Rust en Vrede

Rust en Vrede was established in 1694 by the then Governor of the Cape, Willem Adrian van der Stel. It was originally made up of a larger property but in the early 1700’s was divided into two whereby the original section remained as Rust en Vrede. The first house on the estate was built in 1780 followed by the cellar in 1785. In 1790 the larger manor house was built.

The front gable of this manor house was destroyed in a fire in 1823, hence the rebuild date of 1825 on the front gable. At the end of 1977 the Engelbrecht family took residence on Rust en Vrede. The family and their ancestors have been grape growers since the early 1700’s and by moving to Rust en Vrede, became wine producers for the first time. In 1978, Rust en Vrede produced its first wines of the modern era. Jannie Engelbrecht made these wines and then appointed Kevin Arnold as cellar master of Rust en Vrede.

In 30 years Rust en Vrede has had only two appointed winemakers, namely; Kevin Arnold and Louis Strydom. In 2007 Coenie Snyman was appointed winemaker responsible for Rust en Vrede but as part of a bigger team. The company and the estate is now headed up by Jean Engelbrecht. At Rust en Vrede we produce only 20 000 cases of wine per year of which 50% is exported to more than 30 countries around the world.

The underground cellar of the estate was the first of its kind for a privately owned South African winery. Designed by renowned architect Mr Gawie Fagan, the perfectly temperature controlled environment is of invaluable benefit to the production and bottle maturation of our unique wines. Rust en Vrede is a remarkable example of exquisite landscaping. At home and abroad, this unassuming Stellenbosch Estate has made a name for itself far beyond its modest, but infinitely charming, 55 hectares.

Rust en Vrede Estate is located just outside Stellenbosch towards the False Bay side of the Atlantic Ocean, nestled on the lower slopes of the impressive Helderberg Mountain between 85m and 130m above sea level, with a view on Table Mountain to the West. Vineyards are mostly situated on North facing slopes, with a small portion of North-East and North-West facing slopes.to create subtle nuances in aspect. Shielded from the powerful South-Easterly wind by Helderberg and Stellenbosch mountains and from the South-Westerly wind coming from the Atlantic Ocean, by the foothills of the Helderberg. Rust en Vrede is a warmer microcosm in the Helderberg area, which is why we specialize in reds, particularly Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. These cultivars lend themselves to full bodied wines with powerful structure.

The soil at Rust en Vrede is a mixture of decomposed granite from the Helderberg Mountain and Table Mountain sandstone. Iron stone and weakly degraded granite pieces increase the drainage in very rich soils, which is important in the quality of the grapes produced. A philosophy of precision viticulture is applied. The vineyards are vertically trellised and the canopy managed in such a way as to ensure optimum phenolic ripeness of the grapes. Vineyards are managed in an environmentally conscious way.