5 minutes with Rose Kruger, Stellekaya

Rose Kruger with Jane Lello, owner of Stellekaya with her husband Dave

More and more one finds exiting winemakers making exciting wines. Rose Kruger is one of them. Winemaker for Dave & Jane Lello at Stellekaya Wines in the Stellenbosch Wine Appellation, she spent 5 minutes and answered a few questions…

What was the defining moment in your life that set you on the path of becoming a winemaker?
I became intrigued at school, when a dear friend of mine, who knew much more about wine than I did, introduced me to it. She planted the seed and from there it basically grew. It also helped growing up in an area surrounded by vineyards and wineries.

Elsenberg Agricultural College, Stellenbosch Univarsity

Where did you train to become a winemaker?
Elsenburg Agricultural College

Who would you regard as your mentor?
I feel it unjust to single out specific individuals. I have had amazing mentors in actual mentoring capacities from which I’ve learnt different things or different ways of thinking about things. But then there are also those “unintentional” mentors that has helped shaped me in this journey that I have found myself on. I regard them all equally important. Any small lesson learned, is still a lesson learnt.

Tannat ripening on the vine

You work with a selection of some of the world’s most noble grape varieties. Is there one other variety with which you would really like to work?
Tannat

Is there another wine you would like to make in your cellar with the varieties available to you there?
These last few years, we have mainly focussed on the production of red wines. This year was the first year, we’ve decided to venture beyond the reds and made a rosé wine. Which was really quite exciting.

Burgundy Wine Country

If you could choose anywhere in the world to make wine other than where you are now, where would it be?
California or Burgundy

Aligoté ripening on the vine

And what grape type would you use?
Aligoté

Your greatest bottle of wine ever?
This is very difficult to answer. Though, one wine that’s definitely been memorable, was a wine from my birth year. A 1991 Sanger Champagne, we got to enjoy while visiting. Really quite special.

Sanger Champagne

What is your favourite style of food?
Mediterranean

Your best style of restaurant, you enjoy visiting?
Casual dining.

Rose Kruger Stellekaya Wine Maker in her cellar

Your ideal dinner party guest?
My dad.

Your favourite holiday destination?
Europe

The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren

What is on your bedside table as reading matter at the moment?
The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren.

One piece of music you would take with you to a desert island?
I enjoy different genres of music. So, definitely a compilation of different songs from different genres.

Stellekaya’s Rose Kruger tasting before bottling