“I am very excited and proud, especially as this is the first wine course I have completed,” said Fielies, who has worked at Windfall for the past eight years.
He received a cash prize of R10 000 and the Nedbank Floating Trophy. The two runners-up, Heinrich Le Fleur from DGB in Wellington and Gert Booysen from Neethlingshof in Stellenbosch, each received a cash prize of R5 000.
Some 300 of participants entered for this year’s Cellar Worker Programme where study groups focussed on wines from South Africa and the Americas, the production of sparkling wine and brandy, and legal wine preparation methods and processes.
“The aim of the programme is to empower cellar workers, celebrate excellence and to foster a spirit of mentorship in the South African wine industry. We are grateful to every cellar that entered their staff for the study groups,” said project co-ordinator Santi Basson.
