How do 7 men pursue a common goal – individually? The answer is that Anthony Smook and 6 other guys – all from Paarl and different walks of life – got together to make some wine, sharing the same facility. Not giving up their day jobs they are respectively involved in engineering, farming, medicine, table grapes, transport, chemicals and masonry – yet are united in their passion for wines. Make no mistake – these are not vinous dilettantes. This is more than just a hobby. The men were focused on making the best wine they can, looking at exports, niche markets and educated consumers to present their products to.

One of the guys, Derek Clift, offered them the use of an old barn in Paarl’s Main Road – today known as “Cellar on Main” – the old cellar that was once Schoongezicht Farm in Paarl.

Using common facilities required a bit of fancy footwork, so all agreed that communication is essential The way it used to work is that everyone shares the common costs such as rent, electricity and water, proportionate to the amount of wine they made. The cost of grapes, tanks, yeasts, barrels and the like was for their own account.

Originally Anthony studied Industrial Engineering. Then he got involved in the Family business, started by his father 55 years ago, which specializes in the installation of cooling systems in wineries. So while Anthony is not a traditional kind of winemaker, he has met a lot of them along the way. His job allowed him to visit lot of the Cape Wine producers, and it was through these experiences that he first became really interested in making wine. He also spent some time in France doing a harvest and exploring the wine regions, and did the Cape Wine Master’s Course at the Cape Wine Academy in Stellenbosch. Then Cellar on Main followed, where he was part of the Garagiste Movement.

After 3 years of good fun, in 2003 he decided to do it on bigger scale. He does it because he simply likes to do it, but he’s also been pleasantly surprised at how well the wine has been doing. Currently the wine is being made in a small historic winery on the property known as Staart van Paardeberg (meaning the tail of Horse Mountain), situated in the Voor–Paardeberg Ward in Agter Paarl.

Anthony’s philosophy is that wine is an integral and joyful part of everyday life. His unbridled enthusiasm, sense of fun and pure pleasure in growing vines, vinifying wine, and presenting it to wine lovers in all manner of exciting guises, pervades Anthony Smook Wines. He is a passionate outdoors person, and enjoys any time spent in nature. He loves to bow–hunt, and is a particularly keen player of golf. He enjoys cooking and experimenting in the kitchen and gladly shares some of his favourite recipes to match with his hand crafted wines.

His small range of six cultivars grace the shelves and tables of the finest establishments and he is one of a growing number of boutique wine farmers: focused and independent.

Anthony is married to Diana and they have two daughters, Carla and Melissa