To Singita and beyond

At the end of June, wine.co.za will be saying a heartsore goodbye to Zwai Gumede, our resident Facebook fanatic, content capturer and wine fanatic. 

Having started at wine.co.za almost two years ago – (he was working for a clothing and interior company in Durban) - he has brought huge amounts of zeal to the wine.co.za office.

As he prepares for new adventures up in the Kruger Park as Trainee Sommelier with Singita, we catch up with him on some of his best moments, and future plans:

What have been your highlights working at wine.co.za?

There have been a few, in fact, the whole experience of working so close to the wine industry has been a highlight in its own. Below are just some of my top moments:

• My very first spotlight video shoot with Judy where we went to speak to Neil Buchner at Bosman Family Vineyards was fantastic. Learning about ‘stokkies draai’ and all the technique it takes to grow a successful vineyard. This was my first ‘out and about’ with the Dude. This was a highlight for me because this is where I got to see the other side of the wine industry, the people side and not the fancy bottle on the supermarket shelf. I interacted with them and posed for pics and shot videos with them…I was sure on my way to fame.
  

• Our December Spotlight, Festive fair video shoot…ahh, now that one is a classic. Imagine 4 guys, one lady (all 4 of them winemakers and me, the wine drinker) in a hot tub, bubbly all around, in front of the camera! You can’t beat that. It was great fun interviewing these well-respected winemakers about their bubbles; Pieter Ferreira from Graham beck, Liezl Gerber from Boschendal, Steyn Fullard, Marketing Manager at Weltevrede and Hendrik Snyman from Chabivin. Many people can only dream about this but for me, it is a reality. One I’m proud of.

• After spending a whole day in a hot tub, enjoying bubbles with these individuals, it was only a matter of time before some of us took things one step further. I was invited by Pieter Ferreira to come visit him at Graham Beck for their 2013 harvest. I spent 3 days with them there playing winemaker and helping out in the cellar. This was such an eye-opener and a valuable experience for me; I took part in the harvest, helped out in the cellar, unloaded the grapes to the presses, monitored the progress in the steel tanks…and best of all, blended my own wine - which I believe is still going through some barrel ageing in the cellar at Graham Beck.

• Attending Cape Wine with the team in 2012 was also fantastic. We had our little wine.co.za station there at the CTICC and we were a one-stop info centre where people could find out more info about the winelands and all the wine it offers. Being part of such an event and playing such an important role was just priceless.

• Another I must mention, taking part in the South African Wine Tasting Championships last year. Never had I tasted so many wines in my life and had so much fun doing it. Though I did not go all the way to the finals, just being there and having an opportunity to assess my ability to taste and identify wines was highlight enough. 

• Last but certainly not least, achieving both the Cape Wine Academy’s Wines of SA certificate and WSET Level 2 in Wine and Spirits award with merit.

How are you feeling moving into your new job?

It’s a mix of emotions; the move was going to happen at some point as we all seek to grow and develop, but it did happen earlier than I anticipated.

This article was first published on wine.co.za. Read full article HERE.