2013 started off with a bang and although most of us got out
of the holiday cheer, some of us were looking forward to the February Hands on
Harvest that took place in Robertson on the weekend of the 21 Feb. The whole
idea behind “Come wine with us AWAY” was to experience the wine farms first
hand, after initially connecting with
the winemaker during the “Come Wine with Us” restaurant gatherings . We thought
the Hands on Harvest would be the ideal
opportunity to pursue this. We attended
the weekend with a small group of loyal
supporters who supported us throughout last year, and we hope to add more to
this very special group of winos.
It was a privilege organising this trip and therefore we’d
love to share a few of the places we visited:
We arrived on the Friday afternoon in Robertson and then
headed off to Bakenoord guest houses which is nestled along the Breede Rivier
on your way to Bonnievale. We were welcomed by Annemi, the owner who escorted us to our guest houses. Bakenoord,
which consists of 4 cottages, 1) onder die Bloekom which sleeps 4, 2) Die Kraal
which sleeps each 3 people and then the 3) Honeymoon suite which sleeps 2.
2 of the cottages include a lovely
braai area where many laughs were shared
during the course of the weekend. Come wine with us thoroughly enjoyed the stay
and would definitely return.
Friday Evening:
Arendsig wine Farm – End of Harvest dinner with the wine maker
(www.arendsig.co.za)
For the Friday evening we were booked for dinner with the
wine maker, Lourens van der Westhuizen at Arendsig. His lovely wife, Lizelle van
der Westhuizen welcomed us at their brand new venue on their farm.
The idea was
to do an end of Harvest dinner which included fresh roasted tomato soup, Tapas,
Quiche Loraine, Beef Bourguignon and Crepe Suzettes.
All very typical French inspired
dishes made in the middle of the Boland by the lovely caterer herself, Di Doms
and her team from Plum Kitchen!
A definite highlight of the weekend by far!
Lourens and Lizelle shared some of their
new vintages which was a complete marriage with the food. Arendsig is very dear
to us at Come wine with us, as they were
the first wine we ever tasted exactly 1
year ago. Thank you very much for a memorable evening
After a great evening with Arendsig we were up early the
next day, ready for all the activities to take place. Each guest was given a breakfast
basket which included fresh scrambled eggs, bacon, croissants, fresh fruit and
yoghurt and breakfast juice made by the lovely Lesley from Relish catering. We
then got on board Marc Powells transport which ensured a strict no drinking and
driving rule as “Come wine with us “ is a proud supporter of this movement.
Arriving at Weltevrede wine farm, everyone was very excited
to bottle their own bubbly.
Weltevrede bubbly and wine maker, Phillip Jonker
gave us a brief introduction as to how bubbly is made, and where it originated
from.
In a very informative power point presentation, he demonstrated what exactly needs to be done when disgorging
bubbly.
We then got a chance to degorge and bottle our very own bubbly.
This
was a very fun and entertaining exercise, but best of all is that you were allowed
to take your bubbly home !
Busy adding the magic potion.....................*
Getting all corked up!
Finishing off with the lables.....
Champagne/Cap Classique for everyone!
Next stop was Quando wine Estate for a private tasting with
the wine maker himself, Fanus Bruwer. This was an intimate but really special tasting which
we would not forget easily. Fanus presented us with some of his hand selected
wines and demonstrated how he nurtures his vines, together with brother Mani, during
the course of the year.
When the vineyards are harvested, each single block
especially the Sauvignon Blanc, is harvested differently according to its
location/terrior. Each wine variety is then tanked separately after which he blends the
wine according to what he thinks would be the ideal blend. One of the most
difficult things to do as a wine maker is to decide what to blend with what. Be
it red or white, remains a true art. Fanus claims this is his speciality and he
thoroughly enjoys blending his wines. Quando wines consist of a small but very
versatile and quality range. Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin/Voignier Blend, Dry Rose, Sweet
Aperitif Sauvignon Blanc and last but not least, the only red wine produced on
the farm is a Pinot Noir. A def must visit when you are in the Robertson
Valley.
If there is one place, where you have to pop by for lunch and a tasting, it has to be Bon Courage.
Nestled underneath a big green pepper corn tree and Cape Dutch character building,
it oozes a homey vibe to all visitors
and locals.
At Come wine with us, Bon Courage is a very familiar face & yet
memorable face. We started with a very informal tasting presented by the two very friendly ladies, Bea
and Mavis.
First up ,was the ever so popular Jacques Bruwer Cap Classique which
has received numerous awards and has been named one of the top Cap Classiques
in the country.
After ending our tasting off with the ever so
popular and bold INKARA Cab and Shiraz, we went for lunch at the popular Cafe Maude.
Renowned for their
amazing burgers we decided to put it to the test. On the menu was the classic
Cafe Maude burger Blue cheese burger.
All of us was
presently surprised by the size of the meal and perceived it as being very good
value for money. A few guests had the
steak and onion rings which went down an absolute treat.
Our last stop for the day was De Wetshof wine Estate. Also a
familiar ‘face’ to Come wine with us. De Wetshof, renowned for their super
Chardonnays and delicate Pinot Noir
really does make a statement when you enter the tasting area.
The beautiful
Cape Dutch building is based on
Thibault's famous Koopmans-De Wet House in Cape Town, and oozes class and style.
Come wine with us was treated to a cellar
tasting that was based on Chardonnays from all over the world. Some wooded,
some un- wooded from De Wetshof itself and also some interesting Chardonnays
from Chablis, France.
It’s remarkable to taste how one grape variety can vary
in so many different styles due to the change of the terroir and wine making
process. Johan De Wet, who is in charge of the marketing at De Wetshof together
with Bennie Stipp, gave us a tour in their state of the art cellar.
One
always wonders how much actually goes on behind the scenes when producing wines
and De Wetshof clearly vouches for that due to their nurturing which starts in the vineyard right through to bottling. Like the saying goes, “Wine is
bottled poetry”
At Come wine with
us we are passionate about drinking great wines and having an awesome time. We
would like to thank each and every person involved in making this an unforgettable
weekend. Here’s to the next one!
Lots of foodie and wine love
Sybil and Peet
Thank you to Lucil van Deventer for the stunning pics you can view her website on:
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