Stellenzicht

The history of Stellenzicht dates back to 1692, when it was part of a much bigger farm granted to its first owner, Barendt Hendrikse, who named the property Rustenburg. It was not the first farm to receive that name in those early days of settlement: another, albeit Rustenberg, already existed after Simon van der Stel gave the right to families from the Cape of Good Hope to cultivate the land in what became known as the Stellenbosch district. One can well imagine the confusion that existed between the farms Rustenburg and Rustenberg. Something had to be done.

A humorous story is told that two later owners met one evening in a pub in Stellenbosch. Late in the evening, when both were rather deep in their cups, they decided that one of them will have to change the name of his farm. They agreed to flip a coin. Rustenberg (which still exists today) won, and the original name of Stellenzicht was history!

Stellenzicht is situated on the slopes of the Helderberg Mountain between Stellenbosch and the Atlantic Ocean, in the prime wine-growing area known locally as the Golden Triangle. Since 1996 Stellenzicht boasts a reputation as one of the top five farms in the Cape wine industry. In its modern cellar with state-of-the-art facilities, a range of stunning wines are produced: winners of numerous international and national awards.

Only six kilometres away from the sea, these mountain slopes form a variety of meso-climates ideal for cultivating wine grapes of the highest quality. Vineyard altitudes varying between 100 and 400 metres above sea level, the pristine sea breezes from False Bay, the sunshine on the hills and the great variety of soils at Stellenzicht, all play their part in creating a terroir of the highest quality.

Stellenzicht has pioneered the Shiraz varietal revolution in South Africa and is today famous, among others, for its Syrah which consistently grab headlines. It all started in 1996 with the Lyse Cloutier Coffin award (given for the first time in 1996) for the 1994 Stellenzicht Syrah as the top wine of the show at Sélections Mondiales in Montréal, Canada.

This has been followed by an impressive string of awards, vintage after vintage.