News

She’s young, she’s smart and she’s in the news. Jamie Williams (33), appointed head of Nederburg’s white winemaking team less than a year ago, is winning rave reviews as the famous Paarl winery repositions itself to expand its appeal, embracing newer audiences across the world.

A moxie but modest millennial, she’s instantly relatable to people in their 30s and 20s looking for a warm and welcoming point of contact into the wine category.  As a grounded wife and mother of two young children, she also speaks to a far wider group of wine lovers, many of them Gen Xers, Boomers and beyond.

Amongst her latest accolades are a gold medal and a score of 95 points for the 2024 Heritage Heroes The Anchor Man Old Vine Chenin Blanc at the 2025 Decanter World Wine Awards. Within days the same wine earned her the title of second runner-up and a spot in the top 3 in the closely watched 2025 iTOO Winemag Next Generation Awards, held to identify South Africa’s new winemaking talent, aged 35 and younger.

The handmade wine is produced from old bush vines from the Swartland, with one part fermented in new and older French oak, another in clay amphorae and the balance in stainless steel. The final blend, she describes as fresh but rich, smooth and succulent, with a delicious combination of creamy, honey and citrus characters.

Last year, when sparkling new to her role as lead white winemaker, she saw The Winemasters Noble Late Harvest take the Investec Trophy for Best Dessert Wine at the 2024 Trophy Wine Show, fetching a score of 98.

But she’s quick to point out that she’s not the only member of the Nederburg team garnering praise for the historied winery. The 2021 Private Bin Two Centuries Cabernet Sauvignon also claimed gold at this year’s Decanter World Wine Awards, earning 96 points. The honour for that achievement goes to head of reds, Zinaschke Steyn, who has a long and distinguished track record of wins for Nederburg.

“We’re a team. We don’t work in isolation, but alongside each other. I joined Nederburg as an assistant winemaker in 2018. From the start, I’ve been learning from and with my colleagues. And even though I’m now head of the team making the whites, I am still learning from and with everyone around me. From Samuel Viljoen, our acclaimed cellar master, and Zinaschke to everyone else here who belongs to our wine-growing and winemaking team.”

Except for Viljoen, all Nederburg’s winemakers and its viticulturist are women. “It’s more chance than anything else,” explains Williams. “Now that the wine sector is more accessible to women, there are more women studying winemaking. That creates a bigger pool of female talent from which to draw. Even so, it’s a privilege and an honour for us to be role models for other young women – sisters doing it for ourselves and for each other.”

She’s also excited to be a part of Nederburg’s brand revitalisation that has just unveiled a dynamic new marketing campaign infused with joy, playfulness and conviviality, intended to reach newcomers to wine and in this way build on its already substantial loyal base. It includes a new look and a range of activations under the banner of “Yours to Explore”.

“Wine can be lots of fun. It doesn’t have to be nerdy and earnest. It’s so much about companionship and connection, about sharing and generosity and telling each other our stories. I’ve noticed that amongst some of the people in my life who didn’t grow up around wine, when they encounter it in an inclusive and inviting atmosphere, their interest is immediately ignited. Some want to learn more facts – the how and the why. Others want to discover the rainbow of tastes to try out there. Our job is to be there to meet their hearts and minds where and as they are.”

Nederburg’s Dinner of Discovery series, hosted at the farm in Paarl, is a prime example. Now in its third year and back by popular demand, this immersive sensory experience invites guests to explore the winery’s collection of wines in a light-hearted yet thought-provoking way. Each evening unfolds as a journey of sensorial culinary discovery, set in secret locations across the estate. Bookings are now open for the upcoming dinners on 25 and 26 July, 29 and 30 August, and 26 and 27 September. Visit dineplan.com to reserve your seat.

Nederburg Heritage Heroes The Anchor Man Chenin Blanc 2024 will soon be released at a recommended retail price of around R225 per bottle, while the Nederburg Private Bin Two Centuries Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 is available at approximately R470 per bottle. For convenient online shopping, visit store.nederburg.com.