Imbibe 75 Person to Watch: Rüdger van Wyk

Stellenbosch, South Africa

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Growing up on the southeastern coast of South Africa, four hours from the nearest vineyard, Rüdger van Wyk didn’t intend to make wine his career. The former competitive swimmer just knew he didn’t want to sit in a cubicle all day. It was only after one of his brothers began working in a cooperative winery that teenaged van Wyk decided to forge his own path in the industry. “I was always intrigued by science—not that I did well in it, but I was intrigued by it,” he says, laughing.

He attended Stellenbosch University and worked a harvest in Burgundy, France, before becoming an assistant winemaker at Stark-Condé, an award-winning winery in Stellenbosch, in 2015. “Post-Apartheid, the world has opened up for South Africa,” he says. “A lot of winemakers could travel and were exposed to other people, other experiences, other ideas.”

Less than a decade later, he launched his own winery, New Dawn. The lineup includes a lively, chillable red blend made with fruit from the Western Cape, and a tart and textured Stellenbosch white wine, the OG Chenin Blanc. Having contributed to Stark-Condé’s transition to certified-organic operations, he’s committed to incorporating sustainability principles into New Dawn. “It’s quite important to me to work with people who farm responsibly. And not just responsible to the earth, but also responsible to their workers.”

With an ambitious goal to make New Dawn “one of the top 50 wineries in the world,” the father of two is motivated by his family and community. “I want New Dawn to give minority groups hope,” he says. “I want them to believe: It doesn’t matter where you come from. If you work hard and believe and have passion for what you want to do, then you can achieve it.”

Click here to read more about some of 2026’s other Imbibe 75 People and Places to Watch.