Ntsiki Biyela, founder of Aslina and one of South Africa’s first female winemakers, grew up in Mahlabathini, a rural village in KwaZulu-Natal, and found her passion for wine when she was awarded a scholarship to study oenology at the prestigious Stellenbosch University. She went to work shortly thereafter at the boutique winery Stellakaya. However, it was over dinner (and a glass of wine) with friends and colleagues in the U.S., following a collaborative project with Helen Kiplinger, that Ntsiki shared her own ambition — to create her own wine, inspired by her grandmother, Aslina, who was the guiding light in her life.

Nstiki’s winemaking philosophy draws upon her experience working in Tuscany and Bordeaux, where she discovered the joy of making wine with care and respect for the environment, which ultimately rekindled her own deep connection with the terroir of KwaZulu-Natal. Today, Aslina wines — branded with the calabash, a traditional African clay drinking vessel, in a salute of her culture and heritage — are heralded around the world, garnering praise from critics and consumers alike, and Nstiki sits on the board of directors for the Pinotage Youth Development Academy, which provides technical training and personal development for young South Africans in the Cape Winelands, preparing them for work in the wine and tourism industries.