WeeklySA_AdminPASSION: A leap of faith brought Johannah Moloantoa to the Cape with little knowledge of wine. Today, Nederburg’s assistant winemaker is building a career where her love of science meets her creative spirit…
By Len Maseko
When Johannah Moloantoa arrived in Cape Town in early 2019, she had secured a place to study but still had to find somewhere to live. What she did have was the determination to follow an interest that had taken her, and perhaps her family, by surprise.
Wine had played only a small part in her upbringing in Hammanskraal, near Pretoria. Beyond her mother’s occasional glass of red, there was little to suggest that she would one day work in a wine cellar.
Now 26, Moloantoa is an assistant winemaker at Nederburg, focusing on white wines. Her inclusion in WineLand magazine’s 30 Under 30 for 2026 marks another milestone in a career that began with an uncle’s encouragement and a visit to a vegetable farm.
After matric, she took a gap year to consider her options. Modelling was one possibility. She also volunteered to help children with their homework and briefly assisted at a local hospital. None offered a clear sense of direction.
Her uncle, Tshepo Morokong, then pursuing doctoral studies in agriculture at the University of Pretoria, encouraged her to explore his field. Exposure to his university work and a visit together to a farm in Limpopo opened up possibilities she had not considered.
“I became fascinated by agriculture,” she recalls. “It felt exciting and full of possibility.”
She applied for viticulture and oenology at Cape Peninsula University of Technology and radiography at Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University. Both accepted her. She chose the path that would take her to the vineyards.
The move demanded more than choosing a course. Far from home, and initially without permanent accommodation, she had to find her feet while managing the uncertainty of a new city.
“When I set my mind to something, I do it,” she says.
New friendships helped her settle, and she eventually secured accommodation. Looking back, she regards those early challenges as part of her education.
“The journey was as important as the destination,” she reflects. “I learned a lot about myself and developed confidence in my abilities and ambitions.”
After completing a diploma and an advanced diploma in viticulture, she joined KWV for a harvest position in 2023. An internship followed, then work in quality control, giving her experience of the discipline and precision required in wine production.
In August 2024, she moved to Nederburg as assistant winemaker focusing on white wine under winemaker Jamie Williams.
“I don’t think I’ve ever felt as happy as when I heard I’d been accepted for the position,” she says. “I didn’t know much about wine when I started this journey, but Nederburg is a household name. To become part of the team was incredible.”
Behind that excitement lay the sacrifice of leaving her family in Gauteng. Her mother and grandmother worried, she acknowledges, but remained her strongest supporters.
“But they taught me to follow my passion. They’ve always been my biggest supporters and role models.”
At Nederburg, her learning extends beyond the practical work of making wine. Teamwork has broadened her understanding of agriculture, consumer preferences and the markets in which a bottle must eventually find its place. “Every day I learn something new,” she says.
For its part, Nederburg frames her journey as representing the next generation of South African winemaking talent. The winery describes as “driven, curious and purpose-led, she brings both scientific rigour and creative energy to her work”.
Her journey reflects “determination and bold decision-making, while her passion for sustainability and innovation signals a future-focused approach to the craft”.
She is eternally grateful to the winemaking team at Nederburg for welcoming and taking her by her hand through a learning curve of the winery’s philosophy, culture and their approach to the art of making wine.
Hosting a tasting at Joburg’s Fairlawn Boutique Hotel recently, Molantoa brought established brands that have shaped the winery’s journey in the past decades, including the bubbly, Heritage, The Winemaster and the famed dessert Noble Harvest wine. All the wines were paired with a variety of sumptuous dishes, the wines matched the chef’s culinary creations to the hilt without either overwhelming the other.
She was particularly proud to showcase the wine which marked her maiden stint under Jamie Williams at Nederburg – the Black Canvas Sauvignon Blanc 2025, about which she waxed lyrically – and which was awarded an impressive 92 points by British wine master Tim Atkins this year.
Born without a prescript, the Black Canvas is something of a blank cheque given to the winemaker to respond to his and her instincts, “layering emotion, curiosity and quiet rebellion” in crafting the wine.
The result is a crisp, deliciously balanced wine endowed with hints of passion fruit, gooseberries and minerality.
What holds her interest most is the relationship between scientific discipline and creative judgement.
“As winemakers, we have to follow the science first, but we also need to recognise the art. And do so with passion. I’ve always loved science, but I also love self-expression, beauty and creativity. I think I’m exactly where I need to be.”
She is particularly interested in regenerative agriculture and its potential to strengthen vineyard health. Soil care, biodiversity and resilience to a changing climate are subjects she wants wine drinkers to understand more fully.
Away from the cellar, the outgoing young winemaker enjoys discovering the Cape Winelands from her base in Paarl and travelling whenever she can.
Recognition from WineLand has brought pleasure beyond her own professional ambitions.
“It’s made my family incredibly proud,” she says.
For the family who watched her leave Hammanskraal, that recognition offers a measure of how far she has travelled.
For Moloantoa, the daily opportunity to combine science, creativity and curiosity is reason enough to keep going.
