Warm and engaging, Thys is your quintessential all-round nice guy from the country. Originally from Moorreesburg, after the army he went to Elsenberg to study.He started off in farm management, but realized soon enough that he preferred to work with wine, rather than livestock. After ten years with KWV, he joined Robertson Winery in 2011 and immediately felt at home in the small town community. When he is not living, breathing and thinking wine, Thys is a keen gardener and hiker. His specialty at Robertson Winery is the red wines, running the show for the main Robertson “Oval” range from receiving the grapes, fermenting, maturation on oak, blending and (the fun part), tasting. His favourite varietals are Shiraz and Pinotage. “Shiraz is easy to work with to get the fruit expression and the oak in balance. Pinotage differs every year. Sometimes it’s hard work, sometimes it makes it easy for you.” His tastes are all about the reds with his favourites being the Single Vineyards Prospect Hill Cabernet Sauvignon, the Robertson Shiraz and the Fat Bastard Shiraz, though he is interested in making a Cabernet/Shiraz/Petit Verdot blend further down the road.