Boy meets girl in California. Vintage crush leads to actual crush. A winemaking love story that spans two
hemispheres and proves the best blends happen in life, not just in the cellar.
Growing up in South Africa, Belinda's mother and generations of Indigenous women in her family worked as
grape-pickers in the Cape Winelands, close to the vines but worlds away from the bottles.
She pursued a tertiary education in food technology before transitioning to winemaking during South Africa's post-apartheid era, becoming one of only a few Indigenous female winemakers at the time. Early in her career, she'd benchmark Barossa wines as the gold standard. Little did she know she'd one day be making wine there herself.
After vintages across Sonoma, California (where she met her future husband, viticulturist Daniel McDonald), Bordeaux, the Douro Valley, and Marlborough, Belinda arrived in Australia in 2010, settling in the Barossa in
2019. Together, she and Daniel founded The Cutting, making wine on Ngadjuri country.
At The Cutting, Belinda is rewriting what Barossa wine can be. Working with Shiraz, Grenache, Cinsault and Chenin Blanc, she's crafting premium, modern wines that prove lighter, finer styles can thrive alongside the
region's hero variety.
Varieties like Cinsault and Chenin Blanc, which have made their names in South Africa, are now making waves in the Barossa. The Cutting's wines highlight vibrant, refreshing expressions that tell a transatlantic story.
Through native plantings and regenerating native grasses, Belinda and Daniel care for the land with intention, treading lightly and taking only what they need.
A voice for diversity in the wine industry, Belinda uses wine to start conversations and break down barriers,
making it accessible to everyone. Whether she's hosting intimate tastings or speaking at wine forums, she loves the connection to land, to people and to the stories that make a glass of wine more than just a drink.
At Tasting Australia, come taste what happens when two continents collide in the glass.
Spoiler: it's delicious
