Under the oppressive rule of apartheid, winemaking was just one of countless professions from which black South Africans were excluded. But this is finally changing – for nearly three decades, a racist system has placed black citizens in low-skilled, low-paid jobs.
One of those female leaders is Ntsiki Biyela, who became the country’s first black female winemaker in 2004. In 2016, Biyela founded the award-winning Aslina Wines. The company, named after her maternal grandmother, is based at Delheim Wines, a family business in the Stellenbosch wine region where Biyela buys her grapes, Blends varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, and bottles the finished product.
Today, Biyela’s brand is one of more than 80 black-owned wine brands in South Africa. “This is a time when the wine industry is expected to grow and see more people of color getting involved,” she said. That hope is partly due to Biella’s efforts as a board member and advocate for the Pinotage Youth Development Academy. Established in 2012, the academy works with over 50 wineries in the Grand Cape Winery region outside Cape Town to provide professional opportunities in wine, hospitality, and tourism for adults. “More than 500 students have gone through this process,” Biella said. “We have staff in tasting rooms, restaurants, and hotels – even on cruise ships! – Served as a sommelier and wine steward. We can see the impact of this project, and it is changing people’s lives.”
Biyela is also undergoing a period of transformation. This summer, Aslina opened its first independent tasting room in Stellenbosch. She shares her favorite places to sip and eat in and around Stellenbosch.
Preferred bottle
“At the moment, I’m drinking Chenin Blanc from Aslina, which came out last year,” Biella said. “It’s a wine that’s in contact with the skin, which means we leave the rind on longer during the production process to create more tannin structure – which is beautiful.” My staff won’t let me drink it because it tastes so good; I’ll drink it all!”
Flavor bomb
“Edge Africa in Cape Town is amazing,” Biella says of chef Vusi Ndlovu’s pop-up restaurant, which ran four months earlier this year at the Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel. (The store has reopened under a new name, African Fire, at Time Out Market in Cape Town.) “They use spices from all over the continent. My favorite is their steamed soft bread, traditionally known as unique. It’s so comfy — I love doing it at home, too.”
Drink to that
Located in Stellenbosch, Wine Arc is a shop and community center that opened in 2021 to help black South Africans work at all levels of the industry. In addition to hosting tastings and group sessions, “it’s a great place to taste and buy black-owned wineries, including mine, and get a bite to eat,” Biella said.
Good taste
“At the Garden restaurant of the Delheim Wine Company, you have a great view of Table Mountain,” Biella said. In addition, she has a passion for Cape Malay chicken curry. One of these is a donation to the Cobblestone Project, which provides education, health care, and social services to the children of farm workers.
