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BLACC - The Black Cellar Club

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BLACC: a not-for-profit South African registered company plays a role in raising knowledge & experience of wines & spirits in the hospitality sector.

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| BLACCmondayXCavalli

This past Wednesday, Cavalli Wine Estate invited the club to revisit this extraordinary estate.

Commencing with a walking tour of the Heldeberg region vineyards, we learnt about the unique cool climate influence of the Southerly winds and the ‘koffieklip’ soils.

Winemaker Rianie Strydom led the 20-strong members through a fascinating tasting of the wine range followed by a beautiful lunch hosted by Chef Lucas Carstens.

Thank you to Cavalli’s owner and team for the very special day and to our friend @linxcommunications for always being there to take photography at our events.

Ps. BLACCmondays don’t necessarily need to be held on Mondays..!

#BLACC #BLACCmonday #BLACCmondayXCavalli #CavalliEstate by @blacc_2016

| #BLACCmondayXAslinaWines

Members from our Western Cape Chapter have the privilege of spending the day this coming Monday July 22nd in the company of winemaker and owner, Ntsiki Biyela of Aslina Wines.

Aslina Wines was founded in 2016 and today, six premium wines make up the range that are found and enjoyed around the globe.

For a true African hospitality experience the Aslina Tasting Room is located at Unit 1, Ground Floor, Building 4, Alberto Drive, Devonbosch, Bottelary Road, Stellenbosch. Open Tuesday to Saturday 10am-4pm, by appointment only.

www.aslinawines.com

#BLACC #BLACCmonday #BLACCinMotion #AslinaWines #WoSA by @blacc_2016

WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) with headquarters in London, in collaboration with the International Wine Education Centre based in Cape Town (IWEC), announced today that a bursary scheme has been granted to not-for-profit company the Black Cellar Club (BLACC) of five places on the highly prized WSET Level 3 Award in Wines programme.

The course will commence in September of this year and will be held at Klein Joostenberg farm in Stellenbosch.

Applications are now open to BLACC-accredited members who meet the entrance criteria and who are interested in this life-changing opportunity.

This most excellent news follows an earlier announcement by WSET of fifteen bursaries granted to BLACC in May of this year to complete the WSET Level 2 Award in Wines course.

The fifteen BLACC students wrote their examination in Stellenbosch last week and eagerly await their respective results!

The WSET Level 3 Wines course is valued at R15 200, 00 and WSET is providing a bursary of R12 000,00 to each of the five successful applicants.

Applicants should contact Ian Hamilton Manley, Founder of BLACC, to obtain the application form via ian@blackcellarclub.com

#WSET #BLACC by @blacc_2016

| It’s been two weeks of intensive learning for our fifteen WSET | IWEC bursary Western Cape Chapter BLACC students.

The WSET Level 2 course lectures have been hosted by Cathy Marston, owner of the International Wine Education Centre at Klein Joostenberg Events Centre in Stellenbosch.

Up next is the big exam to be held on June 7th! Here’s wishing our cuvée crew of 15 all the best!

Thank you to WSET Global and IWEC for the continued support of our members.

Credit: a sincere thank you to photojournalist Jim Freeman @linxcommunications for the pro bono work that he has supplied in taking images of BLACC since the club’s inception in 2016.

#blacc #BLACCinMotion #WSETglobal #IWEC by @blacc_2016

WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) in collaboration with the International Wine Education Centre in Cape Town (IWEC) have granted not-for-profit company the Black Cellar Club (BLACC) fifteen fully sponsored places for WSET’ Level 2 Award in Wines.

The collaboration between the three organisations provides members of BLACC the opportunity to access this globally respected qualification, something that personal financial constraints or lack of employer support would otherwise render impossible.

Applications for the sponsored places opens today to current members of BLACC. The application deadline is Friday, 12 April 2024 and the selection process will be managed by the Executive Board of BLACC, supported by WSET and IWEC to ensure impartiality. Courses will take place in Stellenbosch during May 2024 and will be tutored by WSET Educator Cathy Marston, director of IWEC. The examination will take place on 7 June 2024.

