The story of Rust en Vrede as we know it today begins when Jannie Engelbrecht bought the property in 1977, making the first Rust en Vrede wine of the modern era in that original cellar building in the vintage of 1978. Jannie quickly realised the potential of the terroir for Cabernet and Syrah and planted the whole property to red varieties. This made Rust en Vrede one of the first Estates in South Africa to focus purely on full bodied red wines. In 1988, he made the visionary decision to blend Syrah with the classic Bordeaux varieties of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, to create our Estate blend.
Over the years, the quality of the wines has grown from strength to strength under the guiding hands of winemakers Kevin Arnold, Louis Strydom, and Coenie Snyman who crafts our wines today.
