#29 - How Rianie Strydom became one of South Africa’s leading winemakers

The Role Models Podcast

Rianie Strydom is the General Manager and Winemaker at Haskell Vineyards and Dombeya Wines.

A graduate of the University of Stellenbosch, Rianie decided to become a winemaker at the age of 14 working in Burgundy, Bordeaux and travelling extensively throughout Europe, America and Australia before returning to South Africa to work within her native country’s terroir.

After ten years as winemaker at Morgenhof Estate, Rianie took up the dual role of General Manager and winemaker at Haskell Vineyards and Dombeya Wines in the Helderberg. And in 2009 her Haskell Pillars Syrah 2007 won three trophies (Best Shiraz, Best Red Wine and Best Wine of Show) at the prestigious Tri Nations Challenge – the first time in the competition’s history that a South African red wine had won these top spots.

Since then, Rianie’s passion and dedication to ‘improving the breed’ of South African wine has seen her career go from strength to strength – including an invitation to join South Africa’s prestigious Cape Winemakers Guild – one of only two females in the country to be a member.

This episode touches on many career cornerstones including:

• The practicalities of marketing yourself and your product
• Why honesty and loyalty are key to carrying your career
• Three foundational skills for a successful career: Being friendly, being goal-oriented, and showing enthusiasm in everything you do

On the subject of wine, Rianie also shares some great tips on:

• How to approach wine if you don’t feel like enough of an expert on it and why experience is so much better than education
• What ‘terroir’ means, and why it’s important

You can read more about Rianie’s wines: https://www.haskellvineyards.com

And read more about Rianie’s accolades: http://www.capewinemakersguild.com/users/rianie-strydom

Please note: There’s a little bit of background noise in this episode. That’s because the episode was recorded, literally, in the middle of one of Rianie’s wine cellars and you will be able to hear some of the barrells being moved at some points!

Thanks to our patrons for this episode:

• Anna Caroline who coaches leaders in Berlin: http://truthcircles.com
• Megan Quinn who supports Code2040: http://www.code2040.org
• Caoimhe Keogan: http://twitter.com/caoimhekeogan
• Alexandra Cosma: http://alexandracosma.com
• Emma Harris

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