Anneke Steenkamp, the passionate and quietly determined winemaker behind the boutique Walker Bay Estate Stanford, has done it again. Two gleaming gold medals from one of the wine world’s most demanding and prestigious competitions – the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles – now find their home in the Stanford cellar, adding yet another glittering chapter to a remarkable and growing story of international recognition.
Anneke told Hermanus Times that she was very surprise after receiving the news. “The results came to me in the form of an email congratulating me on our medals. At the time I was busy working on my barrels in the Cellar. My reaction was total joy as I felt the Cabernet Sauvignon was a particularly worthy winner of the gold medal and had in the past not received the recognition it deserves,”Anneke said.
According to her this achievement means so much to her and her team: “All the hard work we have put into this very small farm is getting the recognition it deserves on the global stage. It really is a David and Goliath story. We are a small farm, boutique size , we use the grapes we produce to make the best wine we possibly can and unlike the large wine producers we are unable to pick and choose the grapes we want to use for our medal competition wines.”
The fact that the wines are blind tasted is huge to them. She explained: “So many wines are judged by the look, prestige and name of the estate rather than the true quality of the wine. For a wine maker to have a panel of top wine professionals award gold medals to Walker Bay Estate is vindication that we are a consistently quality focused wine producer that can produce the top wines in the world.”
Walker Bay Estate’s gold medal wines are the Cabernet Sauvignon 2022. “This wine has a really wonderful nose. It smells intensely of plum fruit and even in the barrels one of my friends and mentor, Theo Brink, was tasting with me and getting excited as to how amazing this wine is.
Hand plunge
“It is fresh on the palate and has silky smooth tannins with a wonderful lingering finish. I personally initially hand plunge everything in small tanks trying to be gentle with the grapes keep the skins in tact,” Anneke said.
According to her the Syrah is quite a complex wine. It’s a very elegant wine not at any stage overpowering. “You can pick up aromas of ripe fruit and even liquorice on the nose and that complexity is balanced right through to the finish.”
Anneke is particularly proud of the Cabernet Sauvignon. She explained: “It now has the recognition it deserves. It clearly reflects and expresses the terroir unique to this region rather than tasting generic. It was such a pleasure making this wine because the grapes were just so right at time of harvest. Everything was perfect. This wine and the Syrah are the hallmark of, I believe, a well managed vineyard. Having the patience to harvest when the grapes are ready not when other wine makers in the region are harvesting; to take extra time in the cellar. To do things slowly with extra care and time.”
Whole vineyard and wine story
Anneke joined Walker Bay Estate in July 2021, after a period out of the wine making industry and according to her she was eager to be back on a farm. “I had grown up on a wine and fruit farm and this was a dream come true. I always wanted to do the whole vineyard and wine story and more than anything I enjoy the autonomy that this role gives me although we are busy recruiting a person into marketing. I think what has surprised me is the support the owners have given me to take the reins and run with things. I also have an amazing young assistant, Devonte, who is totally reliable and hard working and a team that are willing to come in and harvest before the sun has risen on the farm.What was it like stepping into that all-encompassing role, and what has surprised you most about the journey?”
For her to work alongside the mentorship of respected industry figure Theo Brink is a game changer. “His experience is immense and under his guidance I have learned how crucial it is to perform certain vineyard practices and harvest at optimum ripeness. He has helped me enormously on this journey to gold medal wine production.”
As a female winemaker running a small boutique estate, Anneke feels that gender doesn’t play a role nowadays in the wine industry. She said that when she started in the industry in 1991 it was much tougher and almost unheard of for a female wine maker to run a boutique wine farm. “I think as more females join the industry our efforts and perseverance have been rewarded .”
Anneke’s wine philosophy is much like her personality: Patience; let nature take its course, be delicate in the handling of the grapes, respect the purity of the fruit but recognise that wine making is an art.
She believes that the future for the wine industry is promising and one of her dreams is that the quality wines they produce will turn into sales. “My dream for this estate is that the we can continue to use the revenue to invest in the farm. Wine farming is expensive, you need deep pockets and if you don’t have them you need to farm smartly.”
