Corlea Fourie

The Climb

Formal study at the University of Stellenbosch was followed by a practical start in the cellar, where Corlea Fourie took an internship at a Wellington winery in Wellington, South Africa. That move set the tone for a working education in wine: hands-on, exacting, and built from the repetition of cellar work rather than theory alone. Since 2007, Fourie has served as winemaker and head of wine of Bosman Family Vineyards, a position that anchored her within the estate’s daily rhythm and its style of wines.

Today

Since 2007, Fourie has remained at Bosman Family Vineyards as winemaker and Head of Wine and Viticulture. The role spans both sides of production, linking grape growing with the cellar decisions that follow. It requires close attention and patience, and her work is described through that kind of measured responsiveness. Innovation sits within that framework rather than outside it. Fourie’s winemaking includes styles such as orange wine and Pet Nat, handled with a practical interest in how they fit alongside food and shared occasions. Her own words place wine in use, not in abstraction: “Some wines are for having on the beach with great friends, others are for cook – offs in our kitchen. Usually it is in the context with food.” Pet Nat, or naturally sparkling wine, is one of the styles she works with at Bosman. Fourie describes it plainly: “Pet Nat is such a pleasure to produce. In essence it is harvest juice.” The line reflects the directness she brings to the category, and the appeal she finds in its immediate expression.

Signature

Corlea's signature wines include Optenhorst Chenin Blanc, Adama white, Pet Nat, and Methode Ancestrale. Together, they show a portfolio that moves between structure, texture, and sparkle without leaving behind the discipline of the cellar.

In Their Words “Some wines are for having on the beach with great friends, others are for cook – offs in our kitchen. Usually it is in the context with food.” “The social side of winemaking and the science behind it was the combination that I was looking for.”

Recognition

Alongside Chenin Blanc, Pet Nat remains a central specialty. In Wellington, those two anchors point to the breadth of Fourie’s work: one rooted in a serious engagement with Chenin, the other in naturally sparkling wine, both held within a winemaking practice that keeps questioning close to the work.