Durbanville Hills Wines has appointed a new white-wine maker, Kobus Gerber, whose great passion is to make iconic Sauvignon blancs. He will replace Gunther Kellerman at the end of June. Gunther is to join his father in their family business.

Kobus is currently the group winemaker at Die Bergkelder where he also has responsibility for the internationally award-winning range of Lomond wines. He joined Die Bergkelder team in 1990 and in 2002 took over the white wine production and management of barrel maturation for the range of Fleur du Cap wines. During his tenure Kobus spent two seasons in France, extending his winemaking knowledge and technical abilities. He has served as a tasting panel member on the National Young Wine Show as well as the Wine and Spirits Board, and is a member of the Chenin Blanc Association and the Sauvignon Blanc Interest Group. During his years at Die Bergkelder he has collected an impressive tally of trophies as well as gold and double-gold awards received both locally and internationally.

Albert Gerber, managing director of Durbanville Hills, says although the Durbanville Hills team are overjoyed in welcoming Kobus, the team are also sad to say goodbye to Gunther.

“Gunther has been part of our winemaking team for more than 12 years. He has played a key role in the structuring of our portfolio of Sauvignon blanc and wooded Chardonnays across three wine ranges. The quality of his work has been recognised in several international awards received on our behalf, including the coveted Top 10 Chardonnay in the World at the 2014 Chardonnay du Monde in France. We shall greatly miss his camaraderie and his passion for gadgets and technology!”

Albert said he was confident Kobus would prove to be a great asset for Durbanville Hills, which celebrates its 17th harvest in 2016. “We are delighted to welcome Kobus to our Durbanville Hills family. He is a highly talented winemaker whose extensive experience in also viticulture will enable him to contribute tremendously.”