Wine export mogul dies in car crash

Ray Smuts
THE Cape wine-producing community is stunned at the death in a car accident of Antonij, youngest son of business magnate Anton Rupert.
Police say Rupert Jnr's BMW740 was found overturned in rainy weather on the Simondium road in Franschhoek. Cause of the accident is unknown.
Known internationally in wine circles, Rupert, 49, established a joint venture with the De Rothchild family of France four years ago, producing wines under the name Rupert Rothchild - much of it for export - on Rupert's farm Fredericksberg. He also owned the well-known wine estate L'Omarins.
Fredericksburg's two inaugural wines, a '97 Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, were withdrawn at the eleventh hour as they were deemed not up to the standard required for such a prestigious property.
Cape wine expert Oscar Fowlkes told FTW: "They (the Rupert/De Rothchild partnership) spent a fortune marketing the Fredericksberg product in the international media. He (Rupert) loved the wine business."