About Us
Who we are
Winetech is an independent South African wine industry body that was originally conceptualised in 1996 and formally registered as a non-profit association in 1998. In 2018 the Wine Industry Network of Expertise and Technology NPC (trading as Winetech) was officially registered as a non-profit company.
What we do
Our vision
Our mission
Our people
Winetech Board Members
Prof Marius Lambrechts
Group Intrinsic Manager, Distell
Chairperson and SALBA representative
Dr Ilse Trautman
Chief Director of Research and Technology Development Services, Western Cape Department of Agriculture
Dr Audrey Verhaeghe
Chairperson of the Research Institute for Innovation and Sustainability (RIIS) and of the SA Innovation Summit (SAIS)
Ivan Davids
National African Farmers Union (NAFU) representative
Rico Basson
Vinpro Managing Director
Anton Smuts
Vinpro Board Chairperson
Gerard Martin
Winetech Executive Manager
Winetech Board Observer
Mathilda van der Walt
Economist, National Agricultural Marketing Council (NAMC)
Winetech Personnel
GERARD MARTIN
Winetech Executive Manager
ANEL ANDRAG
Manager
KACHNÉ ROSS
Learning & Development Manager
DR ADRIAAN OELOFSE
Research & Development Manager
BRIGITTE CYSTER
Office Administrator
KARIEN O’KENNEDY
Knowledge Transfer (OENOLOGY)
LUCINDA HEYNS
Knowledge Transfer (VITICULTURE)
Our strategic intent
Winetech’s strategic intent is to deliver Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) outcomes that are highly valued and sought after by the industry in general and the pace setters in particular.
Our core objectives
According to its constitution, the objectives are sixfold, namely:
- To commission relevant research, innovation and technology transfer across the total wine industry value chain;
- To support and guide the wine industry with expertise and environmentally sustainable technologies to produce cost effective and quality driven wines, brandy and grape-spirit products;
- To provide access for relevant training and education for individuals in the RDI sector of the industry – at all levels in terms of skills, knowledge and insight development; and to facilitate the development of new entrants;
- To facilitate the implementation of relevant innovative research outputs and technological developments for commercial value;
- To establish a culture of innovation and discovery within the industry;
- To create global collaborative networks of scientific and technological expertise to provide world-class leadership to the wine industry.
