Plaisir’s winemaking team welcomes Tokara’s rising star

Tim Whitfield, the assistant winemaker at Tokara, will be joining the Plaisir de Merle winemaking team in October.

Indomitable winemaker, Ronell Wiid, will mentor Tim. This industry icon now moves to Cellarmaster. She oversees the style and quality of Michael and Rose Jordaan’s wine estates, Plaisir and Bartinney Wines.

“The depth of winemaking talent currently in the South African wine industry made the choice hard, but reaffirms our position that we are able to be the best in the world, working with the best people on the best terroir,” say the Jordaans. They look forward to working with this accomplished young winemaker.

Their strong connection with Banhoek through the thread of Bartinney Wines and Tim’s imminent arrival from Tokara strengthens the team’s focus on revealing the best the area has to offer.

“We loved having Tim as part of our wine team. We wish him well on this natural progression in his career and look forward to watching his rise in the wine industry,” says Tokara General Manager Karl Lambour.

Tim has been working alongside Tokara winemaker Stuart Botha since 2018. He is an Elsenberg graduate in Viticulture and Oenology. His winemaking experience before joining Tokara included stints at Cederberg Wines and Spier. He also worked a harvest in Northern Rhone.

We certainly look forward to seeing what Tim brings to the Plaisir offering.