Top image caption:Johann de Wet, left, CEO of De Wetshof Wines with new winemaker Danie Morkel.

De Wetshof Estate in Robertson welcomed a new winemaker at the beginning of the year with Danie Morkel joining the team of this premier wine farm known for its range of site-specific Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and other wines. A BSc graduate in Oenology and Viticulture from the University of Stellenbosch, Danie also holds an MBA from the same institution and has extensive wine-making experience in South Africa, France and Australia.

He has previously worked for, among others, Nederburg as assistant white wine maker as well as at Delheim and Helderberg Winery in Stellenbosch. In France Danie spent the 2003 season at Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe in the Rhône while also notching up experience at Tatachilla Winery in McLaren Vale and Cape Jaffa Wines, both in South Australia.

Danie says that the opportunity to work at De Wetshof is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. “The estate’s reputation extends to all corners of the wine world, and nobody talks seriously about South African Chardonnay without mentioning De Wetshof and the De Wet family,” he says.

“I am a fervent follower of the ethos of vineyard-specific wine-making, and am extremely excited to be involved with an established team in creating De Wetshof’s range of individual terroir-driven wines.”

Hitting the ground running and getting into the 2017 harvest, Danie has had time to gain a few lasting impressions.

“The way the De Wet family work together for their brand underscores the important role family wine farms can play,” he says. “The other thing about De Wetshof is that everything on the farm has been thought through: from the way the vines are planted, trellised and wired to general cellar layout and equipment. It is a meticulous operation from vineyard to the very last steps of bottling and it is a privilege to join this team.”

When not in the cellar, Danie can be found as close to the sea as possible with surfing and fishing his two pursuits of choice.

“Now that I am close to the south Cape coast, hopefully my fishing will provide enough kabeljou or yellow-tail to complement the fantastic Chardonnays from my new employer,” he says.