Wim Truter returns to Die Bergkelder

Wim Truter

Now, with experience and international training behind his name, he makes red wines under the direction of cellarmaster Andrea Freeborough. He worked for the Australian producer, Hardy's, in both McLaren Vale in South Australia and in Margaret River in Western Australia. He also spent a harvest in a small Southern Rhône cellar in France and another at Jordan Vineyard & Winery in Napa Valley, California.

"I love travelling and my bucket list is filled with a couple of winemaking destinations I would still like to experience," he says and dreams of harvesting in Germany and experiencing the vineyards of Georgia and Moldova.

At the end of 2005, he settled in at Nederburg as assistant red winemaker, a position he held for two years. In 2007, he was promoted to red winemaker and was sent by the winery to France in mid 2009 to complete a Masters degree in the study of viticulture, wine, terroir and marketing at the Groupe Ecole Supérieure d'Agriculture (Groupe ESA) in Angers. He completed his thesis in South Africa, researching the influence of viticulture and winemaking on wine style and quality. He re-joined Nederburg as white winemaker in January 2012.

Freeborough says, "His international experience in both large commercial and small, independent wineries and commitment to producing the best of the best, make him a superb fit with the award winning winemaking team. I am confident that he will find new ways to unlock the full potential of the top quality grapes scoured by our viticulturist, Bennie Liebenberg, from vineyards throughout the Western Cape."