Winemakers

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Jacques van der Vyver

Jacques van der Vyver originally from Cape Town, South Africa, Jacques has worked in winemaking, viticulture, and cellar management for over fifteen years, cultivating a mastery of winemaking methods sure to sustain and advance the suite of premium wines produced at 11 Shore Road in Truro.

Jacques’s experience includes a recent Head Winemaker role at Bohemia Manor Farm in Chesapeake City, MD, where his vineyard care and grape harvesting protocols produced over 85 tons of fruit annually, as well as a selection of sophisticated wines that included award-winning sparkling white wines and age-worthy reds.

A graduate of South Africa’s University of Stellenbosch, Jacques studied Science in Agriculture and Cellar & Vineyard Management, and has gone on to earn advanced certifications from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust and the National Wine School. “I was fortunate to grow up in South African wine country and started working at my first cellar at sixteen…it instilled an immediate appreciation for growing fruit and a passion for developing that fruit into wine,” says Jacques.

Once an avid apprentice at more than a dozen vineyards now turned established winemaker, Jacques brings expert knowledge about wine’s principal varietals, including Truro Vineyard’s popular Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc, as well as a keen eye for cellar efficiency. 

Jacques is accompanied by his wife Lauren and daughter, Vonnie. “We are so happy to become part of the Cape community. I’m very excited to be joining Truro Vineyards, and to be working alongside the Roberts family and the wonderful Truro Vineyard Team,” says Jacques.

david-roberts-juniorDavid Roberts Jr.

David Roberts Jr. grew up with his father in the wine and spirits industry, which led to his decision to pursue beer making as his field. After several years of homebrewing, he began professional brewing at Flying Monkey in Kansas. He then moved to Atlanta, GA where he was employed at Sweetwater Brewery as a brewer and bottler for over eight years. In 2007 Dave started making wine alongside Matyas Vogel and continually is perfecting his craft.

He enjoys the differences between winemaking and beer making, specifically the seasonality of wine. “The beer making process is much quicker and can occur at any time. Winemaking is a gradual build up to harvest and then its all about the creation and the aging. It’s an interesting difference and for me it keeps it exciting.”