Stellenrust Wine Estate

On the gentle slopes between Stellenbosch and Somerset West, where the R44 curves through some of the most celebrated terroir in the Cape Winelands, Stellenrust has been making wine since 1928. The name itself tells you everything about the estate's founding philosophy: Stellenrust, 'finding rest in Stellenbosch.' It was registered as a trademark that year, and the farm has been producing wine under family stewardship ever since, making it one of the largest family-owned wine estates in the region.

For much of its history, Stellenrust sold its grapes to co-operatives and larger producers, as was common practice on South African wine farms through the apartheid era. The transformation came in 2005, when managing partners Kobie van der Westhuizen and Tertius Boshoff joined the family operation. Van der Westhuizen, a qualified accountant, and Boshoff, a medical practitioner and dentist, brought an unlikely combination of business acumen and scientific rigour to a farm that had been quietly growing exceptional fruit for decades. Under their leadership, Stellenrust pivoted from bulk supplier to serious estate producer.

Tertius Boshoff assumed the role of cellar master and quickly established himself as one of Stellenbosch's most gifted winemakers, while Kobie van der Westhuizen took charge of viticulture and the business side. Together they identified Chenin Blanc and Pinotage as the varieties that most authentically expressed Stellenrust's terroir — the deep, well-drained soils and the cooling afternoon breezes that sweep up from False Bay.

The results have been extraordinary. Stellenrust has won the International Wine and Spirit Competition Chenin Blanc Trophy an unprecedented four times, cementing the estate's reputation as one of the finest Chenin Blanc producers in South Africa. The old bush vine Chenin Blanc, sourced from vines planted decades before the estate's modern era, has become a benchmark wine. The Pinotage programme is equally impressive, drawing on the estate's specialist knowledge of this uniquely South African grape to produce wines of depth and character.

Beyond the flagship Chenin Blanc and Pinotage, the portfolio spans Cap Classique sparkling wines, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, and a range of dessert wines. The estate's 54 Barrel Select range showcases the finest parcels from the cellar, while the Timeless range offers accessible, everyday drinking.

Visitors to Stellenrust experience a working estate that has not traded its agricultural soul for tourism gloss. The tasting room looks out over vineyards and mountains, and food and wine pairings draw on local produce. Cellar tours reveal the modern winemaking facility, while vineyard walks trace the old bush vines that produce the estate's most celebrated wines. The estate also offers picnic baskets — braai-style — for visitors who want to linger among the vines.

Stellenrust is a place where nearly a century of grape-growing knowledge meets a new generation of ambition. It is proof that the best South African wine stories are not always the oldest or the loudest, but the ones where the right people find the right land and have the patience to let it speak.