Rooted in pride: how South Africans turned Pinotage into red gold

Few people embody their brand quite like Beyers Truter, the charismatic owner of Beyerskloof near Stellenbosch in the Western Cape. When he speaks, he has a way of making you feel as if you're the only person in the room – and you can't help thinking how lucky his winery, and the South African wine industry, are to have such a strong leader and passionate storyteller at the helm.

- By Glenneis Kriel

And to think he was almost lost to the wine industry. After completing military service, Truter wanted to study medicine so he could make a difference in people's lives. When he wasn't accepted, he enrolled for a BSc degree with the hope of qualifying for medicine later.

But acceptance required an 80% average, and by his second year, he decided that he "no longer felt like chasing 80% anymore".

He had always loved red wine and even started his own small collection during his high school days at Jan van Riebeeck in Cape Town. So, he switched to a BSc in Agriculture, specialising in viticulture, oenology and chemistry.

"In those days, we had to do mainstream chemistry. It was difficult and resulted in me taking five instead of four years to finish the degree," he recalls with a laugh.

During his student years, Truter threw himself into campus life, serving as secretary of the Pieke “I loved my varsity days and learned a lot of valuable skills and lessons through these involvements, especially about administration and giving back,” he says.

Today, Truter uses his success as a wine estate owner to create jobs and improve lives. His farm employs around 70 full-time workers, a number that nearly doubles during harvest season, which runs from pruning in September through to the Cabernet Sauvignon harvest at the end of March.

But Truter’s influence extends far beyond Beyerskloof. He has left an indelible mark on the wider winemaking community, where he is regarded as a legend – primarily for his role in promoting Pinotage and Cape Blends, red wines that typically feature at least 30% Pinotage combined with other grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Shiraz.

THE JOURNEY OF PINOTAGE