Black Pearl is one of those madcap outfits where brilliant wine is made for the love of it.
My philosophy is that fine winemaking and conservation should co-exist.
Mary-Lou Nash, Cape Wine Master
Owner, winemaker, viticulturist and “Jill of all trades” at Black Pearl Wines
I was born in Devon, England, raised in Fryeburg, Maine, graduated from University of New Hampshire, then spent the next few years teaching in Japan and travelling through Asia.
With only a backpack, I arrived in South Africa in 1995.
Before coming to South Africa my only wine experience was sailing off the coast of Maine with my Dad and drinking magnums of cheap Chilean wine in the evenings.
I was a beer drinker (and still am!) but my passion for wine started when I was thrown in the deep end of a first harvest of Chenin Blanc at the farm Rhenosterkop which my Dad had bought from a friend.
After that I told my Dad that if he paid for my food and drink, I would stay for one year and manage the place for him. That was decades ago, and the beginning of my passion for wine and my career as a self-taught grape grower and winemaker.
I received my Cape Wine Masters degree in 2011, along with the award for Excellence in Brandy. I have a judging certificate from The University of Stellenbosch, as well as The Michael Fridjhon Tasting Academy.
I judge at various wine competitions, and I am also a beer judge.
Although I like the monetary rewards and receiving accolades as a winemaker, my career highlight is more on choosing a way of life where every day is a learning curve.
The wine industry is forever growing and changing, and never boring. Now I just need to get my two daughters interested in wine!
To learn more about me and making wine in South Africa, please click here.