I matriculated at Durbanville High School in 1981, after which I attended Stellenbosch University and obtained my BA LLB degree in 1987.
My legal career started in 1988 as an advisor with Santam. In 1989 I worked abroad at a London firm, Sternberg Reed Taylor & Gill, specialising in criminal and matrimonial law for a period of 4 years.
In 1992 I returned to South Africa to complete my articles at the firm Schneider Shargey and Klitzner in Cape Town, qualifying as an Attorney and Conveyancer in 1993.
In October 1998 I opened up my own firm practising as Birch Attorneys, specialising in conveyancing. In 2021, after the Covid pandemic, I decided to close Birch Attorneys and to join Bellingham Muller Hanekom on a consultancy basis.
My love of wine started at university and in 2000 a friend and I attended the Cape Wine Academy’s Introduction to Wine course at the V&A Waterfront. This was the starting point of my appreciation for especially South African wine.
In 2005 my husband and I moved to Devon Valley outside Stellenbosch, which enabled me to continue my love of wine, and I completed the Cape Wine Academy’s Certificate course at Jordan Wine Estate. After a break I proceeded with the Diploma course which I completed in July 2008.
Only in 2018 did I enroll to complete my wine studies, and my journey becoming a Cape Wine Master commenced. My dissertation on “The Evolution of Colombard in South Africa” has resulted on a new venture as I have joined the Old Vine Project – promoting Colombard and raising awareness of this truly South African cultivar.
In my free time my husband and I enjoy wild camping and exploring Southern Africa in our Land Rover. In 2020 we had the good fortune to be invited to cross the Atlantic in the Cape to Rio yacht race.
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