Our winemakers
The wine industry is so dynamic and interesting that it was an easy-career choice for Marthinus Rademeyer, Chief winemaker at Bonnievale Wines. He enrolled at the Cape Institute of Agricultural Training: Elsenburg, and graduated in 2006. He explored the international wine industry during stints at Ferrari Carano Winery in California and at a boutique winery in France, Chateau Boutisse in St. Emillion. Marthinus joined the team at Bonnievale Wines in December 2009.
In 2003, Eddie Mathambo was fresh from high school when he started as a cellar hand at Merwespont Wine Cellar. He completed the specialised senior cellar assistant training programme, Skop 1,2 & 3, as well as various courses at the Cape Wine Academy. In 2007, he spent seven weeks in Burgundy as part of the Vineyard Academy's French exchange programme and completed the CFPPA (Centre de Formation Profesionelle et de Promotion Agricole) course in viticulture and oenology. He has since been promoted to winemaker as part of the Bonnievale Wines team.
Jean Slabber who recently joined our team was the assistant winemaker at Montagu Cellar. He gained a lot of his work experience at one of the top American wine regions, Napa Valley. He completed his BSC Agric degree at the University of Stellenbosch in 2012 and a year later he joined Arabella Wines as an assistant winemaker.
Izak de Vries is already a well-known face at Bonnievale Wines. He obtained his B-Agric degree in 2014 at Cellar Technology in Elsenburg , Stellenbosch. In 2016 he started as a harvest assistant at Neil Ellis Wines and ended up in the Sonoma valley in California where he assisted during their harvest. Upon his return to South Africa, he completed a harvest at Allee Bleue and then returned to Bonnievale Wines on a permanent basis as our wine maker.
Our awards
Our wines are consistent top-performers in authoritative assessments and competitions. Our most recent achiever wines include:
Chardonnay 2016 (Michaelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards) | Barrel Select Shiraz 2014 and Barrel Select Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 (Platter's South African Wine Guide 2017) | Bonnievale Sparkling Brut and Sauvignon Blanc 2016 (Vitis Vinifera Awards) | Sushi, Dawn and Dusk (Gold Wine Awards).
Our sales
Our exports are geared for quality.
- We process 300 containers per year;
- The winery exports 35% of own production and has exported directly since 2007;
- Specialist logistics staff ensures that documentation is accurate and timeous; and,
- We export regularly to Canada, USA, France, UK, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Hong Kong, China and Russia.
Over the past five years the supply of wine for buyers' own labels has shown rapid growth. The winery is a member/ shareholder of the internationally accredited Breërivier Bottling plant in Worcester.
Our accreditations
Bonnievale wines is accredited with the IPW (Integraed Production of Wine): Sustainable Wine SA; WIETA (Wine Industry Ethical Trade Association) and, ISO 22 000: Food Safety Management Standard Certification.