Conrad Vlok
South african young winemaker of the year
- Conrad started his winemaking career by fermenting grapes in Coca Cola bottles!
- And his enthusiasm led to him winning the Gold Veritas Young Winemaker of the year award in 1999
- With a handful of awards since then, we reckon Conrad is going to be a Naked hit!
Conrad Vlok's Story
Conrad Vlok's Story
It all started in high school when I started experimenting with fermenting fruit. In my final year, I fermented grapes, bottled in Coca Cola bottles. Eight months later, when the bottles were opened � Champagne! This curiosity lead me to study wine-making at Elsenburg Agricultural College
What do I love the most about my job? It would have to be taking a piece of land and from it, producing a wine which expresses the terroir of that land.
Conrad's Five Key Philosophies:
- Be patient and believe in yourself
- Use minimum handling
- Give all grapes a fair chance, even if they appear to be terrible
- Remember that wine is made in the vineyard
- And expression of terroir is paramount
A few other Naked Facts about Conrad:
- When Conrad's not hard at work in the vineyard, he's a very keen fisherman
- His favourite food is sushi which he prepares freshly himself
- He couldn't do his job without Pepper, his black Mini Schnauzer who's always at his side!
- He compares himself to a Sauvignon / Semillion blend as he's a 'later bloomer'!
- And his pearl of wisdom as a winemaker is to trust your senses...
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