But, for all the glitz and glamour attached to high-profile Steenberg, which included international listings of his wines at star-studded venues such as the celebrated Tate Modern in London, the laid-back but still, restless vintner had not yet found his comfort zone.
He opted to return to Stellenbosch at the end of 2001, accepting the position of production director of Vinfruco, a leading exporter of big-volume branded wines made at different cellars from various vineyard sources, in Stellenbosch as well as other regions, including cool-climate Darling.
It was then, in 2002, that Nicky Versveld first encountered the 'stunning' sauvignon blanc grapes from the Launer Hill vineyards of David and Nicola Tullie. They went towards a small quantity of special wine made as one of a handful of wines for Vinfruco's ultra-premium Credo range launched that year to expand on a quality portfolio that included top-selling brands such as Arniston Bay.
Although working with several growers in Darling, Nicky bottled a Vinfruco Credo Sauvignon Blanc 2004 from a special selection of sauvignon blanc from the Tullies' vineyard, introducing it on the Guild auction that year.
By 2005 Vinfruco had merged with Stellenbosch Vineyards to form Omnia Wines and Nicky found himself back on home turf; Stellenbosch Vineyards had come out of the amalgamation of four former leading Stellenbosch co-operative wineries, including his old hunting ground, Welmoed.
As Omnia's chief winemaker in charge of a team spread across several cellars producing some 2.5 million cases of wine, Nicky's home base was the Welmoed winery, the hub of research and development into new varieties, wine styles, and vineyard sites.
Joining the Credo range of small parcels of ultra-premium wines, including Nicky's CWG Auction Reserve Groenekloof Sauvignon Blanc from the Darling area, was the Kumkani label. It was a showcase of the finest wines Nicky and his team were producing from grapes bought in from prime sites across the Western Cape. And among them was the Tullies' stand-out sauvignon blanc. In 2005 the Tullies' vineyard was identified for the first time as Kumkani Lanner Hill Sauvignon Blanc. This little-known wine was highly acclaimed, winning Veritas gold, the South African Airways Trophy for best white wine, and a listing among WINE Magazine/ Tops @ Spar Top Ten Sauvignon Blancs.
Just to confuse matters, another name change came in 2007 when Omnia Wines was renamed The Company of Wine People. But the Tullies' wine remained intact as Kumkani Lanner Hill.
In 2009, Nicky combined the farm's premium sauvignon blanc with some barrel-fermented sémillon to produce Tullie Family Vineyards The Yair [it's the old Scots word for a salmon trap], which appeared on the Guild auction in 2010. It impressed hugely, some of the country's top critics unofficially but publically rating it their top-scoring wine of the day.
Baked white stumpnose with crispy vegetable recipe by Nicky Versveld paired with Launer Hill Sauvignon Blanc....
Chicken and wine pasta sauce recipe by Nicky Versveld paired with Lanner Hill Sauvignon Blanc....