Cape Winemakers Guild celebrates a decade of empowering young talent
ROSEBANK – Each protégé is given first-hand experience of the inner workings of a wine cellar.
The Cape Winemakers Guild Protégé Programme celebrated its 10th anniversary with a lunch at 54 on Bath in Rosebank.
The mentorship programme was founded in 2006 with the first protégé recruited in 2007. Over the span of the internship, each protégé is assigned to work alongside one of the members of the guild for a one-year period and given first-hand experience of the inner workings of a wine cellar.
Every protégé is mentored by three members of the guild and afforded ample opportunity to enrich their wine-making experience from annual exchange programmes to some of the world’s famous wine regions, to being judges at various wine competitions.
“The Cape Winemakers Guild is passionate about transforming our industry through cultivating and nurturing young winemakers of excellence. This is an ongoing process that needs to be supported by the wine industry,” said Louis Strydom chairman of the Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Development Trust.
“After 10 years of the protégé programme we can look back at our success and say, a job well done. This is, however, only a start and it is wonderful to see the support from our winemakers, and our sector as a whole, to change our industry today for tomorrow.”
Lindiwe Temba, executive head for corporate social responsibility at Nedbank said the institution has supported the protégé programme from the outset.
“Skills development forms part of Nedbank’s key strategic pillar as we believe that it plays a critical role in the socio-economic transformation of our country,” said Temba. ” It is against this backdrop that we continue to embark on this up-skilling journey designed to afford young individuals an opportunity to not only be exposed to the wine industry but to also acquire skills that will allow them to be key players in this sector,” she added.
Whilse the bulk of the funds for the programme are raised by the members’ various charity auctions, other sponsors include Amorim Cork, the Cape Cooperage Group, African Cellar Suppliers, Vinpro, Consol Glass, Hofmeyr Mills Auctioneers, Francois Naude, Cape Wine Auction and the Hermanus Music Society.
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