Carrol Boyes Wines: Meet the Winemaker
If you have ever wondered who the creator is behind the Carrol Boyes wine collection, Hendrik Snyman can be found passionately creating and developing the range for the wine industry and its wine lovers. Carrol Boyes Wines is the joint venture of Carrol Boyes, whose iconic style graces the labels of these wines, and her brother John Boyes with his business partner Neels Barnardt, both of Stellenbosch-based Barnardt Boyes Wines. Resident winemaker is Hendrik Snyman, a widely acclaimed winemaker whose awards lay testimony to his dedication and expertise.
With a number of industry accolades under his belt, Snyman worked internationally in top wine-making destinations, including Europe, the US and New Zealand. He joined Barnardt Boyes in 2013 and has since led production of Carrol Boyes’ wine portfolio, winning Best MCC at the 2015 Michelangelo Wine Awards for the Carrol Boyes Limited Edition Pinot Noir Chardonnay 2011 Méthode Cap Classique.
Snyman’s award-winning career was preceded by his training in viticulture and oenology at the Elsenburg Agricultural Training Institute in the Western Cape. Before winemaking, Snyman had wished to pursue architecture; given his penchant for agriculture he believed his creativity would be served better in winemaking and upon graduating in 2005 he began winemaking.
“Winemaking is only one part of the job,” says Snyman. Among the challenges he confronts is to keep up with global trends and anticipate what will come next. “The drinking habits of consumers are changing fast,” he says. “To anyone wanting to study winemaking, do your homework first as it is more complex than it seems.”
Snyman has amassed a plethora of experience in the winemaking industry and adds that he prefers working with pinot noir. “Pinot noir is very delicate: even a small mistake will affect the end-result,” he says. When it comes to wine drinking, both white and red wines are appealing to him; however, while in France he grew fond of champagne, he refers to the French bubbles as his favourite wine for drinking. “Having spent a great deal of time in Champagne, it became a part of me,” he says.
Finding the perfect bottle of wine remains the holy-grail for Snyman but when it comes to Carrol Boyes Wines, he is effervescent in his praise of the Cape Blend. “The Cape Blend ticks all my boxes, it is balanced and complex.”
Carrol Boyes Wines are available to purchase online at www.carrolboyeswines.com and at the Carrol Boyes stores in Somerset West and Canal Walk.
For more information visit www.carrolboyeswines.com.
