The winemaker at Groot Phesantekraal in the Durbanville Wine Valley has been awarded the runner-up title in a prestigious wine competition for next-generation winemakers.
Richard Schroeder (33) has earned the 2026 runner-up title for two of his highly regarded Anna de Koning Chenin Blanc wines — of the 2024 and 2025 vintages.
The annual award, sponsored by iTOO and convened by Winemag.co.za, celebrates winemaking excellence amongst contestants under 35 years old.
Growing list of achievements
The award adds to Schroeder’s growing list of achievements, recognising the 2024 and 2025 Groot Phesantekraal Chenin Blanc vintages, which earned 94 and 93 points respectively.
The Anna de Koning Reserve label honours the farm’s 18th-century owner, who was the daughter of a slave and went on to become one of the Cape’s most prominent society belles and property owners.
Capacity to flourish under warmer conditions
Schroeder says that growing chenin blanc in Durbanville, widely considered a cool-climate area, might look like swimming upstream.
“In South Africa, we tend to associate chenin with resilience and adaptability and the capacity to flourish under warmer conditions. And that’s true. It’s also a perception that’s amplified by stories of chenin appearing in places like Israel’s Negev Desert or Mendoza in Argentina. But in truth, chenin’s birthplace, the Loire in France, offers a range of cool sub-regions — pockets that yield beautifully fresh and crisp wines,” he says.
Primary white wine focus
“Even though Durbanville is so readily associated with sauvignon blanc, planting chenin here actually makes a lot of sense too. It has become our primary white wine focus. In our experience, the wines develop generous aromatics, concentration and freshness at comparatively low alcohol levels. We strive for an ethereal quality with a satisfying mouth-filling density at the same time,” Schroeder says.
Fermented partly on skins
The Anna de Koning wines were fermented partly on the skins and matured in a combination of concrete, terracotta amphorae and oak.
“We were looking to harmonise the floral aromatics and lemon-like acidity with a creamy, textured grip and hints of ripe pear and spice.
“The grapes for the two winning wines come from the farm’s Block 7 vineyard — harvested in multiple passes to capture a spectrum of flavour profiles and natural complexity.
“Groot Phesantekraal’s chenin vineyards are rooted in decomposed Malmesbury shale soils rich in clay, offering excellent water retention and drainage while encouraging deep root penetration.
“Combined with Durbanville’s cool, slow-ripening conditions, the location allows the winemaking team to achieve an ‘almost weightless intensity’,” according to Schroeder.
Trophies
He has previously won trophies at the Investec Trophy Wine Show, earned recognition at the Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards and been nominated twice for the Diners Club Young Winemaker of the Year title.
Born and raised on a cattle farm between Durbanville and Paarl, Schroeder shares long-standing ties with Groot Phesantekraal’s Brink family, having gone to school with brothers Rennie and Jeandré Brink.
He previously worked under Coenie Snyman, formerly of Rust en Vrede, and Kevin Grant of Ataraxia.
He joined the estate in 2020 and, since the unveiling of its new state-of-the-art cellar in 2023, has enjoyed the creative freedom to explore with concrete eggs and amphorae, as well as French oak, while simultaneously making small-batch and larger-edition wines.
“Richard has brought enormous energy, curiosity and confidence to our winemaking programme,” says André Brink, owner of Groot Phesantekraal.
“This award recognises not only his talent, but also Groot Phesantekraal’s commitment to exploring what Durbanville Chenin Blanc can truly become.”
For Schroeder, the journey is only beginning.
“There is still so much to uncover with chenin blanc,” he says. “That’s what makes it so exciting. Every vintage reveals another layer.”
ALSO READ: Blue Plaque at Durbanville winery pays tribute to Anna de Koning
You must be logged in to post a comment.