Written by Wendy Toerien with contributions from all 45 members of the Cape Winemakers Guild, Cellarmasters in the Kitchen won the category Best Matching Food & Drinks Book in the South African leg of this prestigious international competition.

The book joins category winners from other countries to qualify for the title of ‘Gourmand Best in the World’ to be announced in Paris on Saturday, 23 February 2013. Cellarmasters in the Kitchen is one of four books published by Struik Lifestyle, an imprint of Random House Struik, to win a Gourmand World Cookbook Award this year.

Cellarmasters in the Kitchen is both light-hearted and entertaining as well as evocative and informative. Each of the 45 Guild members is featured in a profile piece that includes anecdotes, insights and experiences of a life with food and wine. Also included are two of each winemaker’s favourite recipes, matched with one (or more) of his (or her) top wines.

Sections dealing with the history of the CWG (interwoven with its role in leading Cape wine industry developments and initiatives); the workings of the CWG and its members (the philosophy of the traditional role of a guild as a touchstone for artisanal excellence); and the activities of the CWG (including the annual, internationally prestigious auction of selected members’ wines and social responsibility programmes such as the Development Trust to mentor new young winemakers from previously disadvantaged backgrounds and school funding) are another feature of this celebration of the Guild and its members.

Toerien has been writing about wine since 1989. She was a founder editorial staff member of Wine magazine in 1993 and became closely familiar with the wine industry, its winemakers and the CWG during her tenure there until 1998 when she started her freelance career. She has written several coffee table books on wine and related subjects, including South African Wine – A Celebration and South African Wines and Vineyards, published by Struik in 1999 and 2000 (reprinted 2003) respectively.

She has also been a contributing writer on Platter’s South African Wine Guide for more than a decade, and writes articles on wine people, wine tourism and winelands lifestyle for local and overseas publications.