VERITAS 2024

11 LIVING LEGENDS 2023

Du Toitskloof was voted as Wine Magazine’s Best Value Cellar under his supervision for five consecutive years. Since 2004 he made his own wine, a Cabernet Franc which was awarded Best Unusual Red by Wine of the Month Club for three consecutive years, from 1998 to 2000. His Cabernet Franc was selected for the Nederburg Auction numerous times and was auctioned off for R120 per bottle in September 2010. He served on the tasting panels of Veritas and the Wine & Spirit Board of South Africa for many years. TIM HUTCHINSON Tim’s career in wine began 39 years ago when he joined Douglas Green of Paarl. In 1990 he was appointed CEO when DGB was formed, through the merger of Union Wine (Bellingham) and Douglas Green. In 1999, Tim led a management buyout of DGB with Graham Beck retaining a 20% shareholding. Then, as a major shareholder in the business, Tim’s remarkable journey gathered momentum. The expansion of production facilities in Wellington in 2000 with the building of a new premium winery for Bellingham in 2002. DGB’s acquisition of Boschendal followed in 2005, a milestone which gave DGB an iconic Cape wine brand to add to the portfolio. Subsequent acquisitions and development of notable wineries like Franschhoek Cellars, Brampton, Old Road Wine Company, Fryers Cove, Backsberg and now Avontuur further solidified DGB’s presence as leaders in the Premium Sector. During these years, Tim held the firm view that export success required a permanent presence in the key wine markets; so DGB marketing and sales offices were established in the UK, Holland, Germany, Canada, USA, Hong Kong, China and Dubai. On the domestic front, Tim’s vision was to provide an effective distribution route to the market, supported by a national sales network focused on building the DGB portfolio. He believed that investment in optimal resources and structures is as important as that in excellent vineyards and wineries. Tim’s development of DGB reflects a huge commitment to the environment and internationally recognized quality accreditations. As early as 2001, DGB was awarded multiple international accreditations for quality. Today, DGB is the only drinks business in South Africa which has the “Big Five” quality accreditations and features the largest solar installation in the Cape Winelands. Backsberg was the first fully verified Carbon Neutral winery in South Africa and all its wines are IPW and WIETA certified. Under Tim’s leadership, DGB invested in vineyards in several of the Cape’s most sought-after growing regions such as Elgin, the Helderberg, the Koo Plateau and Bamboes Bay on the West coast. Today DGB works with 317 different vineyard blocks and is the largest producer of wine from Certified Heritage Vineyards.