Linley Schulz, chief winemaker at Distell, is leaving SA’s largest corporate wine producer at the end of the month to start his own consultancy business. In a vote of confidence for SA wine, Australian born and educated Linley is staying in SA, planning “to start something of my own. I’m 46 years old and have been working for Distell for eight years now. My dad worked for the Australian equivalent of Telkom – there was no family farm. I have three kids aged three, five and seven who I don’t get to see very much when I’m working 14 hour days. I’ve achieved pretty much all I wanted to achieve at Distell and the time is now right to pursue other business opportunities.”

Linley Schulz

Linley’s resignation follows hot on the heels of the departure of operations director Valerio Toros who moved to Capitec Bank to join Garth Waits, former head of the 50:50 joint venture Lusan with Singapore financier Hans Schreiber. Valerio is credited with opening up the lucrative African market for Distell exports while Garth headed up the international logistics division for Distell, before becoming head of Africa sales. These two new Capitec hirings place this dynamic, cash-flush bank in the forefront of corporate wine financing at a delicate time for SA wine. Watch this space.

Meanwhile, the ruling triumvirate of Distell (Jan Scannell, Merwe Botha and Stoffel Cronjé) is now closing in fast on 60, so succession planning at a company lavishly praised by largest shareholder Johann Rupert last month for its “excellent management” will be closely watched by industry commentators.

Linley is leaving on a roll, with Distell’s wine interests finally starting to wash their own faces, a division that has played second fiddle to spirits for a generation. The Nederburg and Fleur du Cap brands are attracting increasing critical acclaim while Two Oceans and Obiqwa are cleaning up at lower price points. The departure of Linley leaves Richard Rowe at KWV as the sole Aussie cellar master in SA corporate wine. Distell is mum on a replacement for Linley, but given his palpable public success and the dire straits of Aussie wine, perhaps the e-mail connection between Stellenbosch and Tanunda is already humming.

Meanwhile Pendock Uncorked will be offering its lobbying services to Nederburg nabob Razvan Macici as Linley’s replacement. Having turned around SA’s largest premium brand, taking Distell to the next level should be a doddle.

Marietjie & Jan Scannell bracket Razvan Macici and Mom

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