I initially thought that the Wine Tourism Awards was a competition between the various wine capitals, but the competition is actually between local wineries in each category. So each city has winners in each category, something worth looking at if you’re travelling to any of the cities.

Cape Town’s responsibilities in the programme are handled by Wines of South Africa (WOSA – who market SA wines overseas). It’s quite a lot of work, and they have made us proud, because they have taken the responsibility very seriously and positioned Cape Town as a forward thinking and savvy member of the network.

Starting last year, WOSA organised media tours of the various wine estates which entered the Wine Tourism Awards, in order to get exposure for the awards and the estates. These tours were offered to not only traditional media channels, but also new media channels such as blogs, etc. Cape Town was the first to do this and it has been widely praised among the GWC network. I was unfortunately unavailable to do the tour last year but I was happy to have been invited again this year.

We were picked up in town by the eco friendly shuttle service, Green Cab, and whisked off to the first estate. The estates enter various categories in which they feel they have something special to offer. Waterkloof was the first estate we visited and it had entered several categories: Architecture & Landscapes, Innovative Wine Tourism Experiences, Sustainable Wine Tourism Practices, Restaurant. Having visited the estate and eaten at the restaurant several times, I can vouch for it in each of those categories. The judges are careful to evaluate the full experience and not just the elements relevant to the categories entered. For instance, an estate could enter just the restaurant category but the judges will still evaluate the estate in terms of overall appearance, service, quality of wines, etc. We were asked to give feedback on the estates according to the judging guidlines and I can tell you that the guidelines are very comprehensive.

After Waterkloof we visited the following estates:

Waterford (Wine Tourism Services, Innovative Wine Tourism Experiences, Architecture & Landscapes)
Grande Provence (Restaurant, Wine Tourism Services, Art & Culture, Architecture & Landscapes, Accommodation)
La Motte (Restaurants, Sustainable Wine Tourism Practices, Art & Culture, Architecture & Landscapes)
Avondale (Innovative Wine Tourism Experiences)

The tour was well organised, WOSA is really doing a great job with this project. I was impressed with the estates and it confirmed to me that Cape Town offers one of the best wine tasting experiences in the world.

Relevant links:

Wines of South Africa
Great Wine Capitals
The Green Cab Company

Haskell invited me to attend the launch of the new vintages of several of the wines in their Dombeya range. Haskell used to be called Dombeya before it was sold, now the estate produces a Dombeya range and a Haskell range of wines. Haskell was one of the few estates in the area I had never visited before, so I was pleased to have this opportunity.

But it wasn’t just the opportunity to have a look around that had me excited, I was genuinely keen to try the wines as I had met the winemaker, Riani Strydom, at the Cape Winemakers Guild tasting last year, and tasted the Haskell wines, which were fabulous. So I knew the Dombeya wines would be good.

On top of that, I had heard so much about the restaurant that had opened on the estate a few months before, the Long Table. I was going to be treated to a lunch there after the tasting.

We were welcomed with a glass of the sparkling shiraz which they were launching then as well. I’m not really a fan of sparkling shiraz and after a couple of sips I realised it was not to my taste. We then moved down into the private tasting room in the cellar.

There we were presented with the new wines, two whites and three reds. The sauvignon blanc 2011 (R60) & chardonnay 2010 (R95). I liked them both, especially the chardonnay and I’m not a big fan of wooded chardonnay in general.

I’m more of a red wine drinker and these red wines were just my style, big and full. I was really impressed with the merlot (R85) as I’ve seldom find a merlot that is so full and complex. The cabernet (R85) was my favourite of the five wines, a really serious wine but nicely balanced and the tannins are soft despite its youth. The shiraz (R96) was also great, leaning towards more Rhone style and with 5% mourvedre adding some additional complexity.

All the wines are really excellent value at those prices. I will certainly be keeping an eye out for them next time I’m wine shopping.

