Staying Ahead In The Wine Game

Agri Western Cape’s Young Farmer of the year, Johann de Wet of De Wetshof Wine Estate, tells Glenneis Kriel how he and his brother, Peter, are keeping their family’s wine-making legacy alive.

- Glenneis Kriel

Being the son of legendary winemaker Danie de Wet could easily have been intimidating, but Johann de Wet sees it as a privilege and a way to create a legacy for his children.

After all, Danie, owner of De Wetshof Wine Estate in the Robertson Wine Valley, is one of the pioneers responsible for bringing improved plant material into South Africa in the late 1970s, as well as a former KWV chairperson.

“People assume it’s hard to follow in the footsteps of somebody as inspirational as my father, but to me he’s just my dad,” says Johann, 35.

“The great thing about being his son is that I grew up in an environment where I was constantly exposed to industry news and politics, which has left me well-connected with many influential and knowledgeable industry players.” Johann and his brother Peter, 33, knew from a young age that they would one day take over the family business.

“We never really wanted to do anything else. I accepted that Peter would one day make the wine and I’d sell it. We make a surprisingly good team: he’s great at looking after the nitty gritty, like the books and finances, whereas I’m more of a visionary.”

Before joining De Wetshof in 2005, Johann had a stint at Stellenbosch University, where he realised that academic life was not for him. After that, he worked on a horse farm in the US and wine farms in Europe.

“Don’t get me wrong, tertiary education has its place. But farming has become so specialised that one person cannot know everything needed to unlock the full potential of a farm. Not having formal training also helps me think out of the box. “We consult specialists to identify blind spots and help keep us on the right track,” he says.