International Women’s Day: Women In The World Of Wine

Penny Streeter OBE is a name that is gaining traction in the wine industry, and for good reason. As one of the few women who own vineyards, making and selling wine successfully, Penny has not only broken through a male-dominated industry but is also setting a new standard for excellence in winemaking.   

With her keen business acumen and unwavering passion for wine, Penny is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with in the world of viticulture.  

Born in Zimbabwe, she is today one of the leading women entrepreneurs in South Africa and the UK. At one time living in a homeless refuge with three children, Penny built a successful medical staffing business from a startup in the UK in 1996 and then in South Africa, before developing her wine and hospitality brand there as a family enterprise.   

Penny founded the Benguela Collection in 2013 when she acquired the 543-acre vineyard and residential estate at Benguela Cove, where she was living, located on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean in Hermanus, South Africa. With 170 acres under vine, the estate was soon producing award-winning wines. It has since become an international destination for wine tourism, with its outstanding location and exceptional dining and entertainment facilities, including a year-round programme of events.  

Quality And Service  

Penny Streeter's path to success in the wine industry has been marked by determination, resilience, and a relentless pursuit of her passion for success based on the highest standards of quality and service that she sets for herself and her teams.    

You wouldn’t know it today when visiting the thriving, successful Benguela Cove Lagoon Wine Estate, but when she first entered the winemaking industry, Penny faced significant opposition from those in the industry who saw her as an outsider; a newcomer to the world of wine who lacked the experience and knowledge necessary to succeed, a woman in what is still largely a man’s world.   

As with her first and still main business venture, the A24 Group international medical staffing group, Penny had to fight doubly hard to prove herself, achieve success and earn the respect of her peers.   

Undeterred by the challenges before her, Penny immersed herself in the world of viticulture, learning everything she could about the business and the wine industry.   

Her first step was to recruit the experienced South African winemaker Johann Fourie. Together with his hand-picked team at the wine farm, which is located on the Hermanus wine route near Cape Town, he took control of all aspects of wine production to ensure top-quality vintages - from growing and using exclusively estate-grown grapes in the winemaking process to bottling and distribution.  

Moody Lagoon 

Despite the initial obstacles in restoring a wine farm suffering from under-investment when she acquired it, Penny remained undaunted. She continued to work towards her goal of creating award-winning wines and an outstanding hospitality venue at Benguela Cove.   

It now includes the Moody Lagoon restaurant and a seafood and oyster bar, as well as holiday rental properties that attract wine lovers, wedding parties and water sports fans alike, with oceanside villas that boast outstanding views across the beautiful lagoon.  

Her hard work paid off, and Penny's Hermanus wine farm soon became known as one of the best in the country, earning her many awards along the way and recognition by her peers in the wine industry.  

These have included three 5-star awards and ten 4.5-star awards in the coveted Platter's 2023 South Africa Wine Guide. This is on the heels of three double golds in the Veritas Wine Awards, a platinum award for the estate’s Chardonnay in the Michelangelo Wine and Spirits Competition, and best Sémillon and best single vineyard wine accolades in the Novare SA Terroir Awards.   

British wine writer Tim Atkin's 10th annual South Africa Special Report, which came out in 2022, brought even more attention from the industry internationally. The Walker Bay wine farm won the ‘Cellar Door Experience of the Year’, confirming its reputation as an exceptional hospitality venue. There were Medals of Excellence too for all its ten wine entries, with each wine achieving 90 or more points out of 100 for the second consecutive year.    

Sunday Times Award  

Today, the Benguela Collection group includes, in the UK, Mannings Heath Estate and Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens in West Sussex, acquired in 2017 and 2018 respectively. Leonardslee features a 37-acre Sussex Wine vineyard, stunning Grade I Listed woodland gardens and a Michelin Star restaurant with luxury accommodation, including ten bedrooms designed by ten renowned British designers.  

The Sunday Times award for ‘100 Best Places to Stay in Britain for 2023’ topped a string of recent accolades for Restaurant Interlude and its very special dine and stay experience. Guests enjoy a multi-course dining experience, with many ingredients foraged from the gardens by South African chef Jean Delport or sourced from local farms.  

Care for the natural environment is at the heart of all of Penny’s ventures. Her son, Adam Streeter, manages Leonardslee's 240-acre woodland gardens, which are home to rare and endangered species. In South Africa, Benguela Cove Lagoon Wine Estate is a World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) Conservation Champion, located in the UNESCO-designated Kogelberg Biosphere nature reserve.    

Today, Penny Streeter is a respected and admired figure in the wine and hospitality sectors, known for her unwavering commitment to quality and her trailblazing spirit. For International Women’s Day, her success serves as a testament to what can be achieved through hard work, resilience, and a refusal to be held back by preconceived notions of what is or isn't possible for a woman.  

What advice would Penny share with other women trying to succeed in business?  

“We need to strategies, network and continuously educate ourselves on our chosen business and industry. It's important to have a clear vision of your goals and the steps necessary to achieve them. And most importantly, we should never let setbacks deter us from our path. Instead, we should use them as opportunities to learn and grow; change course if necessary, but never quit. With the right mindset and strategy, there is no limit to what you can achieve in the business world."