Ricardo Roux

Sommelier/Cellar Master

Ricardo commenced his diverse career in tourism and hospitality at the Grande Roche in Paarl as a Commis de Rang (waiter runner) and while at the Grande Roche completed his Preliminary, Certificate and Wines of the World courses with the Cape Wine Academy. His next career experience was at the Cigar Emporium at the V&A Waterfront as store manager. Just before doing so, he was invited by Max Leenheers from P.G.C. Hajenius, together with a group of other Cigar aficionados to Amsterdam for a week. The purpose was to see how they promote their brand throughout Holland. Next came working with Harald Bresselschmidt at Aubergine Restaurant in Cape Town as Chef de Rang in charge of wines.

His wine tourism wings were then earned on his return to Grande Roche as Head Waiter/Sommelier and being invited by Wines of South Africa to go to Madagascar to conduct a wine tasting for French and South African delegates promoting South African wines, following which he spend several years working as Sommelier at the world renowned Singita lodges in the Kruger Park and Sabi Sand area, before moving to Plettenberg Bay to take over as Sommelier at The Plettenberg Hotel, part of the Liz Mcgrath collection.

He returned to Cape Town to be part of the opening team for The One & Only Cape Town where he managed the Vista Bar with 67 staff and later Sommelier at Maze by Gordon Ramsey. After some time at The Royal Portfolio’s Birkenhead House in Hermanus and Le Residence in Franschhoek, Ricardo has completed his W.S.E.T.(Wine & Spirit Education Trust) Level 2 & 3 as well as my S.A.S.A.(South African Sommelier Association) Level 1 and now has opened Franschhoek’s first Wine Bar where he is the Sommelier/Cellar Master.