After the tasting we went for a little walk to see the new self catering accommodation which had recently been completed. Well, the ‘Farm House’ which sleeps four was complete and the cottage which sleeps two will be ready in a couple of months. It’s beautifully appointed and has a stunning view. It also has a sizeable garden which will be great for kids, and a fireplace for cosy winter weekend getaways. The layout of the house is a little unusual, with odd things like a massive walk in cupboard and the fact that you have to walk through one bedroom to get to the other. But I think it’s actually an awesome spot for a weekend away. I will review separately, as soon as I have a weekend free to go and try it out.

Next on the agenda was lunch at the Long Table. It was a stunning day (in the middle of winter!) and we sat out side (at a long table) with the amazing view in front of us (I was on the right side of the table, obviously 50% of the people didn’t have that view). I have had a quick look at the menu on the website and unless it’s out of date, the dishes we ate are not on it. So I’m going to have to go back and review it properly but I’ll tell you about the food anyway. It was a set menu, starting with prawn risotto, topped with prawn bisque sauce and a poached prawn, which was excellent. But I saw the vegetarians having a spicy creamy tomato soup which looked so good I made them bring me a taster and it was amazing. There is actually a recipe for tomato soup on the restaurant webpage and I think that’s the one, I must try make it.

For mains we had stuffed guinea fowl which was pretty good, but it was served with cassoulet beans which were delicious. Dessert was a Belgium white chocolate and orange cheesecake, which sounded better than it tasted, but I’m not the biggest fan of orange in dessert anyway.

While I was looking at the menu online, I noticed a breakfast which I must have soon, two eggs poached in sauce of onion, tomato, garlic, peppers, bacon and hint of chilli and north african spices, served in pan. Doesn’t that sound amazing? When I spend the weekend there, I’m having that breakfast.

It was actually such a lovely day that we sat and chatted and drank wine until about 6pm. You will also be tempted to do that, but I recommend you leave at 5pm, because that’s when they close.

Haskell Vineyards
Annandale Road, Stellenbosch
Tel: 021 881 3895
Email: info@haskellvineyards.com
http://www.haskellvineyards.com/

We arrived at Audi in the Waterfront around mid morning and spent half an hour enjoying a coffee and meeting the rest of the media in attendance (I also took a few minutes to drool over the R8 Spyder). After a quick explanation of the routes and stops, we paired up and hopped into our cars. I paired up with Christian Eedes, a well known wine personality (you can read his write of this event at his blog What I Drank Last Night). We selected the A8 as our first vehicle, but we got to drive all four vehicles en route to the destination, Bouchard Finlayson near Hermanus.

The four vehicles were the A8 (R1.2m), A7 (R750 000), A6 (R500 000) and Q7 (R650 000). Those prices are approximate and obviously vary depending on the options you select. These were seriously impressive vehicles. Each of them appealed to me for different reasons. The A8 for decadent luxury with a serious punch. That 4.2 litre engine is really powerful whether pulling off or accelerating at high speed for over taking. It’s a large car with the sorts of extras and technology you would expect at that price.

The A7 was an awesome sporty drive. The 3L engine in a light weight body made for exhilirating performance. It’s the choice for a person who wants to actually enjoy the drive, not just get to a destination. The A6 was a little disappointing due to it having the smallest engine of the four, but it does come with the same engine as the A7, if you’re prepared to pay for it. Obviously when I say I’m disappointed, I’m talking relative to the other cars we drove that day. I would give both my arms to be driving an A6 (but would obviously require a special steering wheel in that case). The Q7 was surprisingly quick off the mark for its size, and SUVs always give that great feeling of owning the road due to their height. Lacking slightly in features compared to the others, it’s also one of the cheaper options.

In my opinion Audi is ahead of the other German marques in terms of design and even performance. I drive a BMW myself, but when it’s time to upgrade, I’ll be taking a close look at my options in the Audi camp.

