In February 2009 Joseph Dhafana and his wife left Zimbabwe to seek a better life in South Africa. Joseph soon found a job as a gardener at the famous Bar Bar Black Sheep restaurant in Riebeek Kasteel, and was quickly promoted to barman, and on his 29th birthday he tasted his first glass of wine. In 2013 Joseph enrolled at the Cape Wine Academy.

He left Riebeek Kasteel to further pursue his new-found passion in Cape Town, and in 2014 got his first opportunity to produce his own wine at Antebellum wines based at Meerhof cellars. His meteoric rise to one of the most recognizable young figures in the wine industry is nothing short of remarkable. Former head sommelier at La Colombe, Joseph is also a board member of the Black Cellar Club (blacc).

Not too long ago a customer was in our shop asking for a Stettyn Wine. We did not stock it. He went into a soliloquy for minutes about how good their wines are and it was so passionate that we had to investigate and we were happy to find that it was indeed worth the “hype”.

Stettyn was acquired by the Botha family in 1818. The Stettyn Family Vineyards itself was established in 1963, with the vineyards of Stettyn, Jonkersrivier and De Hoek being the primary sources of production and where the tradition of wine making dates back many years. They are at the landmark intersection in the Cape Winelands between ‘fynbos’ and Karoo; urban and rural; heritage and progress. Eight generations have worked together on the land to create wines of significance, simply and unaffectedly but with passion and commitment.

Stettyn produces a full range of wine and they are all great value products. We have picked some of our favourites to feature on Wine Gems!