Durban – The landscape of the South African wine industry is slowly transitioning to a point that reflects the country’s indigenous people, as more black South Africans are succeeding in the once white dominated field.
Born into wine roots, Paul Siguqa, 41, from the Western Cape, has bought his own wine farm for R12 million, after saving up for 15 years, France24 reported.
Siguqa is the first black man to own a wine farm in the Franschhoek Valley, the Financial Mail reported.
The Klein Goederust Franschhoek Boutique Winery was opened in 1902 and has been given a breath of fresh air, since Siguqa took over.
Siguqa grew up in the area, as his mother, Nomaroma Siguqa, worked on a wine farm for around 37 years. His mother was a grounding force who also urged him to stay in school and further his studies.
“If we want to be the change in an industry, we need to be that change. And I wanted to contribute change to an industry that I loved dearly, which is the wine industry.
“If you grow on a farm as the children of farm labourers, black farm labourers, you are raised to be the next crop of labour for that farm. The farmer doesn’t look very far for labour, the children, in most cases, become the next generation of labour.
Carmen Stevens, from Carmen Stevens Wines – South Africa’s first wholly black owned winery, said that funding is still a challenge for people of colour in the industry because they do not come from a place of large financial backing.
“If it wasn’t for Nelson Mandela, I would not be a winemaker today,” Stevens said.
Stevens winery is located in the Stellenbosch Municipality in the Western Cape.
But Stevens and Siguqa have not been the only ones to break ground in the industry, both literally and figuratively.
Below, you can find a list of 12 black owned wineries and wines in and around the Cape Town region, which includes the “House of Mandela”, founded by Madiba’s daughter, Maki, and his granddaughter, Tukwini.
There is also a wine named “Bayede”, which is in honour of the late Zulu King, King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu.
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