16/10/2025
Taken back in harvest 2018, with much more hair and less belly fat: this photo actually depicts a two blade sword. The slogan on the back of our harvest T-shirt read “because every market needs a leader” The whole team has worked relentlessly in establishing the Stellenrust brand as one of South Africa’s strongest Chenin blanc producers but also with a core focus on Pinotage and Shiraz which the awards in the last 4 years are living proof of. Yet, most people think the wine industry is only glitz and glam and it is not….especially now. Wine markets are tumbling and brand loyalty are being replaced by monetary loyalty. It is times like this where all the blood and sweat a team put in, feels in vein. And then, you ask yourself: was it really worth the hard from dusk till dawn, the blood sweat, the begging, the knocking on closed doors, the be-better-fight, the relationships? For some, and today to me, it feels not. You see the real paradox is: you spend your life fighting to get to the top, and, once you are at the top, you keep on fighting to stay there. Is passion really not the killer? To our fellow winemakers that puts quality above all else: stay strong. Because we will.
