Wilhelm Pienaar – a second-generation winemaker – his wife Leoné and new baby Mika, are relocating to Hermanus where he accepted the winemaking responsibility at the cellar with the longest Afrikaans name in the world…

“An opportunity to develop wines from a region as remarkable as Sondagskloof is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I relish the challenges it presents…” was his first words.

With 5 years as chief of red wine at Nerderburg; harvest assistant through to seasonal winemaker in France; internationally marketing South African wines in no less than 43 countries; former cellar master of the JC le Roux sparking wine emporium; humbly referring to two master’s degrees – University of Stellenbosch and SupAgro Montpellier in France – he speaks wine in more than one language. Next step? Moving to a cellar, which employs a sheep to talk about their wines

“Winemaking starts on the farm – I’m looking forward to exploring the farm’s hills and valleys on foot. In toe with Lochner, getting to know the terroir, familiarize myself with every block, vine and cultivar. I have to know which way the proverbial wind blows because Lochner tells me wind was made on this farm!”

An enthusiastic bunch, the Hermanuspietersfontein team is looking forward to tackling the next 10 years alongside a winemaker of Wilhelm’s stature. His perspective on the influence of terroir, relevant to the modern consumer’s palate, is expressed with a youthful maturity – a new era in the making.

“As I get to know and understand the farm and the cellar we’ll develop building blocks which will assist in producing remarkable terroir wines. Given the quality of raw material and talent at our disposal I can’t wait to start making wines from Sondagskloof – I’m excited at the prospect of working with viticulturist Lochner Bester and winemaker Kim McFarlane and to give the cellar’s Skapie even more reason to bleat…”

Wilhelm joins the Hermanuspietersfontein family a little before sunrise on the 1st of December.