Dirk Coetzee grew up in the small village of Hoekville, in the Knysna Forest on South Africa’s Garden Coast. Exploring mountains, cycling and especially surfing has always been an important part of his life.

Today Dirk Coetzee is known as a winemaking trail blazer, who has particularly led the way in reimagining the potential of modern Pinotage. Mentored by the legendary Stellenbosch “Pope of Pinotage”, Francois Naudé, Dirk specialises in site specific, authentic wines the most revered winemaking region in South Africa and brings these wines to life at L’Avenir Wine Estate.

Image credit – L’Avenir Estate

In 2007 winemaker Dirk Coetzee joined the estate and the young maverick was instrumental in shifting the focus to L’Avenir’s top performing single vineyards – resulting in the now famous L’Avenir Single Block range.

The 2018 vintage was his 10th harvest at L’Avenir, where he continuously pursues winemaking excellence. Dirk is a fanatic proponent of preserving and nurturing old vines – particularly Chenin Blanc. Driven by passion, precision and innovation, his vision for L’Avenir is to be the absolute leader of Stellenbosch Pinotage.

Image credit – L’Avenir Estate

Today, he is a visionary winemaker and leads the production team in honing the winery’s focus on their distinctive vineyards by creating Single Block releases of Pinotage and Chenin Blanc.

For our ‘’Meet the Maker’’ interview with Dirk Coetzee visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wd2vcgx1PBw

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