e ntsiki biyela winemaker at stellekaya in stellenbosch
Ntsiki Biyela (born 1978) is a South African winemaker who is head winemaker at Stellekaya Wines. In being hired for the position, Biyela became the first black female winemaker in South Africa.
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Ntsiki biyela on sa s wine industry
Biography
Biyela grew up in Mahlabathini in Zululand. Having made a number of unsuccessful grant applications to study at university, she was offered the opportunity to study viticulture and oenology at Stellenbosch University in 1998 by South African Airways, who were providing a number of wine making scholarships. Biyela had never tasted wine prior to starting her studies, but soon came to love what she describes as "the ever-changing content of wine." Her lectures were primarily delivered in Afrikaans, which she did not speak, so Biyela learnt the majority of the winemaking content via English notes. She was also able to get a part-time job at local winery Delheim.
In 2009 Biyela was named as South Africa’s Woman Winemaker of the Year.
Stellekaya Wines
After graduating from Stellebosch University, Biyela was hired as winemaker for Stellekaya Wines in 2004, making her the first black female winemaker in South Africa. Her first red wine won a gold medal at the Michelangelo awards.
In 2016 Biyela announced that she has plans to leave Stellekaya and start her own brand of wine later in the year.