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| Three
new Cape Wine Masters graduate |
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Industry legend and Delheim owner, Spatz
Sperling, wins Personality of the Year |
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10 May 2011 - Three new graduates have been
awarded Diplomas as Cape
Wine Masters at a ceremony being hosted
by Lourensford Estate in Somerset West on
Friday, May 6.
This marks the 27th anniversary since the
first South African CWMs qualified (in 1984)
and brings the number of successful candidates
to 78, and the Institute membership to 71
(including three honorary members).
The graduates are Leigh Berrie, Catherine
Dillon and Mary-Lou Nash.
Nash was also designated the winner of the
Van Ryn's Trophy for Brandy Excellence represented
by Van Ryn Brand manager Shelley Ellse,
while Dillon won the newly instituted Viniculture
Award from La Motte Estate, represented
by Hein Koegelenberg.
Berrie won the Villiera Sabrage Award presented
by Jeff Grier of Villiera as well as the
Viticulture Award sponsored by Kosie Steenkamp
of Groenkloof.
The Institute of Cape Wine Masters also
presented their Wine Personality
of the Year Award at a gala dinner
in the Old Vat Cellar at Delheim on Saturday,
7 May, 2011 to industry legend Spatz Sperling
owner of Delheim.
Spatz celebrates 60 years of wine making
in South Africa this year and has been one
of the stalwarts of the Wine Industry. His
passion and dedication to wine and the way
he has trained many very successful winemakers
over the decades has now been recognised.
This year dissertations covered topics such
as Genetically Modified Organisms
in the Wine Industry, Garage
Winemaking in South Africa: Less is More,
and Waste Management in the Wine
Industry.
• Leigh Berrie
Leigh Berrie is a medical scientist specialising
in Molecular Virology, and currently employed
at the National Institute for Communicable
Diseases.
Her dissertation topic – “Genetically
Modified Organisms in the Wine Industry”
– reflects her occupational interest
and her passion for wine. While studying
for her doctorate at the University of Cape
Town in 1998, she joined the UCT wine tasting
society. On her return to Johannesburg in
2002, she enrolled in the Cape Wine Academy
Certificate
Wine Course.
In 2004 she began the
Diploma Wine Course, followed by the
Cape Wine
Masters’ course in 2006. She is
an active member of the Wild Yeasts Tasting
Club in Johannesburg.
• Dissertation: Genetically Modified
Organisms in the Wine Industry
• Mary-Lou Nash
Mary-Lou Nash is the co-owner, winemaker,
viticulturist, tractor driver and marketer
at Black Pearl Wines.
She received a Bachelor of Arts, summa cum
laude, with a major in Anthropology from
the University of New Hampshire (USA) in
1989, and then taught English in Japan for
two years before going on a three-year world
tour.
When she joined her father in 1995 on his
newly-acquired property in South Africa,
Rhenosterkop Farm in Agter Paarl, she settled
down and started a family. Then in 1998
Black Pearl Wines developed after Mary-Lou
planted 4.5 hectares of Shiraz in 1997 and
3 hectares of Cabernet Sauvignon. A boutique
cellar was established in 2001.
Her aim was to produce a limited edition,
terroir-driven wine that is drinkable now
but with bottle maturation potential. Currently,
Disneyland is scooping up a large percentage
of the few thousand cases produced to serve
as wine by the glass in all its white tablecloth
restaurants!
• Dissertation:
Garage Winemaking in South Africa: Less
is more
• Catherine Dillon
Catherine Dillon was born and raised in
Cape Town and completed a BA degree at Stellenbosch
University, followed by a teaching diploma
at UCT.
After a teaching stint at Springfield Convent,
she headed overseas, travelling extensively,
also teaching in London before returning
to Cape Town in 1997. Deciding that wine
knowledge was an imperative for setting
up a tourism business, she started her first
wine course at the Cape Wine Academy and
also completed a garagiste course at the
University of Stellenbosch in 2006.
During the next courses leading to the CWM,
she focused her business on wine-specific
tours, dealing with knowledgeable clients,
journalists, wine clubs and winemakers from
all over the world.
She believes that sound training and education
of tourist guides, restaurant and Front
of House staff is essential for the
further development of wine tourism. She
lectures for the CWA on all levels and loves
combining her three life passions of education,
wine and people.
She worked at the Decanter World Wine Awards
in 2008 and 2009, both as a wine warehouse
assistant and Team Leader during judging
week – and ranks as memorable experiences
meeting internationally renowned wine judges
and tasting world class wines such as the
Charles Heidseick 1979 Champagne and Royal
Tokaji Essencia 2000.
Future travel plans include visiting Slovenia
as tour leader for a wine interest group,
Washington State on business, and Italy
for some good wine and fun!
• Dissertation: Waste Management in
the Wine Industry
All dissertations are available for perusal
on the Cape Wine Academy website
and at the SAWIS library. |
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