Anrico Solomons
13 July 2026Andrew Mellish
Andrew Mellish
Educational Background and Early Career
- Roots on the Land: Andrew grew up on Welbeloond Farm in the Durbanville Wine Valley. His family has lived on and worked this historic land since 1918, originally farming wheat, grain, and dairy cattle.
- Academic Foundation: Andrew completed his BSc in Viticulture and Oenology at Stellenbosch University in 2006, providing him with a strong scientific foundation in grape growing and winemaking.
- Continued Learning: Committed to expanding his knowledge beyond the vineyard, he completed the WSET Diploma in 2020 and the UCT Graduate Business of Wine Programme in 2021, strengthening both his technical expertise and business acumen.
- Early Career: Since 2007, Andrew has managed his family's vineyards while gaining practical cellar experience through harvests and assistant winemaking roles both locally and internationally.
Professional Experience
- Roots on the Land: Andrew grew up on Welbeloond Farm in the Durbanville Wine Valley. His family has lived on and worked this historic land since 1918, originally farming wheat, grain, and dairy cattle.
- Academic Foundation: Andrew completed his BSc in Viticulture and Oenology at Stellenbosch University in 2006, providing him with a strong scientific foundation in grape growing and winemaking.
- Continued Learning: Committed to expanding his knowledge beyond the vineyard, he completed the WSET Diploma in 2020 and the UCT Graduate Business of Wine Programme in 2021, strengthening both his technical expertise and business acumen.
- Early Career: Since 2007, Andrew has managed his family's vineyards while gaining practical cellar experience through harvests and assistant winemaking roles both locally and internationally.
- The Ultimate Multi-Tasker: Andrew wears many hats at Mellish Family Vineyards. He serves simultaneously as the owner, director, head viticulturist, and winemaker.
- Vineyard Manager: Andrew has managed the Mellish family vineyards since 2007, overseeing every aspect of vineyard production and farming.
- International Winemaking Experience: He completed harvests and worked as a cellar intern and assistant winemaker at:
- Esk Valley, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand
- Etude Wines, Carneros, California, USA
- South African Experience: He also gained experience at several respected local wineries, including:
- De Grendel
- D'Aria
- Durbanville Hills
- Asara
- Founder of Mellish Family Vineyards: In 2018, Andrew launched the Mellish Family Vineyards label, producing small-batch wines that express the unique character of the family's Durbanville vineyards.
Career Highlights and Recognition
- Signature Wine Success: His Mellish Family Vineyards Blanc Fumé has gained significant recognition among critics for proving that Sauvignon Blanc can be a complex, wood-matured, multi-layered wine rather than just a simple, mass-produced drink.
- Since launching Mellish Family Vineyards, Andrew has earned consistent recognition for the quality of his wines. His Syrah 2020 and Syrah 2021 each received an outstanding 95 points from WineMag, while his Blanc Fumé 2020 & 2021 was awarded Top 10 status and received scores of 93 and 94 points respectively. In Platter's Wine Guide 2026, the Blanc Fumé 2024 earned a prestigious Five-Star rating, while the Pinotage 2024 achieved Top 10 Pinotage status and received 94 points. These accolades reflect Andrew's commitment to crafting elegant, terroir-driven wines that consistently earn recognition among South Africa's leading wine critics.
Contestant Summary
Andrew Mellish is a highly dedicated, small-batch artisan winemaker who successfully turned his family's historic Durbanville farm into a premium boutique wine estate. By handling everything from the soil to the final bottling, he champions a natural, minimal-intervention philosophy. This philosophy lets the unique coastal climate and shale soils shine through in every bottle.