So we arrived at Bouchard Finlayson with big smiles on our faces and a dash of adrenalin coursing through our veins. We parked the cars on the grass and took a million photos while drinking in the beautiful scenery. Minutes later we were drinking in the beautiful wine. Peter Finlayson produces some of the best wines in the country. We were treated to a selection, starting with Blanc de Mer, a blend of Weisser Rhiesling, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc & Chenin Blanc.

Our three course lunch was courtesy of 12 Apostles chef Henrico Grobbelaar, a sampling of the menu at Azure restaurant. While I wasn’t convinced by some of the pairings, the food and the wine were both excellent. I enjoyed the seared beef carpaccio as a starter with parmesan and a drizzle of truffle oil. It was paired with the 2009 Galpin Peak Pinot Noir, a speciality of Bouchard Finlayson. For mains I selected the roasted quail with roasted garlic risotto, red wine reduction and king oyster mushroom. This was paired with the 2007 Pinot Noir, a superb example of this variety. Dessert was apple crumble with home made custard and we ended the meal with a cheese platter and glass of 2008 Hannibal, a beautifully robust (16 months French oak) blend of Sangiovese, Pinot Noir, Nebbiolo, Mourvedré, Barbera & Shiraz.

The event organisers (Marcus Brewster PR) organised chauffeurs to drive us back to town, a smart move because it meant we could enjoy our long boozy lunch. Christian and I snatched a bottle of the award winning Crocodile’s Lair / Kaaimansgat Chardonnay and two glasses before diving for the backseat of the A8. The drive back seemed to fly by, we arrived back at the Waterfront soon after finishing the bottle of wine. The short trip may have been due to us racing the A7 through several sections of road (and winning).

And that was the end of a memorable event. Enjoy more photos from the event in the Relax with Dax gallery.

I was invited by Willow Creek olive farm to visit and see how they make olive oil as well as table olives. I love learning how things are made so I jumped at the opportunity to visit. It was a most educational visit and I’m glad I did it. One thing that came out of it is that I will never again purchase imported olive oil.

The two most important elements of olive oil are quality and freshness. Most olive oil can’t survive past nine months. So South African olive oil already has an advantage in that it doesn’t have to travel all around the world and be stored for ages too. The other problem with imported olive oil is that it is often blended with old olive oil. Even in the country of origin, the people have to be careful about which olive oil they buy. The farms are motivated to produce olive oil from any olives they can find as they get a subsidy for every litre produced. Due to the volumes, the olives often lie in the sun waiting for processing and so are already turning rancid before they are even processed.

So, while I’m sure there are some good quality imported olive oils, it would be very hard to identify them. And besides, why buy something with high food miles attached when our local product is superior? Some people ask why local olive oil is so expensive and the reason is that we don’t have subsidies and we make it fresh from olives that are good quality. We also have the SA Olive Industry Association which ensures that all South African olive oil conforms to the highest standards.

We had a tour of the olive oil making process from harvest to processing. Willow Creek processes all olives within 24 hours of harvesting to ensure freshness. The olives are tested for the correct ripeness (different for olive oil than for eating) and when they are ready the harvesting begins straight away as the window period is short. Just to confirm, all olives are green and go black as they ripen.

The trees used to be hand harvested but they now have a machine which shakes the trees (vigorously!) and catches the olives as they fall off. See the 10s video clip of this below:

The olives are then transported to the processing plant on the farm. The leaves and twigs are removed, then the olives are crushed and the oil is separated using a centrifuge. I can tell you that tasting freshly made olive oil as it comes out of the machine is quite an experience. So pure and natural.

The table olives are hand picked and then put into a salt solution for several months. This is the natural way of processing table olives and the result is purple or brown olives (not talking about green table olives). If you see olives that are pitch black, it means they have been processed chemically (and probably imported).

After the tour we had lunch at their little restaurant and browsed the deli. It’s a lovely little place and you should consider visiting next time you’re heading towards Robertson. You won’t find fresher olives and olive oil than on the farm! Enjoy the slideshow of photos I took of my visit.

