Rich pickings for South Africa’s Zulu winemaker

CAPE TOWN – Nontsikelelo Biyela grew up as a young Zulu girl brewing traditional beer in rural South Africa, light years away from the status she enjoys today as the country’s newest black winemaker.

Growing up in impoverished eastern South Africa she knew nothing about vineyards, cellars, oak casks or vintages and had never tasted wine when she gave up her job as a domestic worker in 1999 to study viniculture. “In fact, I thought ciders were wines,” Biyela told AFP at the showcase Cape Wine 2006 conference where international agents scrutinised South African vintages.The 28-year-old Zulu woman’s story is a remarkable one, spiced with talent, luck and a bit of coincidence.HUMBLE BEGINNINGS Biyela, who hails from the small village of Kwavuthela in the country’s east, finished high school and took the only road open to so many poor black women – she became a domestic worker in the port city of Durban.But in 1999 her fortunes changed.Based on her final high school year results, she was offered a choice of three study bursaries – becoming a nurse, an electrical engineer or learning the art of making wine.DEGREE AND A PASSION Biyela said she just “woke up one morning” and decided that she was going to Stellenbosch University, one of the only tertiary institutions in the country that offers a wine-making degree and where she had been offered a study slot.”I didn’t even know where Stellenbosch was, I thought it was overseas,” she said smiling.She knew nothing about wine, having never tasted it, but she was filled with a sense of destiny as she travelled to the student town.”If I did badly I would be disappointing a lot of people who looked up to us and those who wanted us to succeed,” she said.Four years later she walked out of university, degree in hand and a passion to last her a lifetime.Last week her wines, mainly Cape red blends, were on exhibition at the Cape wine fair under the Stellekaya label – a name combining the Italian word for “stars” and the African (Zulu and Xhosa) word for “home in Stellenbosch”.Her ‘Cape Cross’ vintage exhibited a rich melange of summer berries with smooth and juicy fruits on the palate.Biyela believed her wines combined the old and the new era in South Africa’s winemaking history.Following years of hard work including being taught in Afrikaans, a language many black South Africans do not understand, Biyela and other winemakers are being seen as pioneers breaking stereotypes in the winemaking industry.Several top black winemakers put their vintages on show last week.SEA CHANGE The Cape’s winelands region, where wines were first made by French Huguenots in the 17th century, have seen revolutionary changes in the last few years as more blacks are getting involved in the art.Black wine producers sell their wines under the labels of Lindiwe (Zulu for “the one who has been awaited”), Ses’fikile (Xhosa for “we have arrived”), and New Beginnings, South Africa’s first fully black-owned wine producer.In total there are at least 28 black-owned wineries, joint ventures or community-owned projects and more than 10 black winemakers work for famous labels like Nederburg, KWV, Fleur du Cap and Kanonkop.Wine was making inroads as the drink of choice among South Africa’s growing black middle class.Last year, the famous Soweto township staged its first full-fledged wine festival and targeting the black market has become serious business.South Africa produces roughly three per cent of the world’s wine and the industry is valued at roughly around R 14 billion (2,3 billion dollars, 1,3 billion euros).PRIDE WITHOUT PREJUDICE Winemakers are hoping to grow their share both within and outside the country.”As a black woman winemaker I feel that this is not just my achievement,” said Biyela.”This gives pride to everyone who looks at what the emerging black winemakers do,” she added.While Biyela basked in her success at the Cape Wine 2006 show and graciously accepted a lot of congratulatory remarks, her mind was at the the vineyards and the cellars back in Stellenbosch.”We have not finished our harvest, I just want to get back to the cellar,” she said.- Nampa-AFP”In fact, I thought ciders were wines,” Biyela told AFP at the showcase Cape Wine 2006 conference where international agents scrutinised South African vintages.The 28-year-old Zulu woman’s story is a remarkable one, spiced with talent, luck and a bit of coincidence. HUMBLE BEGINNINGS Biyela, who hails from the small village of Kwavuthela in the country’s east, finished high school and took the only road open to so many poor black women – she became a domestic worker in the port city of Durban.But in 1999 her fortunes changed.Based on her final high school year results, she was offered a choice of three study bursaries – becoming a nurse, an electrical engineer or learning the art of making wine.DEGREE AND A PASSION Biyela said she just “woke up one morning” and decided that she was going to Stellenbosch University, one of the only tertiary institutions in the country that offers a wine-making degree and where she had been offered a study slot.”I didn’t even know where Stellenbosch was, I thought it was overseas,” she said smiling.She knew nothing about wine, having never tasted it, but she was filled with a sense of destiny as she travelled to the student town.”If I did badly I would be disappointing a lot of people who looked up to us and those who wanted us to succeed,” she said.Four years later she walked out of university, degree in hand and a passion to last her a lifetime.Last week her wines, mainly Cape red blends, were on exhibition at the Cape wine fair under the Stellekaya label – a name combining the Italian word for “stars” and the African (Zulu and Xhosa) word for “home in Stellenbosch”.Her ‘Cape Cross’ vintage exhibited a rich melange of summer berries with smooth and juicy fruits on the palate.Biyela believed her wines combined the old and the new era in South Africa’s winemaking history.Following years of hard work including being taught in Afrikaans, a language many black South Africans do not understand, Biyela and other winemakers are being seen as pioneers breaking stereotypes in the winemaking industry.Several top black winemakers put their vintages on show last week.SEA CHANGE The Cape’s winelands region, where wines were first made by French Huguenots in the 17th century, have seen revolutionary changes in the last few years as more blacks are getting involved in the art.Black wine producers sell their wines under the labels of Lindiwe (Zulu for “the one who has been awaited”), Ses’fikile (Xhosa for “we have arrived”), and New Beginnings, South Africa’s first fully black-owned wine producer.In total there are at least 28 black-owned wineries, joint ventures or community-owned projects and more than 10 black winemakers work for famous labels like Nederburg, KWV, Fleur du Cap and Kanonkop.Wine was making inroads as the drink of choice among South Africa’s growing black middle class.Last year, the famous Soweto township staged its first full-fledged wine festival and targeting the black market has become serious business.South Africa produces roughly three per cent of the world’s wine and the industry is valued at roughly around R 14 billion (2,3 billion dollars, 1,3 billion euros).PRIDE WITHOUT PREJUDICE Winemakers are hoping to grow their share both within and outside the country.”As a black woman winemaker I feel that this is not just my achievement,” said Biyela.”This gives pride to everyone who looks at what the emerging black winemakers do,” she added.While Biyela basked in her success at the Cape Wine 2006 show and graciously accepted a lot of congratulatory remarks, her mind was at the the vineyards and the cellars back in Stellenbosch.”We have not finished our harvest, I just want to get back to the cellar,” she said.- Nampa-AFP