RJ Botha

Cellar Master
Kleine Zalze Wines
RJ Botha is the cellarmaster at Kleine Zalze, and heads all of the Stellenbosch wine estate's wine production.

Although initially not from a winemaking background, RJ was always intrigued by the science of winemaking and thus studied BSc. Agric Viticulture and Oenology at the university of Stellenbosch.

RJ has been with Kleine Zalze since 2012 where he contributed significantly to building a portfolio of award-winning wines. His dedication and meticulous attention to detail resulted in Kleine Zalze winning the top honours of Winery of the Year for the Platter’s Wine Guide 2021. RJ was promoted to cellarmaster in 2021 and runs all farming and winemaking operations at Kleine Zalze with his team of 3 winemakers and 2 viticulturists.