“Imagine a bolt of silk cloth. Visualise holding the fabric in your hand,” suggests Richard Schroeder, winemaker at Groot Phesantekraal. “It’s light but substantial – almost tensile – but also accommodating and generous in the way it drapes and assumes the shape of the garment it’s intended for. It has a slight spring. Crush it, and it just bounces right back. It’s as if you can sense the life in it. Treat it right and it will hold its shape and texture for years.
“I always have the idea of silk in my mind when making Syrah. I search for those same supple, taut, yet yielding qualities. That same elegant vivacity and longevity.”
Looking at his track record, it’s hard not to agree that he is translating that image very successfully. His debut 2021 vintage earned him a nomination for the Diners Club Young Winemaker of the Year Award, while the latest release, the 2023 Estate Syrah, was this year’s joint trophy winner at the 2025 Investec Trophy Show, scoring 97 points.
Apart from its bright pepper, berry, sage and fennel notes on the nose and in the mouth, he points to its taut texture that “springs to life on the palate with a pleasingly plush, vibrant acidity”.
Sourced from 25-year-old vines at the time of picking, the wine should hold its own for a decade or more, he believes, although it’s his go-to red right now. “I find it very rewarding to drink with rich, savoury dishes, meat- or vegetable-based. My favourites are lamb casseroles or mushroom risotto. It’s also delicious with lasagne.”
Playing down his own role in the success of Groot Phesantekraal’s Shiraz, he highlights the estate’s location. “The vines lie on the north-eastern slopes of the Durbanville Wine Valley, established in a combination of shale, clay and loamy soils that collectively contribute to the wine’s richness, plushness and structure.
Vines are cooled by winds off the sea, 20 km away. That often creates misty conditions to counter the otherwise dry inland heat, and it lends great concentration and complexity to the wines. The dramatic contrast in day and night temperatures enhances berry and thus wine colour.
Schroeder is also a great fan of the Durbanville Valley for Chenin Blanc. The cooler climate creates generous aromatics and fresh, lively, layered and elegant flavours at comparatively low alcohol levels, he notes.
The flagship expression, the reserve Anna de Koning Chenin Blanc, is named after the early 18th century high-society beauty, who was born to a slave and then became owner of the farm from 1724 until her death in 1734. Fruit for this wine is fermented on the skins and then transferred to a mix of concrete, terracotta amphorae and oak, to give it an alluring floral bouquet and a lemony, creamy acidity with ripe pear and spicy richness.
The more widely available estate Chenin, he says, opens on a jasmine nose that leads onto a bright palate of tropical, stone fruit and citrus notes with a refreshingly flinty edge. “Think of the Anna de Koning as a more serious wine when you want to impress your guests. The estate wine is a deliciously refreshing crowd-pleaser.”
He enjoys Chenin with Asian-inspired dishes featuring star-anise, cardamom, cinnamon and chili. “Both expressions love spice and a bit of heat.”
All three wines are available directly from the farm or online at https://grootphesantekraal.co.za/product-category/wines/.
If you buy wines to the value of at least R2 000, you can join The Wine Herd (details: https://grootphesantekraal.co.za/wine-club/). Membership benefits include a 15% discount on listed prices of all the estate wines and 10% off every Groot Phesantekraal restaurant bill. (As this is one of the Cape’s favourite dining spots, booking is strongly recommended.)
The Shiraz and both Chenins, as well as all other wines in the range, are always on the menu at the restaurant. The wines can also be found at selected stockists.
