People

The Dornier family has a proud heritage of innovation, creativity and perfection, and we now bring this to our wines. We are made up of a team that recognises the old saying that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Like our wines are all blends, our people work as one, no one more important than the other. We are united by some common beliefs: that the quest for perfection doesn't allow average to be good enough; in the courage to be individualistic; and that tradition is a positive base for innovation.

Raphael Dornier - Managing Director

‘With our three ranges of unique wines we showcase the potential and character of our soils as well as our individual style. With the support of our dedicated team we strive to improve from vintage to vintage based on our tradition of creativity, innovation and perfection.’

Jeanine Faure - Winemaker

‘As most South Africans, I believe I am privileged to live and work here. Much more so being a winemaker in one of the prime winegrowing areas of the world. Nature has given us the opportunity to get the best from two worlds, the combination of elegance and fruit. Producing classic wine for modern people is what we can do best.’

A graduate of Stellenbosch University ...

Neil Norman - Chef de Cuisine

‘It is a pleasure to work with winemaker JC Steyn to ensure that all the dishes we produce in the kitchen are complemented by at least one or more of the outstanding range of Dornier Wines. Visitors to the Estate and Restaurant will experience the best we have to offer – from the wine to the food to the magnificent scenery and the warm hospitality.’

Chef Neil Norman brings with him a wealth of experience having held the position of Executive Chef with the Devine Inspiration Group, which has restaurants such as Paranga, Kove and Bungalow in its illustrious portfolio. Prior to this, Neil was head chef at the renowned V&A Waterfront Restaurant – Balthezar. Here Neil honed his extensive wine knowledge with the help of the restaurant’s award-winning wine list and he spent many hours in the butchery under the expert guidance of master Swiss butcher Rudolf Gautschis. Neil’s passion for food and cooking ultimately lead to him completing his chef training at the Zevenwacht Chef School in 2001.

Theunis Bell - Viticulturist & Farm Manager

‘Taking great pleasure when you taste and enjoy the wine of the grapes grown and tended to throughout the year...now if that's not job satisfaction, then what is! To top it off the Stellenbosch Golden Triangle happens to be your playground.’

Having graduated from Cape Technikon with a Civil Engineering diploma and after working for several years in the industry, Theunis ultimately followed his heart and ended up pursuing a profession in viticulture. Throughout his career Theunis gained priceless firsthand experience while working for relatively large concerns in both Malmesbury and Philadelphia of which KWV and Nederburg were their key clients. Theunis has now been given the opportunity at Dornier Wines to apply his knowledge and skill within a comparatively small viticultural scale where he can hone and develop many modern scientific methods employed within the industry for ultimately producing high end grapes for top quality wine.