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We survived day 1, and all and sundry’s livers, wallets, and sanity are still intactβ¦ for now!
As mentioned in Day 1’s blog, this was a group of wine enthusiasts, so sightseeing took the second stage, no Cape Point, Table Mountain, or any other riches that the Cape has to offer but only wine farms.Β With that in mind, my idea was to showcase to my group wines by region.
The day before we ventured west to the Hemel en Aarde Valley to savour the riches of South Africa’s Pinot Noir capital, but today it was time to showcase the patriarchal wine region of the Cape and South Africa for that matter β¦. Stellenbosch.
Stellenbosch is the oldest wine region in South Africa, with thousands of wine farms and estates to choose from, I felt that only the heavyweights would suffice.
Kanonkop and Thelema fit this bill. I mentioned to my group my personal history with the two farms. It started from a young age because of my parents. My folks were lucky to have had at their disposal a plethora of wine from these two farms as well as many others. My Mother has an extremely good pallet and knows how to distinguish very easily. A good wine from one that has potential and wines that should be avoided. This helped my folks know which wines to give away for presents! And by that, our families’s preference was always these two wines. The purpose of that information is to provide some context as to my motivations for choosing these two farms.
So with that said, now to put the wine farms to the test.
Kanonkops flagship Paul Saer was the first South African wine to score a PERFECT 100% at an international wine competition some years back.
Printed on the wall of the Kanonkops tasting room are the words: “Pinotage is the juice extracted from women’s tongues and lions’ hearts. After having a sufficient quantity, one can talk forever and fight the devil”
A perfect blend of humour and philosophy! That coupled with the right company and great wine, a person need no more for enjoyment.
We were taken through 5 Kanonkops wines, each wine described with meticulousness but balanced with the right dose of panache and that was thanks to our host, Elistine.
Elistine then took the group on a tour of the area where they did the crushing of the grapes. Walking on an overhead walkover we could see below the staff. Manually crushing grapes with what can only be described as extended brooms! Kanonkop also has automatic crushers but believes in old as well as new techniques.
With the tasting done and wines purchased, it was off to our next stop, Thelema.
Located at the top of Hell’s Hoogte Pass is a collection of farms that share a breathtaking view of Stellenbosch to the one side and Simonsberg nature reserve.
Take that turn and then another one or two and head down a little to midway between the peak of the pass to the base, nestled between the huge trees and the mountain and you arrive at Thelema. Our hosts: the beautiful and bubbly Krishenda and the man with a smile that never seems to end – Themba. We were seated outside. I forgot to mention that the weather was perfect! Thelema has an assortment of beautiful wines – but what sets them apart slightly is that they grow grapes in another wine region and manufacture the grapes on the Thelema farm under the label Sutherland.
Both wines were on hand to taste. Many a photo was taken and many a bottle of the noble late harvest purchased by just about everyone and it was time to venture off to our last stop.
The last stop was to include a small baguette lunch at some point in the tasting, but that was not to be for at least another 2 and a half hours, and with everyone’s breakfast long digested, we had to make an impromptu lunch stop. While the group was tasting at Thelema, George my driver, and I popped back over to go get some goodies. So on the drive to our last stop, we had the impromptu lunch of pizzas and pies in the Van!
We arrived well on time and had some time to collect ourselves for what was in store. As I mentioned earlier only the heavyweights would suffice, this last stop of the day is a little bit of a new kid on the block ( 30 years old – still somewhat newish in the grander scheme of all farms).
It is for me an example of what happens when lots of money is spent building something properly and wisely.
Short story – the owners of the farm invested their tech-earned money and lured a prestigious winemaker away from another prominent farm to oversee their farm and create beauty in a bottle! Built to have a distinguished Spanish or Italian Tuscany-type look, with just about every procedure that goes into the winemaking to be environmentally conscious and no waste tolerated in that everything must be re-used somehow.
Location, Service, and Quality in a product are what I look for in farms or estates to take guests to and Waterford delivers in spades across all 3. Kanonkop and Theleme are ingrained into me by my upbringing but Waterford holds a special place in my heart!
What was in store was not your typical sit down and taste while listening to the host but something rather more unique and adventurous. But before the adventure began we sat down sipping sparkling wine at our table waiting for our hosts to get ready. There were 2 hosts for us today, Thomas was the main one and started us on a cellar tour.Β The room is breathtaking – yes it feels very holy inside, filled with cobwebs on the chandeliers to boot and it felt like we were in some time of the Knights of the Round Table era! To begin our adventure – a wine-tasting hike. By this stage, our second host Daniel now joined us.
We began the 5-kilometre walk through the vineyards with Thomas explaining each of the blocks of vineyards we passed. We picked grapes off of the vine and tasted them.
As we continued with our adventure, he described the landscape and the wildlife as well as history. All the while walking through this stunning environment.Β A bench for 12! What a treat!Β The bench was quickly transformed with clean linens, wine glasses, water, and snacks. It looked like a table that belonged in a fine dining restaurant.
Just before Thomas and Daniel laid the table, I must mention that the look on everyone’s faces was in itself the reward for me. Everyone looked so happy and surprised. Excited at this unorthodox wine-tasting setting, the best thing to watch was Ashish you were smiling from ear to ear.Β Looking at the table surrounded by the unique setting.Β
Thomas and Daniel waxing lyrical about the wines we were about to enjoy.Β
From chardonnay to Grenache each wine was nothing short of delicious. We had our baguettes here too. I made a miscalculation due to a late change in the dietary requirements – so Mr Ram as I said then and I will say it again.Β But we shared and all was fine. With that, we packed up and made our way back down to the farm.Β
To conclude our tasting with the wine and chocolate pairing.Β The unique rock-salted chocolate was a favourite by all. Stellenbosch did not disappoint!
We were such amazing guests we were also treated to an extra wine – I think this was an older Cab Sav 2012 vintage.
With time to bid our farewells but not before some more purchases! I have to take the time to say thank you to Thomas and Daniel.
Dedicated to your craft with the right attitude and yet still so young, please continue this and you will master it. Or if you choose another path, follow the same steps and you will achieve the same thing.
I say those words not just as myself a fellow hospitality professional. But on behalf of my group, they were all flabbergasted at the care you took of them. So thank you again, Thomas and Daniel.Β I hope to meet again soon (or on the big screen when you make it in Hollywood Daniel).
And thanks to Chris, the tasting room manager.Β Your words that you look to look after the smaller operators too, means a lot. I appreciated the wine too Chris! I knew the Stellenbosch Adventure would be a hit!Β
We enjoyed the complimentary Grenache at dinner the next evening. But no spoliers about that!
It was a beautiful day with amazing wines, all we can say is Thank You so much Stellenbosch.
