Having lost my vision in 1996 at the age of 26, I was invited by Hermann Kirschbaum, the winemaker for Buitenverwachting at the time, to join the “blind” wine tasting group called Wine Insight. Alongside other blind and visually impaired wine enthusiasts and experts, we relied on our remaining senses to appreciate and explore the aromas and flavours of wine. Hermann always believed that having lost a sense, one’s remaining senses will be more focussed, ideal when tasting wine. We did not judge the label, price, brand, colour or our surroundings – we simply tasted the contents of the glass and most importantly, the quality and enjoyment thereof.
In 2016, applying my business acumens, I formally established my own Cape Town based wine retail business named Winebrands Pty. Recognizing that I can’t run this business alone, I am fortunate to have a strong team supporting me.
A potential customer once mentioned that he exclusively purchases wines with awards, which also seems to be the international trend. This prompted me to research the South African award selection process and the panel members responsible for granting them. Through my research, I found that the majority of judges on these award panels are either Cape Wine Masters or Masters of Wine.
That same day, I contacted the Cape Wine Academy as this was the path to qualify as a Cape Wine Master, following entry the next day to enrol as a student in the certificate course, diploma course and finally after getting distinctions for my diploma course, being invited to enrol in the 5-year Cape Wine Master program. With the fulfilment of the Cape Wine Master qualification, I had the assistance of no less than 84 industry leaders, to whom I am very grateful.
I have also been involved in tasting many wines from local and international vignerons and have been honoured to form part of many tasting panels. My passion for wine has led me on a very privileged and fortunate journey, meeting the most extraordinary people, various award-winning winemakers, buyers and connoisseurs. These industry leaders are still my good friends.
In order to keep fit and live a balanced life, I train weekly on a Tandem bicycle and participate every year in the Cape Town Cycle Tour. My wife Petro and I have a son named Daniel and reside in Welgemoed, Cape Town.
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