Weingut Paserene - Preisgekrönte Weine aus Franschhoek, Südafrika

Oenologist Martin Smith was the winemaker of the highly acclaimed Vilafonté Winery in Stellenbosch for seven years before embarking on his own journey and launching his own project Paserene. He embarked on this small and family-run adventure in partnership with Ndabe Mareda, with the aim of producing luxurious top-quality wines. To date, the highly endowed portfolio of this talented duo includes the award-winning and varietal Paserene Chardonnay, as well as the two red wine cuvées Paserene Union and Paserene Marathon.

Everything Martin undertakes is accompanied by artistic beauty. From the production of the wine to the design of his extraordinary bottle labels. Each label was designed by different Cape Town artists. The labels on the bottles symbolise Martin's own history as a "travelling winemaker" and the lavishly textured paper used for the labels comes from an old Heidelberg press and was placed onto the bottle by hand.

The main focus here is on wine production in its cleanest and purest form. The name Paserene comes from the Latin term "Passeriformes", the arrangement and formation of free migrating birds, such as swallows, and is intended to be a symbol of the winemaker's travels.

But art should not stop at wine - music also comes into play here. On each back label, there are three words that best describe the contents of the bottle, often inspired by Martin's favourite music. For example, "Mine is Yours", the title of a rock album by the group Cold War Kids, adorns the back label of the Paserene Marathon.

Martin is an oenologist with considerable expertise, thanks to a decade in the United States, where he was able to refine his wine craft at various wineries.

After graduating from high school and an instructive detour to Amorim Cork in Portugal, Martin studied viticulture and oenology at the Elsenburg Agricultural College in Stellenbosch, followed by an internship at Vriesenhof Vineyards after graduation. After finishing his internship it was time to spread his wings and an instructive and exciting collaboration followed at Consentino Winery in Napa Valley, California, where he worked for five years. In 2006, his journey brought him to Caldwell Winery, where he gained experience together with numerous highly qualified oenologists, including Tim Mondavi and Phillipe Melka. Another five years passed here and Martin faced the difficult decision of either settling permanently in California or returning to his South African homeland.

Fortunately, there was a compelling reason for returning to South Africa. In a conversation with his friend Phil Freese, manager of the renowned Vilafonté winery, the two talked about career opportunities back in Martin's home country and, just a few months later, Martin took over the job as a winemaker on Vilafonté. As a winemaker who has travelled half the globe to pursue his passion, it all began with a simple South African childhood. Smith grew up in Worcester where, in his own words, he spent "a carefree and sheltered childhood". True to his Boland roots, Martin is the third generation of winemakers in his family. His grandfather owned his own wine farm in Paarl, and his father followed in his ancestors' footsteps and became a winemaker by profession. Martin looked up to his father with great admiration and was amazed at the conversations between his father and his winemaker friends around the kitchen table. "I always wanted to belong." And his wish came true - with a career in the wine industry that many can only dream of.