As a little girl, Christine Fortuin would play in the vineyards as her parents worked, not knowing that she would make a career for herself in the industry.
Fourteen years ago she worked as a cleaner but today she is a tasting manager at one of the Cape’s most established wine Cellars, the Darling Cellars.
While working as a cleaner at Darling Cellars, Fortuin’s passion grew for wine tasting.
The winery is situated close to the hamlet of Darling and produces various award-winning wines, including the popular Chocoholic Pinotage and Darling Cellars Cap Classique.
Fortuin said her childhood had somewhat sketched her future.
“I come from humble beginnings. I grew up on a grain and grape farm near Malmesbury as the granddaughter of a farm worker.
“I was involved in the vineyards since I was very young, playing alongside the vineyards while my grandparents were working. I would never have thought that this would be my career in later years.”
She explained her passion for people would be the catalyst for her career and she never gave up on chasing her dreams.
“I started working at Darling Cellars in 2008 as a cleaner, but soon realised that I loved working with people. I knew that I wanted to pursue being involved with people telling them the stories about our wines,” she detailed.
“I did my first course at the Cape Wine Academy in 2009 and a few more followed. I was also fortunate to improve my computer skills with courses that I attended.
“While I was still working as a cleaner, I listened to the stories that the winemakers shared with the customers in the tasting room.
“I found it fascinating seeing how interested the public was and I saw customers and wine makers sharing wine and having a good time. I just knew that I would like to engage with people in the same way.”
Meeting new people every day and listening to their stories is what keeps her going everyday.
“I love people and I get my energy from engaging with all the different customers coming into the tasting room,” she added.
“I just love it when I see that the customers are having a good time at our facility. I always try to give them an experience that they will never forget.
“I think it works, because I have a lot of customers coming back and bringing friends along the next time. Customers come back for a second and third time and tell me how much they enjoy visiting Darling Cellars.”
As a mother, her children are her motivation and the greatest achievement is encouraging them, she said.
“Our tasting room has also grown over the past years and we have just moved into a beautiful venue. When my little ones came to the new venue for the first time and saw the lovely playground for the kiddies, they were in awe. This inspires me.”
She said she also shares her story with colleagues, with the hope of inspiring them to grab every opportunity.
“I am grateful for the support that I get from management and my colleagues.”
In a statement Darling Cellars said Fortuin had a natural flair for the skills of a tasting room manager and it began grooming her for the position.
“Management noticed that she was enthusiastic and had a real interest in learning more about the wines. They promoted her to switchboard operator, helping out over weekends in the tasting room.”
Fortuin's love and passion for her career has attracted more feet to the tasting room. She created the initiative of offering a special lunch menu on Wednesdays, management said.
“This grew to such an extent that the lunches were often sold out and, in the process, also created additional job opportunities at Darling Cellars. Christine wants to inspire her colleagues and motivate them to reach their full potential.
“As a mother, her children are her biggest priority in life. She sees her job at Darling Cellars as an opportunity to create something lasting for them.”