Key takeaways:
- Engelbrecht’s dedication to preserving and promoting Afrikaans culture is evident in his personal and professional endeavors.
- His commitment to the wine industry is demonstrated through his leadership at Rust en Vrede, a winery renowned for its exceptional wines.
- Engelbrecht’s philosophy intertwines his love for Afrikaans heritage with his expertise in winemaking, reflecting a harmonious blend of cultural appreciation and craftsmanship.
Building bridges with wine
Jean Engelbrecht, owner of the prestigious Stellenbosch estate winery Rust en Vrede becomes philosophical when he speaks about one of his favourite subjects. “Wine brings people together,” he explains. “When you share a glass of wine with someone it brings you closer. It helps to improve communication between people. Wine builds bridges.”
Engelbrecht’s latest wine is named Afrikaans. After the language. Launched during the programme announcement of this year’s Toyota US Woordfees on 18 November 2019, Afrikaans – the wine – aims to celebrate the language without baggage.
“Afrikaans, our new wine, is definitely apolitical,” he emphasises. “I truly and deeply believe the Afrikaans language should not be hijacked by exclusivity from within one specific group. Afrikaans is no better, or worse, than any other language. All languages are equal, while users should not elevate one above others.”
For Engelbrecht this naturally also means speakers and users of Afrikaans can be rightfully proud of their utilisation of the language, without a feeling of either superiority or inferiority. “Afrikaans is a wonderful language with writers, poets, academics, artists, musicians, actors and many others who create amazing work in Afrikaans, just like any other language.
“Afrikaans as a language used in the arts therefore does not have to stand back for any other language in the world. Our wine called Afrikaans has its origin in a place that totally rejects Afrikaans as a political instrument. At the same time, it’s also true that Afrikaans remains under pressure from many spheres. We have therefore created a wine with zero political considerations that is a celebration of the language, irrespective of who speaks and enjoys it.”
Afrikaans, the wine was launched during the announcement of the programme for this year’s Toyota US Woordfees at Rust en Vrede on 18 November 2019. Here are Saartjie Botha (Festival Director of Toyoya US Woordfees), Calvyn Hamman (former Senior Vice-President of Toyota South Africa), US Rector Wim de Villiers and Prof Leslie van Rooi, Director of Social Impact and Transformation at US, with Jean Engelbrecht (Owner of Rust en Vrede)
Drink Afrikaans
Willem van der Colff, a Stellenbosch-based friend of Engelbrecht’s is responsible for the beautifully crafted poem that appears on the back label of the Afrikaans wine bottle. With the title “my language”, in all lowercase the poem speaks about the ability of the Afrikaans language to find a place in everyone’s hearts and minds. The straightforward simplicity of everyday use of Afrikaans is celebrated in the poem and in this way the wine is positioned as friendly and accessible for all.
The design of the brand label is striking in its simplicity. A soft and minimalist style is a hallmark of Afrikaans, the wine.
“Our first attempt was strong and hard,” Engelbrecht remembers. “I asked a few close friends for their input and Elvis Blue remarked that he felt the original label was too bold. I agreed and we went back to the drawing board. The result is the stylish, soft and clean design we settled on. From the carton packing box to the label itself, we hope the brand creates a feeling of elegance that’s both stylish yet simple. We also trust it’s a great wine to enjoy drinking.”
Chatting about wine is clearly a passion of the man behind the super successful Rust en Vrede estate.
Engelbrecht remarks that the creation of an excellent wine is pricey. The best grapes are expensive. So far two premium wines have been produced in the Afrikaans series; a Cabernet Sauvignon (2016) and Chardonnay (2018).
Head Rust en Vrede winemaker Coenie Snyman uses only superb quality grapes for Afrikaans. The result is a high-quality wine, but with a price tag of around R200 per bottle for the Cabernet Sauvignon, it means Afrikaans is not one of the cheaper options on the racks of discerning merchants.
“We only produced about 8 000 bottles of Afrikaans Vol 1,” says Engelbrecht. “Apart from the high-quality grapes used, the wooden barrels in which the wine ages are quite expensive too. One has to invest in creating a high-quality wine that’s great to drink.”
Due to the early success of Afrikaans, a bigger production quantity is planned for Vol 2, which should be available by the end of 2020.
Atterbury
The original idea for Versnit (Afrikaans for blend), Atterbury Trust’s annual January event during which Afrikaans music is celebrated on the lush green lawns of Rust En Vrede in front of an invited audience in aid of generating donations to the trust, is the brainchild Engelbrecht and Atterbury co-founder Louis van der Watt.
“Atterbury is an example of how to develop an originally Afrikaans company from its Pretoria roots into a hugely successful international property group,” says Engelbrecht. “To be proud of the Afrikaans language and to be able to provide educational bursaries to needy Afrikaans speakers, irrespective of colour or race and without any political motivation whatsoever is truly special. We can all learn from Atterbury about how to be proud of Afrikaans as a language without a superior attitude towards others.”
Music, words and wine
If one were to summarise a few of Jean Engelbrecht’s top interests in three terms, music, words and wine could come close. And food. Good food. Apart from the multi award-winning fine dining restaurant at Rust en Vrede, he also owns an interest in the well-known Stellenbosch eatery De Volkskombuis and Hinterland in Pretoria. “We have already established three restaurants in Namibia as well,” he says. “All three use Stellenbosch as part of their names, because Namibians just love our town.
“My goal for all our restaurants is to promote the drinking of quality wine. I am known to say that wine makes friends, not enemies. I believe it’s got something to do with the civilised nature of drinking and appreciating wine with others. I’ve got a mission and that is to convince people to drink and enjoy premium wines.”
With the creation of Afrikaans, the wine, Engelbrecht is venturing into something else he is truly proud of. He has created a high-quality wine for an amazing drinking experience, but it goes further than that. With his new wine he also promotes the positioning of Afrikaans as an informal conversational language that encourages togetherness. A relaxed language interpreted as an enjoyable wine. This could just be a winning recipe.
Afrikaans is available in Pretoria at the Atterbury Theatre, Hinterland restaurant in the Club centre and at select wine merchants. It can be ordered directly from info@drinkafrikaans.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core philosophy of Jean Engelbrecht regarding wine?
Jean Engelbrecht, owner of Rust en Vrede, believes wine brings people together, improves communication, and builds bridges when shared. He has a mission to convince people to drink and enjoy premium wines.
Why did Rust en Vrede choose to name a wine “Afrikaans,” and what does it aim to achieve?
The wine, Afrikaans, was named to celebrate the language in an apolitical manner. Its aim is to reject the language as a political instrument and instead position it as a relaxed, friendly conversational language that encourages togetherness.
What is the significance of the Versnit event and Atterbury’s relationship with Jean Engelbrecht?
The Versnit event, an annual celebration of Afrikaans music to raise donations for the Atterbury Trust, was the original idea of Engelbrecht and Atterbury co-founder Louis van der Watt. Atterbury is highlighted as an example of a successful international company that is proud of its Afrikaans roots without being politically motivated.
