I grew up on a wine farm outside of Wellington, in the Western Cape of South Africa. My earliest memories are of driving with my father from the vineyards to the cellar, watching as the grapes were off-loaded into the bin and, with my dad, tasting the grapes. So it's something I have grown up with - it has been part of my life for as long as I can remember.
I was always determined to become a winemaker. I traveled through the wine countries of France, New Zealand, Australia, and the United States, to learn more about the trade. My travels only lead me to realize, however, that there was a very well kept treasure in my own country that the mainstream wine drinkers of the world had yet to discover. This pushed me to return to my home country to study Viticulture, Viniculture, and Pomology at Elsenburg Agricultural College in 1990. I joined Swartland Winery in 1996 and am now the Chief Winemaker for Sebeka Wines.
What has brought me the greatest success is hard work, more than anything else. And perseverance. I tend to always go the extra mile (which can be a bit tedious for the people working with me)!
- Andries
