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A Masterclass with Winemaker of Family-owned South Africa Wine 'DELHEIM'


In collaboration with the Institute's long-standing partner - Cave & Cellar, Taylor's Culinary Institute (TCI) hosted a South Africa Wine Masterclass that was open to the public. The objective of this event was to create awareness about South African wines - Delheim as well as introducing Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) certification to the public. This Masterclass had attracted more than 50 participants from the industry and Taylor’s University to join the session.


The masterclass had several participants from various industries such as hotel, restaurant, engineering consultant, manufacturing and other industries. They were Mr. Yewin Fong, General Manager of Arté by Thomas Chan; Ms. Letitia Chua, Revenue Manager of Arté by Thomas Chan; Mr. Eugene Chan, Assistant Outlet Manager & Sommerlier of Resort World Genting; Mr. Kingsley, Beverage Manager of Equatorial Hotel Kuala Lumpur; Ms. Joslynn Choi, F&B Captain of Equatorial Hotel Kuala Lumpur; Mr. Yavhin Siriwardhana, Head Chef of Nadodi Restaurant; Mr. Cha Hoong Kum, Managing Director of Versus Solution Sdn Bhd; Mr. Mahmodul Hasan, Wine Ambassador of Cafelink (M) Sdn Bhd; and so on.


The participants had the privilege of meeting Delheim’s very own Winemaker and Director, Ms. Nora Sperling from South Africa at Taylor's University Lakeside Campus. During the Masterclass session, Ms. Nora Sperling had prepared and introduced 5 types of Delheim wine to the participants, which were Gewurztraminer, Merlot, Pinotage, Grand Reserve and Vera Cruz Pinotage. She explained that these selections of wine allowed participants to experience a diverse range of South African wines. The Masterclass started with tasting Gewurztraminer, a semi-sweet white wine. Ms. Nora explained that it is a very difficult kind of grape to grow, especially in South Africa, and how the grape grown in their region resulted in a slightly different Gewurztraminer that can be found in the market. Most of the participants enjoyed it because it was not overly sweet yet refreshing.

Moving on, she also poured another 2 pinotage wines. She mentioned that since pinotage is abundant in South Africa, it is actually a signature wine grape in South Africa. All the participants were blown away by how complex the Vera Cruz Pinotage was, and numerous refills were asked for this particular wine. As the tasting continued, she also shared about the culture of winemaking in South Africa and how the blooming of the wine industry in South Africa helps in creating more job opportunities for the locals. Ms. Nora also happily shared that if any of the participants wanted to visit Africa, she would definitely be contented to show them around Delheim vineyard.

Lastly, she took the opportunity to share the chocolates from South Africa, adding a delightful touch to the tasting experience. The event ended with laughter and praise for the beautiful wines. All the participants were happy to learn more about one of South Africa’s regional wines.


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