Brand new Proudly SA wine on the block, meet uLutsha
There is a brand new kid on the block – meet uLutsha, a proudly South African Pinotage by a team of young Pinotage Youth Development Academy graduates in partnership with Delheim Estate in Stellenbosch.
We just had to share this news with you because it is always wine o’clock.
This wine is the culmination of what started as a learning project and has now become the development of a brand by a team of young PYDA (Pinotage Youth Development Academy) graduates, the first of its kind.
Ulutsha is an isiXhosa word for “the youth” and it is fitting that it was developed by a group of young, passionate wine graduates and aspiring business people.
During 2021, the iconic Stellenbosch estate, Delheim, partnered with PYDA to enable PYDA graduates to create their own wine product, start to finish. Commencing with that year’s harvest, the group of 9 from PYDA got a basic introduction from business plans to harvest, vinification, maturation and eventual own-brand wine release. Lockdown resulted in less exposure to actual winemaking, so the concept was born to provide a comprehensive understanding of the wine value chain and to get graduates hands-on in the industry.
Ziyanda Njalo, one of the original 9, who has co-ordinated the project on a full-time basis says of her experience and the brand: “Choosing to continue with the uLutsha Wine Project has expanded my knowledge and skills of the wine business.
My confidence has grown and I have a deeper appreciation of the work and people it takes to produce a bottle of wine. In the uLutsha Wine Project, everyone that I have met has taught me that you must know your “whys” and always have a plan. Ulutsha is a wine brand that inspires young people who want to create their own brands and be employers of tomorrow.”
The initial 230 limited edition bottles of uLutsha Pinotage 2019 will be sold for R1000 per bottle specifically as an investment into youth development within the wine industry; the uLutsha brand, and its next phase of business development.
The founding aim of the PYDA is to develop young South African talent for meaningful employment or economic outcome. All programmes deliver irrevocable personal change, industry specific vocational training, and in programme work placements.
Since its first class, 436 students have passed through its doors. Although not exclusively aimed at the wine industry, the Academy has had 303 of the students embarking on wine sector training in this time.
