Cape Town - In one of the cavernous temperature-controlled cellars of Hartenberg Wine Estate near Stellenbosch, a new French oak wine barrel bears the tag “CWG PTG Shiraz Blend 2016”.
CWG stands for the Cape Winemakers' Guild and PTG for protege.
The 225 litres of shiraz maturing in the barrel were crafted by 26-year-old Mahalia Kotjane, one of three young aspiring winemakers who guild members have signed up to mentor.
Under the guidance of Hartenberg's winemaker, Carl Shultz, Kotjane, a graduate of Elsenburg Agricultural Training Institute, has overseen all aspects of the winemaking.
Next year her shiraz will be decanted into 300 bottles which will be auctioned in October 2017 to raise funds for the mentorship programme.
Kotjane's love-affair with wine began as a pupil at The Hill high school in Gauteng, which may grow some table grapes. But it is over 1 000km from South Africa's historic vineyards in the Western Cape. So how did her enthusiasm develop?
She was set a project about the role of micro organisms by her Grade 10 biology teacher. Kotjane chose those involved in wine-making - and decided to try it at home. She bought a couple of bunches of table grapes from her local store, then crushed them.
But that was way back and now Kotjane's shiraz is maturing in two fine French oak barrels from Bordeaux, donated by the Cape Cooperage Group.
Back then an empty 750ml mayonnaise jar had to suffice, she recalled.
“I was intrigued by the whole experience, the whole bubbling and fermentation. I need to pursue this. That was when it all started.”
Did she taste it?
“Yes, it wasn't nice,” she laughed. “It was very sour.”
Schultz, a winemaker for 25 years, said Kotjane's “focus and determination” impressed him when she first contacted him to do her second year of the three-year protege programme at Hartenberg.
“What intrigued me was her story,” he said. “If you come from a background that is completely unrelated to wine, but you are still interested, then we are interested.”
Kotjane's school project may have sparked an interest in wine, but it took some time to begin pursuing this as a career after she matriculated in 2008.
After spending two years doing a variety of jobs, she decided to head to Cape Town and study winemaking.
Her parents were doubtful, but she was determined. She was accepted by the Elsenburg Agricultural Training Institute which, with Stellenbosch University, is one of two tertiary institutions where winemaking is taught.
“My whole idea about wine was different to what I then learnt. I thought it was something very glamorous. But when I came to Elsenburg I found it was a big farm. At the time I was with my brother. We looked at each other and I said, I think I made the wrong choice.'“
In time she “slowly but surely” became enthusiastic about the complexities of growing, harvesting and bottling wine.
After graduating with diplomas in agriculture and in cellar technology in 2014, she entered the Cape Winemakers Guild's protege programme, along with Clayton Christians, who is working under the guidance of Rianie Strydom at Haskell Vineyards and Kiara Scott, who is at De Grendel under the mentorship of Charles Hopkins.
The programme places the proteges on three wine estates over three years.
For her first year Kotjane was placed at Ernie Els Wines in Stellenbosch. During her studies, she said, she came to appreciate the “complexity and elegance” of shiraz and was keen to be mentored by Schultz, as Hartenberg is known for its shiraz.
Kotjane will be tasting the quality of her shiraz every month to check whether it is ready for bottling, which will probably take place around June or July next year.
The whole experience, she said, had given her more confidence. “Carl's experience, his knowledge was something that I could really rely on. I think it has made me a better person.”
Schultz, who has mentored two previous proteges, said he had also learnt some new tricks.
“I am a techno dinosaur. The proteges can do the social media thing. They can get all this information immediately.”
He said he hoped Kotjane and the other proteges would become the “future custodians” of the country's vineyards.
“Our industry, like the rest of South Africa, needs to look to the future.”
Jan Cronje, Weekend Argus