But more of that later. 'Strydom Vineyards is Rianie's baby.' [His wife is a winemaker too, and currently the only woman in the Cape Winemakers Guild.]
Right now Louis Strydom is comfortably ensconced at Ernie Els' showpiece winery on the high slopes of the Helderberg mountain range, which is where he firmly believes the country's finest red wines are born.
He cut his winemaking teeth at Saxenburg, shortly after cellarmaster Nico van der Merwe began to establish that winery's reputation for, particularly fine reds. 'It was 1994, and in those days everyone still "worked"; it was a pleasure.'
Louis spent vintages in both France and Switzerland (Saxenburg's owners are Swiss-born) and had the opportunity to travel extensively abroad, including in the wine regions of Italy, Germany, and the USA.
He was, therefore, more than ready to move on and succeed one of the Cape's most acclaimed red winemakers, Kevin Arnold, upon the latter's departure in 1998, at specialist red wine producer Rust en Vrede Estate, traditionally regarded as one of the Cape's 'First Growths'. That was when Louis, in wine terms, 'came home to the Helderberg'.
His arrival coincided with that of Jean Engelbrecht, assuming management of Rust en Vrede from his father Jannie, who'd invested substantially in the restoration of the farm and rejuvenation of its vineyards. The new young team not only continued the estate's local track record but took it to new heights internationally. The R&V Estate blend became a regular on prestigious US publication Wine Spectator's Top 100 listing of the world's best wines.
It was Jean who brought long-time friend Ernie Els into Louis' ambit. Engelbrecht and Els had known each other for over a decade. Although described by Engelbrecht as a 'Jo'burg boykie who drank beer', Els had developed a liking for Bordeaux and had his proprietary instincts tickled by fellow golf luminary, Australian Greg Norman, owner of wine brands in California and Down Under (in Australia).
'Ernie's wife Liezl is from Stellenbosch, and her mother still lives here, so she was especially keen for them to explore something local, even though they're now based in the States.'
The aim from the start was to produce outstanding wine and Louis was given carte blanche to produce a small number of various types of red blends from some of the best fruit that Louis could source (including some from Rust en Vrede). 'I gave Ernie a few different samples to taste, and he chose what turned out to be the Bordeaux blend.'
Baked spaghetti bolognaise recipe by Louis Strydom paired with Ernie Els Big Easy wine....
Springbok fillet with gooseberry-Amarula sauce recipe by Louis Strydom paired with Ernie Els Proprietor's Blend wine....