Read more here: https://manleycommunications.com/wset-grants-life-changing-bursaries-to-south-africa-based-members-of-the-black-cellar-club-blacc/

#WSET #IWEC #BLACC #BLACCinMotion by @blacc_2016

| Bidding fond farewell to our Chairman, Wellington Muromba as he departs South Africa’s shores to take on an exciting career move to Sri Lanka. Wellington joined BLACC in 2017 and has been our steadfast Chairman since April 2021. He has been a pillar of leadership for the club and his drive and unstoppable energy in forging his career in wine has been an inspiration to us all. Wellington departs SA this coming Friday and takes on the position of Group Sommelier for the Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts based in Colombo. The group’s portfolio includes properties in Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

Under the circumstances, Wellington has resigned as Chairman of BLACC but remains a stalwart senior member of the club and joins our ‘beyond Africa’ Chapter. Here’s raising a glass to you Mr Muromba!

Our Vice Chairman Denzel Swarts steps in as Acting Chairman until such time that the club holds the next election which will occur in the coming months.

#blacc #BLACCinMotion #Sommelier #BLACCSommelier #CinnamonHotels by @blacc_2016

A day of great celebration was had at SOLMS-DELTA, in Franschhoek, last week with news that the farm is to be injected with new energy and investment thanks to US tech entrepreneur Tommy Hall.

Tommy, who hails from Houston, Texas announced on the day, the formation of the SOLMS-DELTA Wine Company. This new 100% black-owned company replaces the SOLMS-DELTA Wine Estate business.

Two maiden vintages under the new label were also launched on the day, both are Rhône blends:
Amelie 2023 (a white)
Hiervandaan 2023 (a red)

Chef Kwaramba cooked on the day, so, it landed up being an all-round BLACC day too!

In the photo: from left to right:
Back row: Spencer Fondaumiere (President of SASA / wine entrepreneur), Wellington Muromba (Chairman of BLACC / National Sales Executive - DGB), Tommy Hall (owner of the SOLMS-DELTA Wine Company) and Ian Manley (Founder of BLACC).

Middle Row: Lesego Majatladi (Executive Board member - BLACC / MD, Stay Latitude Apartment Hotel), Angela McCrae (Association of African American Vintners), Tuanni Price (Executive Board Member - BLACC / Owner of Zuri Wine Tasting), Denzel Swartz (Vice Chaiperson, BLACC / National Sales Director - Zoetendal Vineyards).

Bottom Row: Inga Sibiya (freelance journalist) and Munashe Kwaramba (chef, sommelier and owner of Hari Kitchen) by @blacc_2016

FACES OF BLACC: Tendai Chigwida

When I was very young, my mom would always ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, & every time I would provide her with a different answer.

After matriculating in my homeland Zimbabwe, I decided to go into I.T and Sales, however I soon realised that the sector was not for me.

I decided to move to Cape Town in 2009 where I started as a house cleaner & babysitter. In 2013 I joined the hospitality industry as a waitress, which lead me to meeting Janet Lee who works at Klein Constantia Winery. in 2017, Janet inspired me to apply to join the Klein Constantia team.

My interview with Alan Wickström, Klein Constantia’s Tasting Room Manager went well. Alan asked me to taste the Klein Constantia MCC Brut 2013, which was a 1st for me. This pivotal moment opened the doors to the wine industry for me. I had found my career path!

I spent 5 wonderful years at Klein Constantia in the position of Tasting Assistant. During this time I completed a number of wine and spirit courses including WSET Global and SASA (South African Sommeliers Association). In 2019 I became a member of BLACC and this helped me tremendously, as I learnt more about the wine industry by visiting different wine farms around the Cape. These visits to top estates helped me to cement my knowledge about the entire process of wine production; from the vineyard to the cellar.

In December of 2021 I decided to take a waiter’s position at The Waterside Restaurant in the V&A Waterfront. Waterside is a fine dining restaurant associated to the globally recognised La Colombe in Constantia. It was an incredible experience to be part of the opening phase of this amazing restaurant.

After 1-year of working at The Waterside, I emigrated to Melbourne, Australia in April of this year. Having now settled in my new city, I now continue my journey in food and wine at the luxury dining venue Grossi Florentino Restaurant as Sommelier & Beverage Manager.