Willow Creek Olive Estate
Tel: 023 342 5793
http://www.willowcreek.co.za

I stumbled across Highlands Road estate for the first time when I was previously in Elgin for a wedding. We were looking for somewhere near the wedding venue to do some wine tasting and we found Highlands Road. I remembered that the owners were very welcoming, the place was pretty and the wines were enjoyable. So when we needed a place to go wine tasting and have some lunch on our most recent visit to Elgin, I suggested this place, and everyone loved it.

We were introduced to the wines by Mary, who manages and part owns the estate together with her husband, Justin, who makes the wine. In addition to the tasting room, Mary runs the restaurant. We tried about 5 wines. They have two vintages of their sauvignon blanc available, a white blend, and a lovely rose made from merlot grapes. There is also a straight merlot. After the tasting we selected a choice table next to the dam and under the shade of a tree. We ordered some wines, which are sold at cellar prices, so about R30 for the merlot rose and not much more for the others. Very reasonably indeed and the food was equally well priced at about R45 for a main. Several of us ordered the chicken pie, one person ordered the pork and apple sausage roll and one person was clever enough to order the platter which had a small taste of all the various meals. The food was honest, tasty, home cooked fare. Each dish was served with a nice selection of fresh salad type sides (see the pics below).

I can recommend Highlands Road Estate for a friendly, down to earth experience that still offers good quality wine and food at extremely reasonable prices… in a lovely setting.

Highlands Road Estate
Elgin
Tel: 021 849 8699
http://www.highlandsroadestate.co.za/

Now, back to Nabygelegen…

There are many great wine estates in the better known wine regions like Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, etc. However, they are generally quite commercial and the wine tasting experience itself often lacks personality. You generally pay your fee and choose five wines to taste while someone (normally a student) pours them for you and recites the information about the wine. This is why most people who have done a fair amount of tasting will seek out the smaller, less well known estates, hoping for a more personalised experience.

Nabygelegen is one of these smaller estates. There is no fancy restaurant to attract you (although they are opening a deli soon, so that might change), nor a big brand name to dazzle you. It’s a fairly small estate where the owner grows the grapes and makes the wine. James McKenzie purchased the farm in 2001 and has put in an immense amount of work, not only with the wine but also the buildings which have a tremendous history. This has resulted in a beautiful and enormous guesthouse, in which we spent the weekend.

I have been known to rough it before, but I really do like luxury so when I walked into the guesthouse I immediately started plotting how I could move in permanently. Unfortunately all the options I came up with involved having to hurt James and he’s too nice a guy. So we spent a very pleasant weekend there and left very reluctantly. If I remember the story correctly, the guesthouse was originally the farm manager’s house and was damaged by fire. It has now been beautifully restored but things like the incredibly thick walls hint at it’s history. The guesthouse is separate from the main house, in fact you have to walk back to the driveway and continue down the road the access the main house. See my (very amateur) pics below for an idea of what the guesthouse looks like. As you walk in there is a bedroom to the left and another to the right. They are huge, each containing a small lounge suite in addition to the king size bed. Each room also has its own bathroom and veranda. If you continue straight into the house, in front of you is one big open plan room. First the lounge, then the 10 seater dining room table, then the kitchen. The kitchen leads onto a veranda and a few metres from the veranda is the swimming pool.

If we had stayed longer we so would have had people over for dinner around that dining room table and cooked up a storm in that kitchen, but we didn’t get to do any of that. We did however get to lounge by the pool which was awesome, especially as there are vines about a metre away. The house has a very homely feel. It’s luxurious but not five star (small things like single ply toilet paper, hard towels, no soap, etc). I don’t really know what the current situation with the guesthouse is, I know they are looking for a manager so perhaps it’s not being fully serviced. We were staying as invited guests, so wouldn’t expect the full service. We loved the place and would recommend it to anyone spending some time in the area.

