When Kiara Scott told her family that she wanted to become a winemaker, they were taken aback.
‘My mom and my grandmother and my family were like, “No, no, no, why do you want to do something like this?” In Mitchell’s Plain where I grew up, you don’t really see people enjoying a glass of wine. Generally, people drink until they end up fighting. That’s what we saw and that’s what their association was with alcohol in general. I think they were concerned, and their first instinct was to protect me.’
Kiara grew up in a household of strong women. ‘My mom was basically a single parent, so I grew up with my grandmother, who is just the most warm, kind and discerning person. Mitchell’s Plain isn’t the safest area, so my sister and I spent a lot of time with her. My mom worked and did her best for us, to put my sister and me through school.’
She got into Elsenburg Agri-cultural College, where she studied viticulture, oenology and cellar management. In her final year, she applied for the Cape Winemakers Guild Protégé Programme. It was a rigorous interviewing