Photo 1: a pic of proud me with my SASA certification
Photo 2: Klein Constantia Wine Estate, Constantia, South Africa
Photo 3: Grossi Florentino Restaurant, Melbourne, Australia

#BLACC #BLACCinMotion #FacesOfBLACC by @blacc_2016

FACES OF BLACC: Erasmus Jowore

I joined the Black Cellar Club in 2017, the year after the club was founded by Ian Manley and a group of senior sommeliers. I attended, what are know as BLACC Mondays as often as I could. On these event days we visited a wine farm on each occasion and were hosted by the estate owners. During these early years of the club. I was working at DISTEL in Stellenbosch but then became an Uber driver to become more flexible with my work time.

I was desperate to learn more about the wine business and wanted a formal education in the industry, however self-funding was not viable for me.

An incredible opportunity became available, last year, when BLACC with the assistance of WSET Global based in London and Cathy Marston, an official Educator of WSET and owner of The Wine Centre based in Cape Town provided WSET Level 2 in Wines and Spirits bursaries to successful candidates. I was fortunate to be afforded the course and after rigorous training by Cathy as well as Tuanni Price who heads up Education at BLACC, I passed my exam in December.

Achieving WSET Level 2 was literally a golden ticket to launching my career in wine. Doors suddenly opened to me and I soon obtained a position of Tasting Room Ambassador at the 5 Star Lanzerac Hotel & Spa in Stellenbosch.

A few months ago I applied to join the MSC cruise liner group and obtained a wine steward position on their newest ship, MSC Euribia. The company usually doesn’t accept persons on a new ship that don’t have previous cruise service experience, however I was accepted that is to my credentials and CV!

All the hours spent with my tutor Cathy Marston and BLACC’s director of Education, Tuanni Price suddenly became of huge assistance to me in understanding an international wine list.

I return to Cape Town in March of 2024 having obtained immeasurable experience and knowledge over a year at sea.

My new career in wine and spirits is thanks to the generosity of WSET Global, the International Wine Education Centre, the initiatives of BLACC and the many people that have supported me on my journey so far.

#BLACC #BLACCinMotion FacesOfBLACC #WSETglobal #MSCCruises #ManleySocial by @blacc_2016

FACES of BLACC: Silas Ndung’u Njoki @silas_thesomm

My story of wine began with a rather embarrassing moment when, as a newly promoted bartender, I was unable to provide my F&B Manager with a single recommendation of a wine when asked to accompany him to purchase new wine stock for the hotel that I was employed at, the Kempinski Hotel, Nairobi none other!

I found myself unable to understand what the sommelier was asking, let alone make any contribution during the subsequent tasting session. This sparked in me an admiration for the somewhat suave sommelier and ignited a burning desire to learn about the world’s fine wines and spirits.

I began my learning via online tutorials, happily accepted any basic courses that the Kempinski could offer me and then eventually invested in my future by flying to South Africa and taking the WSET Level 2 accreditation and a year later the WSET Level 3 (at the time, the WSET Courses were not available in Kenya).

With this new knowledge, the Villa Rosa Kempinski created a new position of Sommelier for the hotel, a position that I proudly held until 2019.

I now work for the international Azamara Cruise Lines with head quarters in Miami, Florida.

I will be in the Cape during September to attend the Sommelier Symposium organised by WOSA where a host of international wine markets will be represented. This will enable me to further my understanding of South African wines. I will be representing Kenya at the symposium (after winning the opportunity via a local Kenyan wine challenge ‘showdown’), which will benefit the local industry by me being able to return to Kenya as well as an international audience via Azamara with further knowledge of the Cape’s unique and versatile wines.

#blacc #BLACCinMotion #facesofblacc #manleysocial by @blacc_2016

IN THE NEWS: Congratulations to Tinashe Marlvin Gwese @marlvingwese for making the cover / feature story of Travel Essence Magazine @travelessencemagazine regarding his Mukanye Wines business @mukanyawines.

Tinashe is also the Group Sommelier for Newmark Hotels and Reserves.

#blacc #BLACCinMotion #MukanyeWines #newmarkexperiences #manleysocial #FacesofBLACC by @blacc_2016