De Trafford

David Trafford is one of South Africa's most individual winemakers. In contrast to the oenology graduates who have flocked to become winemakers as the Cape's industry has boomed since 1994, David is completely self-taught save for a few months working a vintage in St Emilion.

In 1991, with regulations relaxed, David turned his part-time hobby into a full-time career. Eighteen years on, he is one of South Africa's most decorated winemakers. In the most recent Platter guide to South African wines, De Trafford won two coveted 5 star awards, one of only two wineries to do so. David is also a key member of the Cape Winemaker's Guild, the association of the country's top producers who come together to auction special one-off wines for charity each year.

Despite his success David remains as humble and down-to-earth as when he began and De Trafford remains a genuinely boutique winery. Only 3,500 cases of wine are made each year with demand always outstripping supply. Everything is done by hand, including filling and corking the bottles.

Like most top producers David plays down his own importance and emphasies the role nature plays in his wines: "understanding and working with the vineyard to coax something magical from the land, after that it's hold thumbs you don't cock it up in the cellar." However one wine where the winemaker's decisions are clear is the stunning sweet Straw Wine made from late harvest Chenin that is dried and concentrated on straw mats left in the sun. Epic doesn't begin to describe it.