Known as one of South Africa’s most iconic wine estates, Rust en Vrede was established in 1694, but only came to it’s full glory at the end of 1977, when Jannie Engelbrecht bought the previously neglected farm and restored the estate to its former splendour.
After experimenting with Chenin Blanc, Jannie decided to stick to red wines and this marked a rebirth of a new era in the South African wine industry. The Helderberg wine region in the perfect place to grow red wine cultivars and Jannie was quoted saying that you have to be a really bad winemaker, to screw things up. Ever since Rust en Vrede has scooped up numerous international awards and became the first wine estate in South African to have a red wine on the Top 100 Wines of the World list for four consecutive years.
Today, Jean Engelbrecht continues to build on the good foundation that his father laid. He is focussed on growing the business beyond all expectations and determined to leave a great legacy behind for the next generation. Jean welcomes competition and says that private producers should focus on their market and commit to it. It’s impossible to compete with the big producers and therefore wine farms should look at the consumers who support them and ensure that these groups are satisfied with the end product.
Upon my visit to Rust en Vrede I was lucky enough to taste some of the estate’s older vintages and we kicked off the tasting with a 1979 Cabernet Sauvignon, the year of my birth! According to Jean the wine was advertised in a 1983 Wynboer magazine for R12.90 for a case of 12. Imagine that!
Rust en Vrede prides themselves in their Shiraz and the 2000 vintage, did not let them down. This was a big year for Rust en Vrede when winemaker at the time, Louis Strydom, decided to produce more fruit driven and juicer wines. This can definitely be picked up when comparing the older vintages with the younger ones.
Coenie Snyman marked his first harvest at Rust en Vrede in 1997 and went on winning quite a few awards, including Diners Club Winemaker of the Year in 2009. His passion for the farm and the wine industry shines through in his wines and one can understand why Rust en Vrede is South Africa’s Premium red wine estate. One of the current vintages is the Rust en Vrede 1694 Classification 2007 and if you have some cash to play around with this is definitely a wine for your cellar at R1200 a bottle. It’s a blend of 58% Shiraz and 42% Cabernet Sauvignon and it’s not the price-tag that makes the wine so appealing, it’s the elegant structure and the to-die-for palate. The 2008 Single Vineyard Syrah is set to retail at R850 a bottle and if you are a wine collector this is a must for your collection. The wine spent 18 months in a combination of French and America oak barrels of which 75% was new oak. It’s a rich wine, bursting with flavour and bound to be a stunner a few year down the line. Both wines reflect the uniqueness of the Stellenbosch terroir and are true beauties!
Apart from their super fantastic wines, the restaurant at Rust en Vrede also made a clean sweep at the 2010 Eat Out Awards when they secured all three major awards.
David Higgs walked away with the Best Chef Award and the restaurant won the Best Restaurant of the Year and Service Excellence award. So, is it really that great? Well, yes! It’s actually more than great and a real treat to experience the food and the vibe, paired with the estates fine wines. Rust en Vrede is everything a fine dining restaurant should be and to top it all, the man in charge of the kitchen is one sexy piece of meat! Attention to detail and great service is the aim of their game and you can be sure of a memorable experience.
Looking back at my time at Rust en Vrede, it’s easy to understand why they are one of South Africa’s most premium and iconic wine estates. They don’t pretend to be something that they are not, and quite frankly, they don’t have to, cause they are all that! It’s a special place that plays a big part in the history of our lovely country and I’m proud to have a bottle of their wine in my humble collection.
