The name Wendy Petersen has become synonymous with the advancement of black-owned wineries in South Africa. In many ways, she is the godmother to a new generation of winemakers making waves across the country.
“My life in the wine industry is really a journey of complexity, excitement and learning,” says Petersen, executive manager of the South African Wine Industry Transformation Unit (Witu).
In conversation with Brian Mahanke, better known as The Black Sommelier, Petersen admits that her journey isn’t always easy, but it certainly is worth it – and she’s up for the challenge.
It was way back in 1993 when the Paarl-based Petersen first applied for a job at the Monis division of the former Stellenbosch Farmers Winery.
She says, “I knew so little about the wine industry that I thought I went for an interview at the spaghetti place [Fatti’s & Moni’s] – only to realise halfway through the interview that I was actually applying at a wine company.”
Moving up the ladder
Despite having no prior experience of the wine industry, Petersen landed the job, and slowly but surely, started proving her worth. She was soon promoted to the company’s product development and innovation division in 1997.
After a brief period at KWV, Petersen was offered the position of group manager for new product development at Distell in 2005. She also worked at DGB as a product development manager for almost seven years before joining Wines of South Africa (Wosa) in 2017 as manager of international projects – a step that would lead to her current job at Witu.
Enriching a vibrant industry
Petersen is passionate about the work of Witu, which was established in October 2016. The unit, she explains, “looks at the promotion, showcasing [of and] the support and activities around black-owned [wine] brands, black farms, and black professionals in the industry”.
While the goal is to enrich the country’s vibrant wine industry and the people who work in it, it is also to give a much-needed leg-up to the many wine professionals who are not yet fully recognised.
Ultimately, her work will always be about empowerment, emphasises Petersen, especially for the previously marginalised. “If the intent is not empowerment, then what are we doing?”
Wine Arc initiative
Petersen loves what she is doing and says it does not feel like work, but like a purpose for her. She enjoys the creative freedom because new ideas create fascinating opportunities like the Wine Arc, says Petersen.
The Wine Arc is an initiative established in November 2021. It provides market access opportunities to 13 black-owned brands, she explains.
“It is an initiative that is a marketing platform. So there’s distribution and logistics but there’s also a tasting facility. We also handle e-commerce from there and it provides a professional working environment for black-owned brands to operate from,” says Petersen.
The Wine Arc is situated in the heart of the Cape Winelands, in Stellenbosch on a 250-hectare farm. It’s a place to allow all the creative juices to flow for success.
Challenges of black winemakers
Though there are many accolades to be proud of to date within the organisation. It comes as no surprise that with ups there are most definitely downs too. Inevitably challenges arises, says Petersen.
“The black-owned brands and farms have many challenges but the most prominent are market access, local and domestic, financial means to satisfy marketing and sales objectives and commitments and competitiveness because of price points due to now owning production means. This drives price positioning and not being able to get economies of scale due to production volume,” she explains.
Passionate about chenin blanc
But make no mistake… Petersen has a fun side too although she had a really tough time picking her favourite wines as part of Food For Mzansi’s Faces of Summer campaign. With so many wine brands under her wing, it is simply too difficult.
She loves a good chenin blanc though.
“In the last year, I have had a new appreciation for chenin. I think the new style of chenin blanc is fresher, juicier and more vibrant, but yeah, I don’t have a favourite. I can’t choose between my children.”
Click here for more information on the South African Wine Industry Transformation Unit.
- As part of its 2023 Faces of Summer campaign, Food For Mzansi will feature some of South Africa’s finest winemakers and ambassadors. Next up, we travel to Compagniesdrift in Stellenbosch.
ALSO READ: Opportunities abound for black winemakers, but what about ownership?
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