Rust en Vrede

Nestled on the lower Helderberg, enclosed and protected by the mighty Stellenbosch mountain, 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 magnificent white amidst the green landscape since 1780. But it is only thanks to the passionate dedication of the Engelbrecht family that Rust en Vrede has been able to offer 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 estate in 1977 and produced his first wine. Just like Jannie, Jean also had a life before viticulture. While his father was a South African rugby star before he bought the estate in 1977, the son flew around the world for years as a jumbo pilot for South African Airways. The passion for wine is in both their blood. And so together they have made Rust en Vrede what it is today: a listed pearl of Cape Dutch architecture and a winery acclaimed by wine critics from all over the world. Rust en Vrede received a very special honour in 1993 when a wine from their cellar was served on an international stage and in a highly official setting on the occasion of the Nobel Peace Prize awards to Nelson Mandela and F. W. de Klerk.

History of the Rust en Vrede Winery

While the estate not far from False Bay has been around for many decades, internationally acclaimed viticulture has come relatively late.

• In 1694 the estate Rust en Vrede was founded by Simon van der Stel, the first governor of the Cape Colony, also known as Cape Town.
• The cellar has been in existence since 1780 and is still used today as Restaurante.
• Jannie and Ellen Engelbrecht restored the aging property in 1977 and have been producing the first wine for decades in 1978.
• In 1988, Jannie Engelbrecht combined the three grape varieties to create a cuvée, the Rust en Vrede Estate, which is still being vinified today and has been awarded 4 times by Wine Spectator as one of the top 100 wines in the world.
• At the 1993 Nobel Prize award ceremony, Nelson Mandela wished to have the wines of Rust en Vrede for dinner.
• The enjoyable reputation of the South African winery does not even stop at the Danish royal house - the Danish Queen visits the winery.
• In 2000 Rust en Vrede was the first winery from South Africa to be included in the Wine Spectator Top 100 wine producers.
• Since then, the Stellenbosch Winery has received a large number of awards and honours which testify to the high quality of Rust en Vrede wines.

Best terroir for full-bodied red wines

The wine of Rust en Vrede is considered a typical representative of the Stellenbosch terroir. Not least because of the protected 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 Mountains. The resulting warm and Mediterranean microclimate is ideal for late ripening grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot - the three varieties on the Rust en Vrede estate. Due to the slow ripening process, the wines develop into powerful and full-bodied Stellenbosch wines that score with strong terroir and good ageing potential.

Rust en Vrede Wines

The sun shines long and steadily over the Rust en Vrede vineyard, with little rain. Therefore, water management is immensely important and only the first step of the family vineyard towards sustainable and ecological cultivation. After the selective manual harvest, the grapes are taken to the cellar as quickly as possible. Cellar master and head winemaker Coenie Shyman has been guiding the fortunes of the winery for years. Softly pressed and fermented in open tanks, the wine undergoes maceration for up to 21 days. Finally, the wines of Rust en Vrede m