Now onto the wine tasting experience. We started tasting outside, at a table under the trees. We tasted the Nabygelegen Lady Anna, a blend of chenin, sauvignon blanc and semillon. I found the wine to be nicely balanced, crisp and easy drinking. Next we had the Nabygelegen chenin which isn’t shy on the wood, giving it a complex character. The reason I specify that they were Nabygelegen wines is that they also have a range called Snow Mountain which is made from grapes grown high up in the nearby mountains. We tried the very dry Snow Mountain rosé which is made from merlot grapes. This one split the camp with some loving it and others hating it.

Next we were taken into the barrel cellar where we had a little introduction to the winemaking philosophy at Nabygelegen. We also got to taste the new Sauvignon Blanc straight from the tank before being ushered downstairs to the private wine cellar. We all huddled around a small table, surrounded by James’ personal wine collection. It feels like a secret club meeting down there and I don’t know if that changes the way the wine tastes but I was blown away by what we tasted down there (I am mainly a red wine drinker).

We started with the Snow Mountain Pinot Noir, an awesome wine which Neil Pendock rated 5 stars. Then we moved onto the Scaramanga, which caught my attention as it contains tempranillo, a Spanish varietal which can be very temperamental! It also contains cabernet sauvignon, merlot and malbec, all combining to create an awesome wine. My favourites were the Snow Mountain shiraz and the Nabygelegen 1712, their bordeaux blend. Their wines are amazingly well priced and you can order directly from the estate for delivery in Cape Town. See the website details below.

For another perspective on our visit to Nabygelegen, read this blog post by the perfect wedding date, who spent the weekend there with me.

You can view the gallery with my pictures of Nabygelegen here.

Here is the Nabygelegen website.

The Pierneef restaurant and gallery are new additions and the wine tasting room has been renovated too, but I can’t tell you much about how it was before because but I’ve never actually been to La Motte wine estate before, despite knowing exactly where it is after driving past it so many times. What I can tell you, however, is that it looks stunning now. As you walk into the courtyard, the scene is breathtaking.

Directly in front is a grassy square with long tables laid for lunch, and just beyond that to the right is a stream with a bridge over it leading to the wine tasting room. Past the grassy square directly ahead is the restaurant and to the left is the shop and the path leading to the Pierneef gallery. We chose the right hand path and crossed the bridge to get involved in some wine tasting.

Wine tasting at La Motte is not a case of going up to the counter and choosing some wines to taste out of a crappy tasting glass. It’s a much more sophisticated experience. You’ll be seated at a table and provided with good quality stemware and anything else you’ll need for the tasting. Then the wines will be presented by someone who is knowledgeable and presentable. We took an hour to taste 11 of the La Motte multi award winning wines. The tasting room is quite modern with traditional elements and I found having a musician performing in the tasting room was unusual but certainly not unpleasant. After the tasting we popped into the barrel cellar and took some pics before heading over to the restaurant.

Pierneef restaurant is fabulous. Not a cent has been spared and it shows. The restaurant looks beautiful but also interesting, with chandeliers made from crockery and very unique chairs. When the weather allows, the big glass doors can be folded back so they seat everyone outside, using the inside only when necessary. So no fighting over inside vs outside tables. We sat next to the little stream of water which runs around the courtyard. The kids love it, splashing around to their hearts content. All the colours are light, with a green theme, which creates a serene feeling.

Once seated we received our menu and began to peruse the Cape winelands cuisine (while chomping the lovely home baked bread), which is how they classify the food at Pierneef. Embracing the influences of the region over its history, the menu takes dishes we are familiar with and makes them more interesting by adding elements of local cuisine. For starters we tried the bokkom salad (R50) which reminded me a bit of a Caesar salad with bokkoms instead of anchovies and dried apricots giving it a local flavour. We also tried the terrine of confit chicken (R75) which included eisbein, quail, goose liver and proscuitto. The last starter we ordered was the pumpkin, ginger and walnut cheesecake (R49), a very unusual dish and when combined with the curried gooseberry salsa on the side it was an amazing flavour. The starters were really fantastic so we were excited to see the mains.

