Who makes Van Niekerk Vintners wines?

The label is a personal project of the husband-and-wife team Albert and Anmar van Niekerk, established in 2019. Albert is assistant winemaker at Crystallum and Thorne & Daughters, and Anmar is assistant winemaker at Gabriëlskloof; they produce this small range independently alongside their day jobs.

Where do the grapes for Van Niekerk Vintners come from?

Fruit is sourced from vineyards around Bot River and the Hemel-en-Aarde area within the Walker Bay ward, part of South Africa's Cape South Coast region, including the Anysbos and Nabot farms for the Grenache-based Rebellie and sites near the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley for the Goue Rif Chardonnay.

What does the name Rebellie mean?

Rebellie means "rebellion" in Afrikaans, referencing 17th-century ancestor Cornelis van Niekerk, who refused to sell wine to the Cape's corrupt colonial governor and sold directly to passing ships instead, an act that led to his imprisonment and death in Mauritius.

ProducerWalker Bay

Van Niekerk Vintners

ヴァン・ニーケルク・ヴィントナーズ

A husband-and-wife side project by two Hemel-en-Aarde winemakers, honoring 17th-century family rebellion through minimal-intervention Cape South Coast wines

About Van Niekerk Vintners

Van Niekerk Vintners is a personal-label négociant-style project founded in 2019 by Albert and Anmar van Niekerk in the Overberg, on South Africa's Cape South Coast. Albert works as assistant winemaker to Peter-Allan Finlayson at Crystallum and John Seccombe at Thorne & Daughters, while Anmar is assistant winemaker at Gabriëlskloof; together they craft a small range under their own name in their spare time. The label's name and flagship red, Rebellie ("rebellion"), honour family history: in the late 1600s, ancestor Cornelis van Niekerk and eight fellow farmers refused to sell wine to the Cape's corrupt Dutch governor and instead sold directly to passing ships at fairer prices, an act of defiance that saw Cornelis imprisoned and die in Mauritius. The range currently comprises Rebellie, a Grenache-based red sourced from dryland bush vines on the Anysbos and Nabot farms near Bot River (fermented with a portion of whole bunches, aged in old oak); Sonwater, a Chenin Blanc and Clairette Blanche field blend inspired by South Africa's historic 1960s Lieberstein-style white blends; and Goue Rif ("golden ridge"), a naturally fermented, whole-bunch-pressed Chardonnay from vineyards just outside the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. Across the range, grapes are hand-picked, fermentation is wild, and intervention is kept to a minimum, letting each site's character come through with a strong sense of place and family heritage.

Official website: vnvintners.com ↗

Who Is This For?

For drinkers curious about South Africa's emerging garagiste and négociant-style producers, who enjoy low-intervention, site-specific wines with a personal story behind the label

Wines of Van Niekerk Vintners

No cuvées registered yet.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who makes Van Niekerk Vintners wines?: The label is a personal project of the husband-and-wife team Albert and Anmar van Niekerk, established in 2019. Albert is assistant winemaker at Crystallum and Thorne & Daughters, and Anmar is assistant winemaker at Gabriëlskloof; they produce this small range independently alongside their day jobs.
Where do the grapes for Van Niekerk Vintners come from?: Fruit is sourced from vineyards around Bot River and the Hemel-en-Aarde area within the Walker Bay ward, part of South Africa's Cape South Coast region, including the Anysbos and Nabot farms for the Grenache-based Rebellie and sites near the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley for the Goue Rif Chardonnay.
What does the name Rebellie mean?: Rebellie means "rebellion" in Afrikaans, referencing 17th-century ancestor Cornelis van Niekerk, who refused to sell wine to the Cape's corrupt colonial governor and sold directly to passing ships instead, an act that led to his imprisonment and death in Mauritius.