The Netherlands has not only gained a third Master of Wine, Job de Swart, but the Magister Vini diploma has also been awarded again. The lucky holder of this highest attainable Dutch diploma in the field of wine is Arjen Pleij, with whom the Netherlands now has 12 Magistri Vini. He is sommelier at the beautiful Castle Engelenburg in Brummen, where he enjoys pouring wines from South Africa. His thesis is entitled 'What is the relationship between terroir and the division into wards in the South African wine region of Stellenbosch?' In the country, a ward is a demarcated area with several wineries, such as Franschhoek and Constantia, that is part of a district. When defining a ward, soil, climate and ecological factors are important that influence the character of the wine. Looks like terroir, you might say, but in terms of provenance classification in South Africa, it is all far more complex than in the classic wine world, otherwise Arjen would not have had so much work to do on it. You can read all previously published theses on the website MAGISTERVINI.NL
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