I ordered the crisp skinned linefish (R110) with tomato and sardine terrine and sardine parfait. I’m a sardine fan, so my interest was piqued by the sardine accompaniments. They were tasty but the parfait clashed with my wine terribly. The fish was excellent, not overdone and subtle in flavour. My partner ordered the beef prime rib (R185) with black pepper carrot cake and and endive and grapefuit salad. A great piece of meat, and so big!

We really couldn’t fit in dessert so we only ordered one each. I tried the flavours of cape brandy pudding (R60) which was an excellent take on a classic dessert. My partner ordered the textures of chocolate (R65) which was a selection of chocolate desserts, also very good.

We enjoyed a selection of La Motte wines by the glass with the various courses. The La Motte wines are at cellar door prices with a small markup so very good value. I saw options in red at R70, R110, R120 and up to R900 (and more for the French wines).

The service was very attentive and knowledgeable, but we were there under invitation so I can’t say if that’s how it is normally. There is also a chef’s table to one side of the kitchen, perfect for a special occasion.

We had a wonderful experience at La Motte. We arrived at midday and only left (reluctantly) at 5pm. After lunch we browsed the shop and the Pierneef gallery which boasts the family collection of originals. We could have lingered for much longer.

I urge you to visit this restaurant, it’s really a special experience. This is one of the reviews that makes me wish I was a better writer because I feel I haven’t really done the experience justice. Luckily I have lots of nice pics in the gallery here, so that should help.

Pierneef Restaurant
La Motte estate, Franschhoek
Tel: 021 876 8800
http://www.la-motte.com

Solms Delta has a rich history going back to the time when it was hunting grounds and seasonal grazing land for the San and Khoe people. The estate has embraced this rich heritage and done a substantial amount of excavation to reveal the legacy of these previous cultures. The tools and other archeological finds are housed in a museum on the estate and form part of a detailed explanation of the history of the estate and the people that used it or inhabited it over time.

A second thing which makes Solms Delta unusual is that they have made the resident employees and their families join owners of the estate. This was evident to us in the level of interest the staff displayed and their genuine hospitality.

Another aspect of the farm which is unique is the Dik Delta fynbos culinary gardens. It is a conservation intiative dedicated to propagating the rare and endangered plants and animals that sustained the first inhabitants of the Cape. The restaurant, Fyndraai, uses the produce of this garden in its menu. This is what makes the restaurant unique, it offers food which is truly local and authentic in a historical sense.

I attended the opening of the Dik Delta culinary garden recently and enjoyed a lunch at Fyndraai restaurant. We were served the Heritage menu which is available to groups of 6 or more if you book in advance (R165 for 3 courses). I would actually highly recommend this menu, especially if you are entertaining overseas visitors. The menu consists of three courses of three dishes per course. I was stressing about what to order because I couldn’t bear to miss out on the other options, but I didn’t need to worry. This menu is served as small portions of all three dishes in each course so you get to taste everything. Each course has a dish which represents the three local cultures: Khoe, Malay and Afrikaans. But the dishes are modernised to guarantee a fantastic taste experience. For example, the Khoe main is veld vegetable and goats cheese bake. The Malay main is masala chicken curry and the Afrikaans dish is venison pie. They were all delicious, in fact, all nine dishes were delicious (yes, nine. 3 dishes x 3 courses, concentrate please!).

I decided I needed to go back and try their normal menu as well. So a couple of weeks later I took them up on their invitation.  We were a table of four and tasted quite a few of the dishes on the menu. For starters we tried the house salad (R39) which contained honeybush creamcheese and other interesting foliage. Pan fried scallops (R79) with ‘soetwortel’ puree and spicy avocado. We also had the veld vegetable and goats cheese bake (R40) mentioned above as well as a meaty option of lamb fillet and farmers sausage (R56).

