Samuel Viljoen is the new cellarmaster at Nederburg . He has been a member of the award-winning winery team since 2007, first as an assistant and, since 2014, as the winemaker of Nederburg’s reds. He takes over for Lizelle Gerber, who left to pursue other interests.
Viljoen’s new responsibilities include overseeing the production of the Paarl cellar’s multi-tiered range, which is distributed in over 80 countries worldwide.
The Stellenbosch University viticulture and oenology graduate worked in both boutique and larger-scale wineries before joining Nederburg 14 years ago. These included the highly regarded American cellar Domaine Serene in Willamette Valley, known as the “Chateau Lafite of Oregon,” as well as the large-volume Goudini Winery in Rawsonville, which focuses on mainstream markets.
In 2003, Viljoen was one of only a few South African winemakers given the opportunity to work in Oregon, which is now regarded as a source of some of the best US wines. Wine Spectator has ranked Domaine Serene as one of the world’s best, and Wine Advocate has given it high marks.
He previously worked in South Africa for Klein Constantia, Fairview, and Longridge.
Nil Groenewald, managing director of Nederburg, believes Viljoen’s abilities are critical to the winery’s success. “Samuel’s winemaking prowess is well known, aided by extraordinary discipline, strong analytical and intuitive skills, and matched by his ability to focus on detail as well as the big picture. That is why he is equally at home producing exclusive, specialized micro-edition wines as well as those for more general consumption. He is a great asset to our recently upgraded and expanded cellar as a leader and team player.”
“My obsession with detail probably stems from those days in Oregon, when every tiny barrel of wine was treated as something truly precious, but so was every larger tank,” Viljoen says. “Everything was regarded as important, big or small, and that emphasis has never left me.”
Viljoen, who is from Bredasdorp, devotes his entire life to his wine career and works well with the Nederburg team. “We are like a band of brothers, spending more time with each other than with our families,” he says. But he never loses his sense of balance, which he believes is essential for living a good life.
What is his philosophy? “Don’t take life too seriously, or you won’t make it out alive.” Maintain your footing and make your colleagues a part of the journey rather than the wheel of the vehicle to get you where you’re going.”
What he enjoys most is being a part of some of the most meaningful moments in other people’s lives. “It makes me so happy when wine lovers tell me about the Nederburg wine they served to announce an engagement, toast a birthday, honor old or new friends, celebrate a new job or a rite of passage. At the same time, I’m proud and humbled.”
He also appreciates the opposing forces of working in wine, now as a cellar-master. “You must be analytical while also learning to trust your intuition and taste buds. Structure is required, but flexibility is required to work with up to 23 different varieties at any given time. You must be able to enjoy making small quantities of special collectible wines while also making popular wines for global markets on the same day, and you must feel at ease creating both traditional and unique wines.”
