overseeing the processing of wine making until the wines hit the shelves.
She hopes to make her own wine under her brand name, but says it's difficult accessing land, the majority of which is still owned by whites because historically, the apartheid land laws prohibited blacks to own land.
There are only a handful of black-owned vineyards in the 3 billion US dollar a year industry but the number is expected to increase as the government tries to unwind policies under colonial rule and then apartheid that forced blacks off the land or into slave-like work at farms.
Most of the new entrants like Mhudi Wines have benefited from government affirmative action and land redistribution programmes. They are producing mid-level wines, hoping to branch into higher end vintages as they build up expertise and experience.
One change in the market dynamics that has favoured all South African winemakers is that the country's black majority is increasingly selecting wine as a drink of choice. Biyela hopes to benefit from a this new generation of wine connoisseurs.
"The market is there, the market is definately there its just its taking time. The market is there and to create loyalty of your own clients to have people who are going to be followers to buy your wine, " added Biyela.
Grape farmer Lorna Hughes has been in the industry for more than ten years and says harvest time is the most exciting in the industry. Hughes says anyone who's determined can make a success in wine making.
"Its a tough industry to be in, there are many other wine makers or budding wine markers coming out, not enough jobs but if you talented and you work hard you can do anything, but it just means you need to go to school, you need to study and you really need to put your head down and go for it, " she said.
Stellekaya Wines currently makes about 6000 cases a year from a variety of grapes, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Shiraz, Pinotage and Sangiovese, but most of their clients are overseas.