South African winemaker and Swartland revolutionary, Andrea Mullineux, was named Winemaker of the Year by prestigious international magazine, Wine Enthusiast.

“For her outstanding wines, collaborative efforts to revolutionize a region and constant drive to be a better winemaker, Wine Enthusiast recognizes Andrea Mullineux as its 2016 Winemaker of the Year.” – Adam Strum, Wine Enthusiast.

The winners will be honored at the annual Wine Star Awards Dinner held for the first time in Miami, Florida at Nobu Eden Rock on Monday, January 30^th 2017.

The Road to Success 

Californian, Andrea Mullineux, first travelled to South Africa from San Francisco in 2004 for a six month internship at Stellenbosch winery, Waterford, followed by a stint at acclaimed winery Chateauneuf du Pape in the southeastern region of France. Here she met her future husband Chris Mullineux.

By 2007 the couple settled in the Swartland and established their now famed Mullineux Family Vineyards.  Andrea applied her winemaking knowledge in the cellar, while Chris focused on viticulture. This winning combination quickly went on to receive critical acclaim from local and international publications such as the Platter’s Guide and The Wine Advocate.

In 2010 the Mullineuxs, together with fellow Swartland pioneers like Eben Sadie, Adi Badenhorst and Callie Louw found The Swartland Independent – a movement aimed to improve the overall qualify of wine in the region. To say they succeeded is an understatement. Today the Swartland is the envy of most South African wine regions, and in the process helped to elevate South African wines internationally.

“Andrea is one of the most focused and precise winemakers that I know,” says Badenhorst. “She has a clear understanding of the type of wine she wants to make, and the quality of fruit that is required to do this.”

Driven by her passion for wine making Andrea started Fog Monster wines in California, in 2011, which aims to highlight the coastal fog’s influence on the state’s viticulture.