For mains we opted for the Karoo lamb loin stuffed with fynbos herb paste (R108), which was awesomely tender and tasty. The vegetarian risotto (R78) was light yet flavourful, just the way I like my risotto as they are often too rich for me.  One person decided to have the curried snoek fishcakes (R42) starter as a main and the last dish we had was the blou wildebees loin (R108) with wild herb crust, excellently prepared.

We thought we were too full for dessert but they sounded so interesting we just had to investigate them. We ordered three to share and they were mind blowing. We risked popping to lick the plates. Caramelised baked custard served with a koeksister and vanilla ice cream (R40). This sounds like creme brulee, but it’s way better. The Cape brandy pudding with ice cream (R42) was so light and delicate. The rooibos and coconut cheesecake with icecream (R41) was well received by the others but it was my least favourite because I’m not a fan of desiccated coconut.

That brings us to the wine, although I should mention at this point that Solms Delta boasts a lovely picnic spot by the river and you can buy a picnic from them for R135 per person including some wine and water (from their own spring).

Now to the wines. Solms Delta wines are unique because they use some desiccated grapes in the wines. These grapes have their stems crushed while still on the vine, then they are left to dry out a little. This concentrates the flavours. This is not the only unique aspect of the wines, they also have original and interesting names which refer to elements of life on the estate. We did a wine tasting and I was impressed with the wines. What was even more impressive was that the markup at the restaurant is negligible, they have added R15 onto the price of the wines regardless of the cost. Their flagship wine (Afrikana) is R189 in the restaurant, and some of them are as low as R70. Only their estate wines are available. They also serve water which is sourced and bottled on the farm.

This review is already quite long, so I’m going to end there. I must just mention that the service was friendly and competent. I should also mention we dined al fresco and enjoyed the stunning views. When dining inside, you will be impressed with the glass floor which reveals the archeological excavations below. Basically when you visit Solms Delta you will be impressed.

Fyndraai on Solms Delta
Franschhoek
Tel: 021 874 3937
www.solms-delta.co.za

I recently went to the launch of the new Earth Centre at Backsberg wine estate. Backsberg has constructed a hay bale house which will serve two purposes, an education centre focused on environmental issues and the offices of Food & Trees for Africa. Food & Trees for Africa have been doing good work in Africa for nearly 20 years. They have an office in Johannesburg and now, thanks to their close association with Backsberg, they have one in Cape Town too (what do I need to do to get an office on a wine estate?).

I have had some exposure to Backsberg’s environmental initiatives before, having attended a presentation on the topic by Simon Back and also having been taken on a tour of the farm to see the various initiatives in action. Backsberg is actually the first carbon neutral wine estate in South Africa and one of only three in the world. They have been committed to sound environmental practices for many years and have a long list of environmental projects, some successfull and some not, but all part of their journey to reducing their ecological footprint.

If you drink wine, then you would have heard of Backsberg. It’s a wine label which has been around for many years and has a reputation for good quality and surprisingly reasonable prices. I did do some wine tasting in their grand wine tasting centre (obviously) when I was there, but I’m not going to write about the wines as it is not my area of expertise, I will leave that to the professionals. I also ate at the lovely Backsberg restaurant and enjoyed the home style food. It’s a lovely character filled restaurant with a fireplace and all, but it also has a lovely lawn for al fresco dining and there is a jungle jim for kids to play on as well. I went to the restaurant when the winter special was on, which was R95 for three courses. It was delicious (I had the chicken pie) but I can’t comment on their normal menu, although I’m sure it’s fabulous.

