2024 has been a landmark year for Kiara Scott-Farmer, as the 32-year-old was named Diners Club Winemaker of the Year, becoming both the youngest and first woman of colour to receive the prestigious award, Cape {town} Etc reports.
According to The Diners Club International Magazine, Scott-Farmer won the 2024 Diners Club Winemaker of the Year for her 2022 Old Vine Chenin Blanc, while Mika Engelbrecht was named Young Winemaker of the Year.
The Diners Club Winemaker and Young Winemaker of the Year awards are among South Africa’s most prestigious, celebrating not just the winning wines but the skills and talents of the vintners behind them.
Born and raised in Mitchells Plain on the Cape Flats, her rise to prominence is a powerful story of resilience, ambition, and exceptional talent.
Despite initial family resistance, Scott-Farmer pursued her passion for winemaking, studying Oenology and Viticulture at Elsenburg Agricultural Training Institute and later business at the University of Cape Town.
Her unconventional path, driven by tenacity and defiance of societal expectations, set her on the road to success.
At Elsenburg, Scott-Farmer’s talent caught the attention of the Cape Winemakers Guild Protégé Programme, offering her invaluable mentorship from some of South Africa’s top winemakers.
Mentored by Duncan Savage, Scott-Farmer joined Brookdale Estate as an assistant winemaker, helping craft the 2017 Brookdale Chenin Blanc, which set a new standard for elegance and terroir-driven complexity.
By 2019, at just 26, she became South Africa’s youngest female head winemaker.
Scott-Farmer’s 2022 Brookdale Old Vine Chenin Blanc earned her the Diners Club Winemaker of the Year Award.
Open to all South African winemakers, the awards received over 160 entries, with 12 finalists selected after two days of rigorous judging.
Six were shortlisted for Winemaker of the Year, and six for Young Winemaker of the Year.
The winning winemaker received R50 000, the young winemaker R25 000, along with a round-trip ticket to a wine region.
For Kiara, winemaking is about storytelling, showcasing terroir, and working with a passionate team.
‘One of the most rewarding elements of my job is watching and guiding grapes turn into wine, expressing their unique character.’
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Picture: Brookdale Estate / Facebook
