Jean Engelbrecht: former international airline pilot; restaurant entrepreneur; new wine brand developer; the son of ex-Springbok rugby wing Jannie Engelbrecht who resurrected the seventeenth-century Rust en Vrede in the 1970s to become one of the Cape's most beloved red wine estates.
As passionate about Rust en Vrede as his father, Engelbrecht junior was the one to tempt Coenie away from the corporate life at Distel!. They were at school together, though Engelbrecht was a few years ahead of Coenie.
'You've got two choices,' says Coenie. 'Do the corporate thing or be a winemaker. If your heart's not in winemaking, you can still make it up the corporate ladder, but as a winemaker, you'll end up poor. I'd done my fair share of people and business management and was ready to get back into the cellar again. My life now is far less stressful.'
It wasn't quite like that at the start. Coenie Snyman, given his managerial and winemaking experience, was commissioned to develop Guardian Peak cellar, a joint venture between Engelbrecht and international golfer Ernie Els, into a major brand. At the time, grapes were sourced from all over the Western Cape and the wine was made in rented space at former co-operative winery Koelenhof.
Next thing, an old cellar on the slopes of the Helderberg near Rust en Vrede was rented and completely overhauled just months before the 2006 vintage, which Coenie handled. But by the 2007 vintage, he was ensconced at Rust en Vrede.
In 2006 Engelbrecht took over the reins at Rust en Vrede from his father, similarly intent on preserving its valuable heritage and cementing its fine wine reputation.
In 2010, he dissolved his partnership with Els in Ernie Els Wines and EngelbrechtEls vineyards, retaining sole ownership of the Guardian Peak cellar and brand, which has its own dedicated winemaker. Coenie still keeps an eye on things. 'But I like to promote autonomy.'
'My one message to Jean when we're busy developing new brands: keep the Rust en Vrede name for Rust en Vrede reds, and shiraz is what Rust en Vrede is all about. Anything else we do can now carry his name.'
The entrepreneurial Engelbrecht found more than just a talented winemaker and wine advisor in Coenie; there was a foodie lurking there. 'When I arrived at Rust en Vrede, we decided it was time to invest in upgraded maturation facilities. But what to do with the historical old barrel maturation cellar with its thick walls and beautiful yellowwood beams dating back to 1792?'
It turned out to be the perfect place for the type of classical restaurant Engelbrecht was looking to open on the farm. 'He'd been inspired by Thomas Keller's The French Laundry in the Napa Valley in California.'
He got Engelbrecht, whom he refers to as 'the boss', together with celebrity chef David Higgs, whose then wife shared a passion for horses with Coenie's wife Caroline, a dressage rider. Higgs subsequently opened the Rust en Vrede Restaurant, now one of the country's top Winelands eateries.
Crème brûlée with compressed chocolate cake recipe by Coenie Snyman paired with Rust en Vrede Shiraz wine....
Sirloin steak and Béarnaise sauce recipe by Coenie Snyman paired with Rust en Vrede Estate wine....