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Articles

July 2010

Wineland Magazine - General

A wild touch to new Cape Wine Masters

At the same time, the new graduates continued a trend of female domination in recent years, with no less than three women ruling the roost and clinching from among their ranks the three special awards for Viniculture, Brandy and Sparkling Wine Excellence.

left: Fresh in the Cape Wine Masters fold, Kristina Beuthner, Mike Lee, Lyn Woodward and Sarah Newton.

The star of the show, at a glittering luncheon hosted by the Van Ryn Brandy Cellar outside Stellenbosch, was Sarah Newton, who received distinctions in both theory and brandy tasting, while also attaining the highest marks ever for the sparkling wine tasting examination. This earned her the Van Ryn Trophy for Brandy Excellence and the newly instituted Villiera Sabrage Award.

The recipient of the Viniculture Award from Groenland Winery, only awarded for the second time since its sponsorship was initiated in 2007, was Lyn Woodward. The two other new CWMs are Kristina Beuthner and Mike Lee.

The above awards were conferred by the Cape Wine Academy in collaboration with the Institute of Cape Wine Masters, the latter also presented its Wine Personality of the Year Award to the well-known Stellenbosch personality, Pietman Retief for his contribution to the Wine and Brandy Industry over more than 40 years.

He was the Executive Director of The Brandy Foundation for 12 years and previously headed up the corporate PR division of Distillers Corporation. He is still actively involved in wine tourism and education.
The four new graduates receiving their Diplomas as Cape Wine Masters in the 26th year of its existence, brings the number of successful candidates to 75 and the Institute membership to 68, including three honorary members. The Wild Yeasts guild has now produced altogether seven Cape Wine Masters and there’s one current student.

This year dissertations covered topics ranging from Wine Packaging, the Future of Riesling in South Africa, the Potential of Rhône-style Red Wines in South Africa and the Growth of Sparkling Wine in South Africa.

• Sarah Newton: An analytical chemist, she has engaged in brief stints advising customers on wine in restaurants and retail stores, started the CWA Preliminary course in 1998, obtained the CWA Diploma II in 2001 and is a member of the Cellar Rats Wine Tasting Club, the Bubbly Club and the Wild Yeasts. Dissertation: Sparkling Wine – The growth of this category of wine in South Africa.
• Kristina Beuthner: Part-time wine consultant and importer/exporter, who worked in France and Germany after attaining her double diploma in Business Administration. On completion of the two-year CWA Wine Diploma, she started her CWM studies in 2006. Dissertation: The future of Riesling in SA and what we can learn from the recent improvements in Germany (example: the Rheingau).
• Lyn Woodward: A freelance wine writer, food stylist and educator with a degree in Business Management. She has completed several wine courses including a Cape Wine Academy Introductory Wine Course as part of her Diploma at the Christina Martin Chef’s School in Durban. During seven years of working experience at the Cape Wine Academy, Woodward also led a wine and food tour of France and trips around the Cape winelands. Dissertation: Wine packaging: alternatives to traditional glass.
• Mike Lee: An engineer in manufacturing and logistics and a qualified photographer. He completed the CWA diploma in 2003, followed by the Cape Wine Masters programme. Dissertation: Rhône-style red wines in South Africa.

left: Sarah Newton CWM receives the first Villiera Sabrage Award for the highest marks in a sparkling wine tasting, from Jeff Grier of
Villiera, with Bennie Howard of the Institute of Cape Wine Masters.

The dissertations are available for perusal on the Cape Wine Academy website (www.capewineacademy.co.za) and at the SAWIS library.