Richard Schroeder is Making a Case For Durbanville Chenin Blanc
From national trophies and top international scores to a first appearance in the Chenin Blanc Top 10 Challenge, Groot Phesantekraal winemaker Richard Schroeder is putting Durbanville Chenin Blanc firmly on the map.
When people think of Durbanville wine, Sauvignon Blanc may be the first variety that comes to mind. But for our winemaker Richard, one of the Cape’s cooler wine-growing areas has another compelling story to tell: Chenin Blanc.
At just 33, he is developing a distinctive expression of Chenin Blanc at Groot Phesantekraal, a historic wine farm in Durbanville, Cape Town. His work is attracting growing recognition, with a run of trophies, top scores and competition successes placing both the winemaker and the region in the spotlight.
Most recently, Groot Phesantekraal’s 2026 Chenin Blanc was named a champion at the 2026 SA National Young Wine Show, following three regional trophies at the inaugural Cape Town Young Wine Show. The estate was named the Hillebrand Gori Cape Town Young Wine Show Regional Champion, with trophies for Chenin Blanc, White Blend and Sweet Wine.
The estate’s flagship Anna de Koning Chenin Blanc has also been gaining attention. The 2024 vintage made its first appearance in the 2026 Standard Bank Chenin Blanc Top 10 Challenge, while also earning gold at the 2026 Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards. The 2025 vintage received 94 points from Tim Atkin MW in his 2026 South Africa Report.
These achievements follow Richard’s recognition earlier in 2026 as the runner-up in the iTOO Winemag.co.za Next Generation competition. The 2024 Anna de Koning Chenin Blanc scored 94 points in the competition, followed by 93 points for the 2025 vintage.
Together, the results are helping to build a stronger case for Chenin Blanc in Durbanville, demonstrating how the region’s cool climate can translate into wines with freshness, texture, concentration and character.
Why Chenin Blanc works in Durbanville
South African Chenin Blanc is often associated with the warm, dry conditions of the country’s inland and warmer wine regions. But Richard believes this only tells part of the story of a variety known for its remarkable adaptability.
“In South Africa, we tend to associate Chenin with resilience and adaptability and the capacity to flourish under warmer conditions. And that’s true,” he says.
“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. Think of Vouvray, for instance.”
For him, the conditions in Durbanville make Chenin Blanc a natural fit.
“Even though Durbanville is so readily associated with Sauvignon Blanc, planting Chenin here actually makes a lot of sense, too. So much so, that it has become our primary white wine focus.”
He describes the Groot Phesantekraal style as combining generous aromatics, concentration and freshness, often at comparatively low alcohol levels.
“You’ll find amongst our Chenins, a racy but supple tension with a layered palate weight and texture. We strive for an almost weightless intensity.”
The influence of Durbanville terroir
The character of Durbanville Chenin Blanc begins in the vineyard.
At Groot Phesantekraal, the Chenin Blanc vineyards are planted in decomposed Malmesbury shale soils rich in clay. These soils offer a combination of water retention and drainage while allowing the vines to develop deep root systems.
Combined with Durbanville’s cool conditions and slow ripening, the vineyards give Schroeder an ideal foundation for producing fresh, concentrated and textured Chenin Blanc.
The result is a style that aims to balance the natural acidity and freshness associated with cooler climates with the richness and texture that Chenin Blanc can develop on older, well-established vines.
For Richard, the objective is not simply to make a good Chenin Blanc, but to understand what Durbanville Chenin Blanc can become in its own right.
Anna de Koning Chenin Blanc: a distinctive expression of place
Groot Phesantekraal’s flagship Anna de Koning Chenin Blanc takes its name from the farm’s 18th-century owner and an important figure in the history of the Cape.
The wines are sourced from the estate’s Block 7 Chenin Blanc vineyard, where the grapes are harvested in multiple passes. This allows Schroeder to capture different flavour profiles and build complexity into the finished wine.
In the cellar, the grapes are fermented partly on their skins and matured in a combination of concrete, terracotta amphorae and oak.
“We try to harmonise the floral aromatics and lemon-like acidity with a creamy, textured grip and hints of ripe pear and spice,” says Richard.
The resulting wines reflect the balance Richard is seeking: freshness without austerity, texture without heaviness and concentration without sacrificing energy.
The Anna de Koning Reserve label also carries an important connection to Groot Phesantekraal’s heritage. Anna de Koning, the daughter of a slave, became one of the Cape’s prominent society figures and property owners. Her story forms part of the layered history of Groot Phesantekraal, which dates back to 1698.
More than Chenin Blanc
While Chenin Blanc has become an increasingly important part of Richard’s winemaking identity, the strong results at Groot Phesantekraal extend across the estate’s broader wine portfolio.
The 2025 Marizanne Reserve Sauvignon Blanc won the Southern Sun Sauvignon Blanc Trophy at the 2026 Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards, while the 2025 Chardonnay and 2024 Cabernet Sauvignon each earned gold medals.
The 2024 Syrah was named among the Top 10 wines in both the Winemag.co.za Prescient Shiraz Report 2026 and the Shiraz SA Challenge 2026.
The estate’s 2024 Pinotage won the Pinotage Trophy at the 2026 SA Terroir Wine Awards and was also among the winning wines in the 2026 ABSA Top 10 Pinotage competition.
For Groot Phesantekraal, the breadth of these results points to something larger than the success of a single variety. They reflect a growing confidence in what the farm, its vineyards and its winemaking team can achieve.
A winemaker exploring Durbanville’s potential
Richard’s connection with Durbanville runs deep.
Born and raised on a cattle farm between Durbanville and Paarl, he has longstanding ties with the Brink family of Groot Phesantekraal, having attended school with brothers Rennie and Jeandré Brink.
Before joining Groot Phesantekraal in 2020, he worked under Coenie Snyman, formerly of Rust en Vrede, and Kevin Grant of Ataraxia.
Since the unveiling of Groot Phesantekraal’s new state-of-the-art cellar in 2023, Richard has had greater freedom to experiment with different vessels and winemaking techniques, including concrete eggs, terracotta amphorae and French oak.
The cellar has also allowed the team to work across both small-batch and larger-edition wines, creating greater scope to explore individual vineyards and varieties.
“I think the new cellar has given us the space and freedom to really explore,” says Richard. “There is a lot we can still learn about our vineyards and about what Durbanville can do.”
That spirit of exploration is central to his contribution to Groot Phesantekraal, according to owner André Brink.
“Richard has brought enormous energy, curiosity and confidence to our winemaking programme,” he says. “He’s becoming known in the valley as Durbanville’s King of Chenin. We are thrilled at how he is tapping into the depth of Durbanville’s potential.”
The future of Durbanville Chenin Blanc
For Richard, the story of Chenin Blanc at Groot Phesantekraal is still being written.
“There is still so much to uncover with Chenin Blanc. Every vintage reveals another layer.”
As South African Chenin Blanc continues to attract attention for its diversity and quality, Groot Phesantekraal offers another perspective on what the variety can achieve.
Here, Chenin Blanc is being shaped by the cool conditions of Durbanville, ancient Malmesbury shale soils, careful vineyard selection and an increasingly confident young winemaker.
The result is not simply a cooler-climate interpretation of a variety traditionally associated with warmer parts of South Africa. It is an emerging Durbanville expression of Chenin Blanc, with its own sense of freshness, texture, concentration and place.
And if Richard recent run of results is anything to go by, there is considerably more to come.
Discover Groot Phesantekraal
Located in Durbanville, Cape Town, Groot Phesantekraal combines historic vineyards and Cape heritage with contemporary winemaking, a tasting room, cocktails, food and farm experiences.
