When Alvezo Abrahams tells you he didn’t even like wine at first, it comes as a surprise. Today, he heads up one of the most prestigious wine programmes in South Africa at the Cape Grace Hotel. But his journey to becoming Head Sommelier wasn’t poured into crystal and laid out on a linen-draped table — it was uncorked slowly.
Born and raised on a wine farm, Alvezo knew about vines, not vintages. ‘Growing up, I didn’t even know what a sommelier was,’ he admits. Like many South Africans, he believed the wine world was for wealthy winemakers and estate owners – a select few. But that changed when he entered the hospitality industry.
His first taste of hospitality came in 2011, as a room service attendant at Cape Grace. It wasn’t glamorous – but it was the start of something. With quiet determination, Alvezo moved up through the ranks: from breakfast waiter to dinner waiter, all while studying Food and Beverage Management.
Exposure to top-tier wines and passionate producers sparked something unexpected and rewrote his palate – and perspective. He was good at this – and he loved it. He proved his growing confidence and talent, placing as runner-up in the Inter-Hotel Challenge two years in a row.
By 2018, he had stepped into the role of Commis Sommelier, where his fascination with wine deepened. He earned certifications from the South African Sommelier Association and the Cape Wine Academy, but much of what drives him remains self-taught – a passion for storytelling through wine, honed by experience and instinct.
Then Covid struck. With the hotel’s usual operations disrupted, Alvezo jumped into multiple departments to help wherever he could. He also lost his sense of taste – a brutal blow for someone who had built a career around it. But when his palate returned, it came with a new perspective. ‘I had to reteach myself everything I knew — and start fresh. That became a blessing.’
After the hotel’s rebranding to a Fairmont-managed hotel, Alvezo took over as Head Sommelier – succeeding his mentor and bringing his own quiet revolution to the wine programme. ‘I see wine as personal. It’s about connection. It’s about people.’
Connection, for Alvezo, also means overcoming the exclusivity that still shadows the wine world. He agrees with the notion that wine being exclusively for the old and affluent is outdated. We see that in South Africa, as younger generations are engaging with wine in more urban, accessible ways – from buzzy Bree Street tastings to wine bars shining a light on local small-batch producers.
In curating the Cape Grace wine list, Alvezo blends heritage with the unexpected. ‘There are names people expect to see. But I focus on the small producers – the ones nobody knows yet.’
He lights up when talking about Testalonga’s skin-contact white wine or the Raar range from Riebeek Valley Wine Co – bottles that tell unexpected stories. ‘There’s so much more to offer. I don’t want a copy-and-paste wine list.’
He’s also passionate about flipping the script on misunderstood cultivars, like pinotage. ‘Why is pinotage always made into this heavy Bordeaux-style wine? It comes from cinsault and pinot noir – it should be light and easy-to-drink.’ Wines like Ataraxia’s Serenity blend point to a return to roots and a reimagining of identity.
For international guests arriving with Stellenbosch or Franschhoek in mind, Alvezo offers a wider map and, in doing so, paints a bigger, more interesting picture of South African wine.
‘I take these opportunities to tell them about places outside those typical places. There are so many underrated different wine regions with wines that cater to every single palate.’
For him, being a sommelier isn’t about prestige – it’s about possibility.
And that wine? It’s not just for sipping. It’s for sharing.
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Revamp revealed: Cape Grace reopens with new SA heritage-inspired look
Picture: Supplied
