Rust en Vrede

Nestled at the foot of the lower Helderberg, enclosed and protected by the mighty Stellenbosch mountain range, lies the estate Rust en Vrede – rest and peace.

Rust en Vrede – the South African red wine champion

The Cape Dutch buildings have stood proudly in splendid white amidst the green landscape since 1780. But it was only with the passionate dedication of the Engelbrecht family that Rust en Vrede has been offering first-class wine from Stellenbosch since 1978.

The Engelbrecht family at the Rust en Vrede winery

Jean Engelbrecht recently took over Rust en Vrede Estate from his father Jannie, who restored the winery in 1977 and produced its first wine. Just like Jannie, Jean also had a life before viticulture. While the father was a South African rugby idol before acquiring the estate in 1977, the son spent years flying around the world as a jumbo jet pilot for South African Airways. The passion for wine runs in both their veins. And so they have together made Rust en Vrede what it is today: a heritage-listed gem of Cape Dutch architecture and a winery celebrated by wine critics from all over the world. A very special honour was bestowed on Rust en Vrede in 1993, when a wine from their cellar was served on the international stage and in a highly official setting on the occasion of the Nobel Peace Prize being awarded to Nelson Mandela and F. W. de Klerk.

History of the Rust en Vrede estate

While the estate not far from False Bay has endured for many decades, internationally acclaimed viticulture came comparatively late.

• In 1694 the Rust en Vrede estate was founded by Simon van der Stel, the first governor of the Cape Colony, also known as Cape Town.
• The cellar, which is used today as a restaurant, has existed since 1780.
• Jannie and Ellen Engelbrecht restored the somewhat time-worn estate in 1977 and produced the first wine in decades in 1978.
• In 1988 Jannie Engelbrecht blended the three grape varieties into a cuvée, Rust en Vrede Estate, which is still vinified today and has already been named four times by Wine Spectator as one of the Top 100 wines in the world.
• At the Nobel Prize ceremony in 1993, Nelson Mandela requested the wines of Rust en Vrede for the dinner.
• The delicious reputation of the South African estate does not stop at the Danish royal family – the Danish queen visits the winery.
• In 2000 Rust en Vrede became the first estate from South Africa to be included among Wine Spectator’s Top 100 wine producers.
• Since then, the Stellenbosch winery has received a multitude of awards and honours that attest to the high quality of the wines from Rust en Vrede.

Best terroir for full-bodied red wines

The wine from Rust en Vrede is considered a typical representative of the Stellenbosch terroir, not least because of the sheltered location of the vineyards, which are hardly affected by external influences. The vineyards on Tukulu soil face north and are protected from the strong ocean winds by the Helderberg and Stellenbosch Mountain. The resulting warm, Mediterranean microclimate proves ideal for late-ripening grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot – the three varietals on the Rust en Vrede estate. Due to the slow ripening, the wines develop into powerful and full-bodied Stellenbosch wines that score with pronounced terroir and good ageing potential.

Rust en Vrede wines

The sun shines long and steadily over the Rust en Vrede estate, with only small amounts of rainfall. Water management is therefore immensely important and is only the first step of this family-run estate towards sustainable and ecological cultivation. After selective hand harvesting, the grapes are transported to the cellar as quickly as possible, where cellar master and head winemaker Coenie Shyman has been guiding the fortunes of the estate for years. Gently pressed and fermented in open tanks, the wine undergoes maceration for up to 21 days. Finally, the wines of Rust en Vrede mature in French oak barrels until they reach perfection and thus receive the approval to represent Stellenbosch in the world of wine.