Marelise Niemann grew up in Elgin. After completing her B.Sc. studies in Viticulture and Oenology in 2005 at Stellenbosch University she worked in Napa Valley, California for 6 months before returning to South Africa to take up an assistant winemaker position at Beaumont Wines in Bot River in 2007. During her 7 years at Beaumont she continued to gain international experience by doing the harvests in Burgundy and the Rhone in France, in Spain and in Portugal. On these travels she fell in love with Grenache, among other varietals, and after her return from Priorat, Spain, in September 2010 she decided to explore the Grenache vineyards in South Africa which is when her own label, Momento Wines, was born. Since the launch of her first wine in 2013 she has made her wines in conjunction with her winemaking roles at Beaumont, at Gabrielskloof, and from 2020, at Anysbos.