WIN!
Join our Facebook Group
to enter our monthly draw

Wine Estates

Award winning winemaker is new Cellarmaster at Zonnebloem

Zonnebloem, one of South Africa’s most enduring wine brands known particularly for its long lasting, robust reds, has a new Cellarmaster, the award winning white wine maker, Deon Boshoff.

 Tasked with making white wines for Zonnebloem for the past eight years, Deon was instrumental in putting the white wines on the map and shifting the focus from a predominantly red wine cellar. Deon started his career as assistant winemaker for Zonnebloem in 2002 and quickly worked his way up to take charge of the white winemaking team. He has palmed in several awards for his wines including a Veritas Double Gold for the 2007 Zonnebloem Sauvignon Blanc Ltd Edition and the Old Mutual Trophy for the Best White Wine Overall and Best Semillon for his 2007 vintage.

 Like his wines, Deon has grown and matured into his new position as Cellarmaster, overseeing the entire red and white wine production at the Zonnebloem Cellar. His newly found responsibilities include commanding the day to day operations of the cellar and producing about 120 million litres of wine per year for Zonnebloem and other Distell wines, along with managing more than 50 staff members.

 “I believe in adding value to every step of the winemaking process ensuring wines of consistent quality at every level. I want to ensure satisfaction every time you open a bottle of Zonnebloem,” says Deon.

 After three decades, the winemaking team continues to guard the proud Zonnebloem tradition by using the same yeast strain to start the fermentation process for all their wines. This special yeast ensures an even fermentation process year after year resulting in consistent, superior quality wines.

 Looking at Deon’s career, it is clear that quality and consistency does not only feature in the Zonnebloem winemaking process but also in its winemakers, proving that time has its rewards.

 Zonnebloem wines are released at optimum quality after careful maturation and craftsmanship in the cellar. These full-bodied wines are well-structured to show varietal character with rich, robust flavours, yet remain accessible and easy to drink.

 Deon succeeds Michael Bucholz who has been appointed as Operations Manager at the Bergkelder.

 For more information on Zonnebloem wines, visit www.zonnebloem.co.za