ABOUT SHIRAZ SA

Shiraz SA, the official association and mouthpiece for all producers and aficionados of South African Shiraz. The organization is committed to creating awareness for the superior and award-winning wines produced locally from this noble cultivar.

The variety is not confined to certain growing areas but can be found in most of South Africa’s wine regions. It is the one cultivar that has shown a remarkable growth in terms of plantings, new brands and entries at wine shows and competitions. And apart from the many single varietal wines found in the market place, South African Shiraz is also renowned for the vast number of blends it is utilized in.
Read more: LINK

A number of events are presented to keep its members abreast of international trends and developments as well as providing consumers with the opportunity to get acquainted with the many different styles and interpretations of South African Shiraz.

A management committee of winemakers and viticulturists devote some of their valuable time to govern the association for the benefit of all its members.

Edmund Terblanche

Edmund Terblanche

Chairman

Edmund has been Cellar Master at La Motte since 2003 and become Shiraz SA’s first Chairman in 2008. His enthusiasm for Shiraz is obvious and says with a mischievous wink “A Shiraz blend is almost as good as a straight Shiraz …”

Riaan Moller

Riaan Moller

Vice Chairman

Like so many of his fellow winemakers, Riaan also studied at Elsenburg. He started his career in the local wine industry before moving on for a stint at Beauna Vista in Carneros, California. It was not long before he returned to South African soil to apply his craftsmanship locally. Currently he finds himself applying his trade at MAN Family Wines in Stellenbosch.

Elzette du Preez

Elzette du Preez

Member

Elzette is not only a qualified winemaker, she also adds a marketing degree to her CV. After a number of years as fulltime member of the De Grendel winemaking team she decided to devote her time to her young family but stays in touch with the industry through the management committee of Shiraz SA.
Kobie Viljoen

Kobie Viljoen

Member

Kobie who recently ventured into his own business, Villion Family Wines, ran the winemaking operation at Gabrielskloof in Bot River from 2008. He has an intense passion for Shiraz and  believes a winemaker needs diversity to achieve complexity, the two qualities found right here in South Africa’s people and nature.
Leon Dippenaar

Leon Dippenaar

Member

After a number of years as viticultural consultant at VinPro and juggling his job with making wine Leon now runs his own wine industry consultancy business namely Vine and Wine Solutions.
Francois Haasbroek

Francois Haasbroek

Member

After spending a number of harvests in some of the world’s renowned wine producing areas Francois joined Kevin Arnold at Waterford Estate where he spent 9 years. He now runs his own business Blackwater Wines as well as consulting for other wineries. His motto in life is to stick to the basics but to execute them perfectly.
Prof Wessel du Toit

Prof Wessel du Toit

Member

He is currently professor in Oenology at the Department of Viticulture and Oenology, Stellenbosch University. He has more than 60 peer reviewed research publications of which a number focusses on Shiraz.
Izele van Blerk

Izele van Blerk

Member

Izele holds a B.Sc. degree in Viticulture and Oenology from Stellenbosch University and after joining KWV in 2009 she progressed to leading the winemaking team of KWV’s flagship brand, The Mentors. She passed the rigorous Michael Fridjhon Wine Judging Academy with distinction and has since been a regular and respected judge on many leading benchmark wine competitions such as the Veritas Wine Awards and the National Young Wine Show.
Petri de Beer

Petri de Beer

Member

Petri joined the winemaking team at Stellenbosch Vineyards after obtaining his degree at Stellenbosch University. He completed his MSc in Oenology on Shiraz and is understandably an avid enthusiast this cultivar, he describes as the most noble of all.
Susan Erasmus

Susan Erasmus

Member

Susan is a Viticulture and Oenology graduate from the University of Stellenbosch. After spending time abroad perfecting her craft she was at the helm of winemaking at Vrede en Lust for 11 years. She is now part of the Laffort team in South Africa.
Shiraz is one of her favourite cultivars and she embraces every aspect of life – always focus on the small things that bring a smile to your face. Live in the moment!