Cathy van Zyl MW started her wine journey on a bicycle: she asked her husband to ride South Africa’s famed Cape Town Cycle Tour with her; he agreed if she attended a wine course with him. She has since notched up more than 21 tours - and passed the prestigious Master of Wine examination in 2005. She served as head of the Institute of Masters of Wine’s Education Committee, and in September 2022 named as Chair of the prestigious institute. Cathy judges locally and internationally, occasionally contributes to wine journals and websites around the world, but spends most of her wine-time as associate editor of the Platter's South African Wine Guide. In 2019, she was named Institute of Cape Wine Masters' Personality of the Year for her passionate promotion of SA wine. Cathy's Instagram account gives an insight into her international wine experience.