Brampton
Rustenberg winery has been making international headlines this month with coverage in leading international journals, including Decanter Magazine, UK’s leading wine magazine and Harpers Wine and Spirit Weekly. The Decanter World wine awards awarded the 2002 Brampton Shiraz-Viognier a gold medal and proclaimed it the best of the gold amongst their regional trophies, while the Harpers tasting panel described Rustenberg’s range as 'four of South Africa’s very best’ and ‘another leading light in this well packaged range'
This historic estate in Stellenbosch sheltered by the Simonsberg has a wine growing history dating back to 1682 with wine being bottled at this cellar for an unbroken period since 1892. It has been in the possession of the Barlow family for over 60 years, the longest period any one family has owned the property.
Peter and Pamela Barlow bought Rustenburg in 1941, then a neglected farm and homestead, along with Schoongezicht and reunited the properties. Some of the vines planted there had been uprooted and replaced with fruit trees for the export market, but fortunately for the wine lovers of the 21st century the war had put an end to the export fruit trade which made way for this well known and well loved winery.
The grapes for Rustenburg and Brampton wines climb the rich red slopes of the Simonsberg and Helderberg. The amphitheatre of slopes, soils, altitude and aspects allows for site specific plantings of the classic grape varieties and harvesting by hand. Controlled irrigation is used when necessary to alleviate stressed vines and maximise quality vines.
Simon, son of Peter and Pamela Barlow and the force behind the 21st century renewal, regards himself as a caretaker with the responsibility to leave Rustenberg in a better place than he found it. The family see varietal character as only one facet of the winemaking process, to them this multi faceted process encapsulates terroir (soil, weather, micro-climatic variation), healthy vineyards and ripe fruit, cellar handling, blending and maturation. Hence the Rustenberg wines exude a sense of place.
Rustenberg has distanced themselves from the New World fervour for fruity wines and have concentrated rather on simplicity. To Simon international appeal does not imply loss of identity which rings true in their international success with their reds, and fresh, fruity whites.
Brampton 
P.O. Box 33, Stellenbosch, 7599,South Africa
Tel: +27 (0)21 829 1200
Fax: +27 (0)21 829 1219
Web: Brampton
