Wine Trust receives R500 000 for social development

Praisy Dlamini and Howard Booysen.

The primary focus of the Development Trust is the Protégé programme, introduced in 2007 to bring about transformation in the wine industry. This year, the programme supported three protégés, namely: Praisy Dlamini in her final year of the internship, and more recent recruits Sacha Claassen from Oudtshoorn and Tamsyn Jeftha from Strand.

The protégés are nurtured through a three-year internship programme after the completion of their winemaking studies at Elsenburg College or Stellenbosch University. The experience of working alongside some of the country's finest winemakers at different wineries is designed, ultimately, to equip the protégés to become producers of excellent wines themselves.

First wine raised R36 000

Howard Booysen, the first protégé to complete the internship programme, helped to raise R36 000 for the Guild's Development Trust this year by putting up seven cases of the first wine under his own private label: the Howard Booysen 2010 Weisser Riesling, at various Guild charity auctions.

The Nedbank CWG Development Trust is also instrumental in providing finance for infrastructure projects at local schools, school tuition fees and bursaries for potential protégé students. This year, five boys at Landbouskool Boland Agricultural College received scholarships covering their full school fees and boarding costs. The trust also paid the school fees of two girls at Bloemhof in Stellenbosch, one of whom hopes to study winemaking next year.

AGRISeta grants

In addition, two final-year viticulture and oenology students at Elsenburg College received financial support through the Protégé Bursary Scheme, which is funded through AGRISeta grants.

Tamsyn Jeftha and Sacha Claassen.

The trust is wholly funded by donations and proceeds raised through silent and charity auctions at various Guild events throughout the year. The Guild's annual auction, the country's biggest public wine auction of collector's wines all crafted exclusively by Guild members, also has a strong charity focus in support of the various Development Trust programmes.

Every year, a very special charity item is auctioned off to raise funds for the Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Development Trust. This year's annual CWG auction item: a unique 12l bottle of wine comprising a blend of top 2007 vintage wines from all 41 members of the Cape Winemakers Guild, fetched R16 000.

For further information, go to www.capewinemakersguild.com or contact the Guild office on +27 (0) 21 852 0408 or email moc.dliugsrekameniwepac@ofni.