While most people know the Backsberg wine brand, very few know about their environmental initiatives. In this world of greenwashing, it’s refreshing to find brands which are taking their environmental responsibilities seriously but are not making a song and dance about it. They are just quietly going about doing what they think is right. I personally drink a fair amount of wine, in fact I am sipping a glass of red wine as I type this, and I think it’s important to consume responsibly. When we buy something, if we can choose the option which has some social or environmental initiative, we are using our money in a good way. Farming grapes can be very destructive and carbon intensive. It requires the clearing of the natural vegetation (fynbos) to plant vines and there is a lot of fuel and electricity that goes into growing grapes, harvesting them and turning them into wine. Despite the impact on the environment of growing grapes and making wine, we don’t feel bad about consuming it in vast quantities. With estates like Backsberg, we can at least consume knowing that the wine is carbon neutral.

 One of their most effective projects has been removing any need for refrigeration during fermentation. Instead, they now pump cool water from the dam through vanes that move through the wine. This has resulted in a massive saving of electricity. They have also stopped bottling their wine in heavy bottles, instead option for cheaper, lighter bottles which use less glass and are cheaper to transport and recycle.

They have also changed their trellising system, which reduces the amount of ‘operating kilometres’ per hectare. This combined with smaller tractors and smaller bakkies has resulted in a reduction of fuel usage by almost 40%. There are many more things that Backsberg is doing to reduce their environmental footprint. Backsberg has also committed 10% of their farm to local fynbos to support biodiversity. There is not enough space to list them all here but you can read more about them on their website.

Backsberg is definitely at the forefront of the wine industry in terms of environmental initiatives. But they are not the only estate who are concerned for the environment and the impact of their activities. There are many estates which have signed up to be partners of BWI (Biodiversity & Wine Initiative) and many have converted to organic or biodynamic farming methods. Still other farms have social upliftment and worker empowerment progams in place.

The onus is on you to look at which brands of wine you drink, and start to find out if they are making any effort to put environmental and social projects in place. Vote with your wallet, drink wine that builds rather than destroys. As a start, read my post about Haut Espoir which is also doing good things.

 Backsberg
Simondium Road, Klapmuts
021 875 5141
www.backsberg.co.za

This weekend I convinced five friends to join me at Franschhoek uncorked, and we had a fantastic day. This was the first year of the Uncorked festival and it’s difficult to review this festival is it is not centralised. Each estate organises some sort of activity or theme for the enjoyment of the visitors. We did not even make it into Franschoek so I don’t know if anything special was happening in the town itself. We decided to check out the vibe at Lynx estate as they had a spanish fiesta theme with tapas and live spanish music (a recipe for a good party). On the way we stopped at Solms Delta because I wanted to check out the picnic spot I have heard so much about, plus I was keen to have a look at their new restaurant, Fyndraai.

The picnic spot is pretty good, amongst the trees and next to the stream. Very tranquil, with the pleasant sounds of birds chirping and the stream rushing along. You can order picnics from the restaurant. We did some al fresco wine tasting which is a great idea on a lovely day. It’s a waste to be inside a dark cellar tasting wine when the sun is shining outside. All of the tables share a lovely view of the vineyards and the  mountains. This area is also the al fresco section of Fyndraai restaurant, so an awesome option for al fresco lunch. The restaurant looks very interesting, the floor is glass and below are shallow archeological excavations. The area is apparently full of historical artefacts. I’d love to see the restaurant at night, it will be stunning.

After wine tasting, we headed off to Lynx estate. I had never heard of it to be honest, and I realised why. You have to take the R301 to the left before you hit Franschhoek (something I’d never done). We met Rob from Haut Espoir there and he introduced me to Dieter Sellmeyer, the winemaker. Rob tells me that Dieter is passionate about farming and producing wine in an environentally friendly way, which makes me like Lynx wines before even trying them. When I did try them, I liked them even more! The Voigner is amazing and the Rosado went down a treat all afternoon.

We tried all the different tapas and enjoyed the live spanish guitar music, all while basking on the sunshine and appreciating the lovely view of the vineyards backed by mountains. We arrive there at 1pm and only left after 6pm. It was a great day.

http://www.franschhoek.org.za/festivals