Gunter Schultz was born in Mowbray Cape Town, where his father was the headmaster of the oldest high school in South Africa, SACS. As a youngster, Gunter could not decide what to study, so his father sent him to the army, which was, according to Gunter, “a total waste of time”.

Through the influence and guidance of his older brother, Carl Schultz, Gunter decided to enrol for a wine making course at Elsenburg.

After completing the wine making course in 1996, Gunter joined Paardeberg Co-operative in 1997 and then moved on to Slaley Cellars in Stellenbosch where he subsequently worked as assistant wine maker for the rest of that year.

The following year Gunter left for Australia where he did a harvest at Miranda Wines in the Barossa valley. With his love for surfing, Gunter travelled ad surfed the best beaches in Australia until his visa expired. Later that year he decided to do a harvest at Sonoma Cutrer Vineyards in the Sonoma Valley, California. After the harvest, he and a friend surfed their way down the Californian coast to Mexico, then Hawaii.

Coming back home to South Africa, Gunter joined his brother Carl Schultz in 1999 to do a harvest at Hartenburg. Carl is the cellmaster Hartenberg Estate and is hugely responsible for Gunter’s interest in winemaking.

Being the adventurous spirit that he is, nothing could keep Gunter from going wherever passion for wine took him. In 1999 he was back on the road and off to New Zeeland for the harvest at Delegats Wine Estate, Aukland.

He returned to SA later that year and worked at Morgenhof Estate and then at Waterford Estate in 2001. In 2004, Gunter become the winemaker at Delaire Graff Estate and in 2007 he joined Kleinood Winery as their winemaker.

Today, as the winemaker and general manager of Baleia Wines in Riversdal, Gunter produces the finest wine and port (to be released September 2019). They are the only wine-producing farm in the region and produce wine and olive oil of exceptional quality.

Gunter’s passion for wine making is deep and sincere. His philosophy is that wine must taste of where it comes from not of what you have done to it. He believes that one must always allow yourself to probe deeper and keep asking questions because wine and the art of making wine is never simple and there are no shortcuts.

Over and above his passion for wine, Gunter is a dedicated family man and surfer. His love for the sea has been part of him for as long as he can remember. His father loved spear fishing and the boys all learnt to swim at an early age.

When Gunter is not in the winery or in the water, he spends his days with his wife, Juanita and their three children, Anna-Lousie, Joel and Bianca.