A note from our chairperson, Spencer Fondaumiere:
“I am very pleased with the progress the organization has been able to make in this last year. Despite the very well-documented challenges in both the hospitality and wine industries we have been able to make great strides. The future is incredibly bright with some very exciting prospects in the pipeline. Myself and all those involved have spent a large amount of time this year planting the seeds and laying solid foundations and I am very excited for 2022 and all that it will bring.” "A special vote of thanks to SASA Coordinator Erica Taylor, who has been instrumental in the success of this year's activities." NEW BOARD
Our AGM in April welcomed a new board as the baton passed on for the 6th time. Laurie Cooper and Shane Mumba joined incumbents Wayve Kolevsohn, Esmé Groenwald, and Spencer Fondaumiere to form the new board.
Led by new chair Spencer Fondaumiere and deputized by Esmé Groenewald.
NEW WEBSITE & BRANDING
We got an all-new website and a striking new logo to usher in a bright new future.
EXAMS
On the 15th of June, at The Wine Library in Cape Town, SASA hosted the first Junior Sommelier exam of 2021. The second exam took place in September in JHB and CPT.
We are proud to announce the new 2021 SASA Junior Sommeliers:
Alessio da Conceicao- Financial Advisor at Domini Consulting
Bafana Zondo- Wine Sommelier and Assistant Restaurant Manager at Gate Restaurant at Quoin Rock Wine Estate
Daryll Pieterse- Tasting room assistant at Van Loveren Family Vineyards
Keegan Terry- Food and Beverage Supervisor at the Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel
Stefan Reinmuth- Brand Ambassador for Oldenburg Vineyards
Marthinus Dutoit- Student of wine
George Sakulias- The Butcher Shop & Grill - Sandton
Jaco Meyer- Music Lecturer, Researcher, and Composer
Tapiwa Jamu- Sommelier at the Ivory Manor Boutique Hotel
BEST SOMMELIER IN SOUTH AFRICA
In September, we hosted the Best Sommelier in South Africa in partnership with the Stellenbosch Wine Routes. We proudly announce Wikus Human as the new Best Sommelier in South Africa, taking top honours competing against semi-finalists Jean-Vincent Ridon and Laurie Cooper at Blaauwklippen Vineyards.
BEST SOMMELIER IN EUROPE & AFRICA
Cyprus
SASA’s very own Jo Wessels flew the flag high and made us all proud with the highest placing from a competitor from Africa in an ASI competition. Placing 7th is an incredible achievement. Jo worked incredibly hard under challenging and uncertain conditions. Jo has raised the bar and continues the tradition of South Africa, punching way above its weight on the international stage.
AFRICA’S FIRST MASTER SOMMELIER
Gareth Ferreira MS is doing South Africa incredibly proud on the international front. Former Best Sommelier in South Africa Gareth Ferreira from Core by Clare Smyth in London became the first African to achieve the Master's Sommelier qualification. We are so incredibly proud of Gareth.
UBUNTU SOMMELIER TROPHY
The second-ever Ubuntu Sommeliers Trophy took place on the 13th of December. Team South Africa, made up of Freda Marizen Jacobs, Eric Botha, Roxan Waldeck, Tayla Kirshner, and Stefan Reinmuth, came out on top and wrestled the floating trophy back from our neighbour’s team Zimbabwe.
To add to the celebration, Stefan Reinmuth followed in the footsteps of board member Laurie Cooper by winning the highest individual score. Well done all!
SASA WINS BID TO HOST THE ASI GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN 2025.
It is the first time an ASI event will occur in Africa, a hugely significant achievement for SASA. The ASI GA brings together heads of every ASI member organisation together at once.
2022 AND BEYOND
It promises to be a huge year ahead for SASA as we introduce our brand new Introductory Sommelier course (We will be making a significant announcement about that in January with greater detail). Much hard work has been done behind the scenes to make this a reality. We firmly believe that this will be a giant stride for SASA in fulfilling its mandate to promote the noble profession of Sommelierie in South Africa.
Also, in January, we will announce a new structure and appoint an operations manager to professionalize the organization further. SASA has undergone a restructure, which will allow us to execute our mandate with increased ease.
In these times, it is difficult to declare anything with any certainty; however, this is the proposed calendar of events.
2022
14th March 2022- ASI Diploma Exam
29th March 2022- Introductory Sommelier Course
11th April 2022- SASA AGM
9th May 2022- Masterclass prepping for Junior and Sommelier Exams
17th-18th May 2022- Junior and Sommelier Exams
14th September 2022 Best Young Sommelier
5th-7th October- Cape Wine | SASA and PIWOSA collaboration wherein we will be hosting some intriguing educational activities with the PIWOSA wines and sharing a glimpse of what we do with the world.
17th-18th October 2022- Junior and Sommelier Exams
2023
23rd February 2023- Best Sommelier in the World
10th April 2023- SASA AGM
For more information on any of the above please email, info@sommeliers.org.za.
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