CAREER - My SA Career Guide

What personality-type is required for
this job?
Winemaking is not something you do
for the money. You need to have a great
passion for it and be prepared to get
your hands dirty if you want to succeed.
Often, people are misled by the glitz associated
with it but there is a lot of hard
work that goes into it. If you love what
you do, anything is possible.
What are some of the most sought after
skills in the industry?
Viticulturists (known as grape experts),
marketing managers, research scientists,
soil experts and engineers, especially
in the construction of cellars,
amongst others.
Describe an average day at work.
My day starts at 7am and sometimes
has no end! As head winemaker, my job
is to manage production of all white and
rose wines for Nederburg. I don’t do this
alone but work with a team that takes
care of the day to day activities in the
cellar. A typical day always starts with a
warm cup of coffee, which helps me to
focus. From time to time I grab a glass
of wine from the tasting room and head
for the cellar to taste wines, which could
either be fermenting or maturing. I do
this to relate to the wines as they develop
and also to monitor their condition
and decide whether they are ready to
be blended or bottled.
What has been your greatest career
achievement?
Nederburg is the premium wine brand in
South Africa and to be appointed head
winemaker is a dream come true. My
wines have won numerous awards locally
and internationally.
What are some of the challenges as-
sociated with the job?
careers by industry
The biggest challenge is to produce excellent
wines year after year. The quality
of grapes infl uences the quality of the
fi nal wine greatly, and this is very much
dependent on the weather, and one
cannot predict this. The weather varies
from one year to the next and so do the
grapes, and my job entails understanding
these changes and making the right
decisions to create exceptional wines
with some level of consistency.
What is the most rewarding part of
your job?
Knowing that the wine I’m producing is
enjoyed in households throughout the
world and more so if I sit with my family
and friends to enjoy a glass of this wine
– that’s rewarding!
Does it pay well?
The salary is good and competitive
compared to other related professions.
The biggest “pay” for me though is not
the cash at the end of the month but the
lifestyle I get to live –it’s very healthy!
In this profession, are there lots of
opportunities for career growth?
Prospects for career growth are many
and one can eventually move out of the
production side of things and become a
senior manager concentrating on running
the business as a whole.
What is your ultimate career goal?
To one day have my own business either
in the wine industry or anything
related to wine. I would like to make a
serious contribution to the promotion of
wine culture amongst the black population
not only in South Africa, but Africa
as a whole.
Tariro Masayiti Winemaker (continued)
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my amazing career