BLACC Sommeliers are Changing the Game in South Africa

 

Sommeliers Pearl Oliver, Joseph Dhafana and Tinashe Nyamudoka are working closely with BLACC – the Black Cellar Club, a South African association of wine professionals, to boost the profile of Blacks in an industry once fraught with inequality and are changing the game in South Africa (@IshayGovender), For Wine Enthusiast, September 2018

All three, like many local Black wine professionals, did not grow up in a wine-drinking culture and hope to change the perception of consuming wines as an elitist pursuit. BLACC’s main target is the emerging Black middle class in South Africa and across an African network of countries such as Kenya, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The organization’s aims are far-reaching, from investing in education and work opportunities for young Blacks in the industry, to increasing the per capita spend on wines in the townships to advocating for responsible drinking.

“The idea is to have young Africans come on board and find a place [where] they feel comfortable,” says newly-elected BLACC chair Pearl Oliver, the bar manager at the One&Only, Cape Town. “And it’s not just about South Africa. It’s about reaching out into Africa”

With regular meetings and excursions to visit farms and producers who support the association’s ethos, BLACC’s key members are forging ahead on a personal level too – producing wines, establishing businesses and dreaming big.

PEARL OLIVER

In 2002 Pearl Oliver joined Catarina’s restaurant at Steenberg wine estate, as a food runner [busser]. She worked her way up to sommelier, heading several top Cape Town restaurants in the subsequent years before her current role as bar manager at the city’s prestigious One&Only hotel. Oliver is currently balancing motherhood and future business plans to open informal township-style bars.

You made an unlikely leap into wine. Tell us about that?

I lost my father when I was 19 as the youngest child, and I had to fend for myself. I started working at a steakhouse and then as a runner [busser] at a fine-dining restaurant. The next day I was promoted to waiter. My manager at the time told me: “To make it in this industry, you need to start drinking wine.” At first, it tasted terrible, but it planted a seed. Many Black sommeliers I know started out with wine only in adulthood.

What inspired your interest in entrepreneurship?

We grew up in Lavender Hill, a very poor area, but not a poor home– my dad ran a few small businesses fixing cars, selling fresh produce. He encouraged us to make our own way in life. At Steenberg, I learned that to succeed, you need to climb the corporate ladder. I recently had an opportunity to study wine business management and I started my post-grad  – this is where I began to examine the business of the beverage.

Has that helped you in your new role?

Absolutely. People have questioned why I gave up a career as a sommelier to manage a bar. I’m learning more about the beverage side, how to be innovative, how to manage people. It’s a details-driven job. Also, I’m in a transition phase. As the mother, I get to spend more structured time with my children.

And where to in 10 years?

With BLACC we are building bridges between the old guard and the newcomers. I also want to help women who are trying to balance careers with motherhood – there are sacrifices you need to make but you also need a support structure. And I want to open a string of shebeen-style bars [informal bars usually found in townships here]. I can picture myself rocking the industry like that!

JOSEPH DHAFANA

From asylum-seeker to wine maker for Mosi Wines and head sommelier at La Colombe, one of the premier fine dining restaurants in the country, Zimbabwean-born Joseph Dhafana is making waves. He recently passed the level 2 South African Sommeliers Association (SASA) qualifications, one of only 7 sommeliers to do so.

You had a harrowing entry to South Africa. Tell us about that.

In 2009 my wife and I paid $20 [U.S Dollars] to escape Zimbabwe on a cargo train. But we were trapped in the container in the blazing sun and the women were screaming, passing out. Luckily we got out and tried another time – by night. We had to jump off as soon as the train stopped in Mesina and we were led to a refugee camp. My first job in South Africa was digging graves – not many people know that. Then  gardening. We moved to a rough part of Johannesburg – I slept on the street, my wife in a church camp. Those were difficult days.

Your trajectory into wine and the fine dining scene was swift and seems at odds with those days of struggle.

I made a big jump in a short space of time. I worked as a waiter in the Swartland [one hour 40 minutes out of Cape Town] and then a wine waiter. At the age of 28 in 2010, I had my first sip of wine. I studied and completed various wine qualifications from my own pocket and in 2014 I was promoted to head sommelier at La Colombe where I still am. In 2014, with the advice of top Swartland wine makers I produced my maiden wine, under the Mosi Wines label. In 2015 I became a certified wine judge and recently, I completed the level two qualification with SASA.

So your journey has influenced your thoughts on mentorship?

Yes. La Colombe played a risky card by employing me. They trusted me and I told myself I will pay this forward. BLACC is a group of like-minded people who want to help the community. I’m working on several fund-raising projects. Ten years ago there wasn’t a Black sommelier on the floor. Now, we’re the pioneers and have to be mentors. I’m grooming the next generation of sommeliers.

TINASHE NYAMUDOKA

As the head sommelier at The Test Kitchen in Cape Town, routinely the highest-ranking restaurant in Africa on the World’s 50 Best restaurant awards lists, Tinashe Nyamudoka serves patrons with a worldly palate. He’s also using his accounting qualifications and a stint in managing a supermarket to build his Kumusha Wines brand.

Tell us about your role at The Test Kitchen

Unlike before [he means at the other restaurants and hotels where he worked], here I’m the beverage manager and sommelier. So all the responsibilities for sourcing, purchasing and food pairings, I carry. I can taste a wine today and have it delivered tomorrow.  At a stage I was the only Black guy on the floor and my suggestions didn’t go down well until Luke [Dale-Roberts – owner and executive chef] stepped in.  It’s an intense environment and everyone wants get on our wine list.

Why the move to creating your own wine?

I am always looking at the bigger picture. I love wine, I like the theory – I’m a qualified judge, but I don’t want to sit around debating the nitty gritty. I’ve always been business-minded, having studied accounting. So, with Kumusha I knew I’d handle all aspects like sourcing grapes, production, creating the labels and distribution. Being part of the whole value chain – that’s real empowerment.  Kumusha means “roots” or “home” and reminds me of where I come from.

Is that a message you’re sharing with BLACC?

Yes. See, there are many Blacks making their own wines now, but selling it isn’t easy. We have to leverage all our skills, drive the whole value chain – from production to sales. Also, in that way we can move the language in wine writing from Euro-centric to what we Africans know. I drive that message home.