Bottelary Wine Centre, Stellenbosch
But the good news is that this is just a stopgap, a one-week only gig by Fiona McDonald, editor of WINE magazine.
I have to admit to floundering a bit at the prospect of filling Christian's shoes, even just for one episode of Gulp! And ironically that was pretty much the sound that was heard when I was told I'd have to fill in this week. You know that glugging sound, like someone chugging a can of beer in a student down-down competition?
But those who know me well can attest that I'm seldom lost for words - and it's quite appropriate in a typically girly/touchy-feely kinda way that this column is being written by a woman, around Woman's Day. Synchronicity right?
Christian always mentions a wine he's drunk or some farm he's visited or winemaker he's interviewed. Well, this week I attended the opening of the Bottelary Wine Centre outside Stellenbosch. This may not seem like startling news, until you consider that it's the first regional wine tasting venue and shop of its kind in Stellenbosch. And most people at the function were walking around saying: “Why has it taken this long for someone to come up with a startlingly simple but brilliant idea?" No one really had the answer, but hats off to the Bottelary producers who have taken the plunge and bought into a commercial development at the crossroads of the M23 (Bottelary road) and the R304 that leads into Stellenbosch.
Basically the Bottelary wine centre is a wine tasting venue showcasing the wines of the area and a well-stocked shop to purchase the wines of the area - but it also offers conference facilities and meeting rooms. The latter may not seem particularly earth-shattering but for a small producer operating out of a farmhouse, a smart contemporary meeting room is ideal to engage overseas agents and buyers - and be able to present a focused tasting of the range without being assaulted by the smell of the breakfast bacon or the ubiquitous dog sticking its nose where it's impolite.
And if there's anyone tuning out at this point thinking the Bottelary area is not as sexy as the Simonsberg or the Helderberg consider a few of the names on the list of producers: Hartenberg, Sterhuis, Bellevue, Mooiplaas, Kaapzicht, Groenland, Goede Hoop, Fort Simon, Koopmanskloof and Hazendal.
Danie Steytler of KaapzichtDanie Steytler of Kaapzicht led a brief tasting of wines, kicking off with the 2007 Sauvignon Blanc from Mooiplaas. Louis Roos is the winemaker and his brother Tielman handles the vineyards. The wine is still a little ‘verskrik' having only just been bottled but is already showing great promise. And the nice thing is that this wine has a track record, having previously rated 4 Stars with WINE mag and winning a silver medal at this year's Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show with a 2003. Also proving that Sauvignon Blanc with a few years of bottle age is still an interesting proposition.
Sterhuis Chardonnay was up next. It's a cracker of a wine made by Johan Kruger. All citrussy/butterscotch/vanilla flavour with an elegance and refinement that brings movie stars of a bygone age to mind. Don't ask me why, but I think '40s and '50s when drinking it - all upturned trench coat collars, low-brimmed fedoras rakishly tilted and pouting red lips.
On to the reds…(before I completely sidetrack myself) and Steytler presented the Groenland Antoinette Marie blend, the Kaapzicht Steytler Vision 2003 and finally Hartenberg's The Stork.
The Groenland Shiraz/Cab/Merlot blend is named for Kosie Steenkamp's two daughters and has rated a solid 3 Stars in WINE mag tastings and 3,5 Stars in Platter. It's a steal at less than R80 a bottle, full of spice, pepper and black fruit flavour.
Steytler's Vision 2003 is a gorgeous wine - and I'm not the only one who thinks so. The bottle is festooned with stickers - from the International Wine & Spirit competition, the Decanter Wine Awards, the Platter guide, Veritas and others. The previous vintage of this wine rated 4 Stars in WINE mag. Ole man wine Dave Hughes tells me it was the first blended red wine containing Pinotage to win the Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande trophy at the International Wine & Spirit Competition. It's a real class act and sells at the Bottelary Wine Centre for R180 a bottle.
Final wine of the tasting was Hartenberg's The Stork 2003, the pinnacle of their already impressive Shiraz range. The Stork 2004 was one of the recent top performers in the Pick 'n Pay WINE magazine Shiraz Challenge, rating 4 Stars. It's packed with rich black fruit and heaps of spice.
The point of this ramble is not just to promote the wines tasted and the prizes they boast, but also to give an indication of the quality of wine that's possible from this oft-overlooked area.
The other bonus of the Bottelary Wine Centre is that it's not too far out of Cape Town. I used to live in KwaZulu-Natal and people joked about “Natal Fever" or that innate inability to do anything in a hurry. That was before I moved to Slaapstad and realized that Capetonians make snails look fast…
Seriously, it's only 30 minutes drive from the city. Here are the directions: head north on the N1 as if driving to Paarl, take the first Stellenbosch off-ramp (the R304), drive past Joostenberg bistro and Koelenhof co-op and just after the intersection with the M23 (Bottelary road) you'll see the centre on the right hand side, behind the Caltex garage. And they've taken a leaf out of the Joburg “you wanna do business? Can do!" book - they're open all day on Sunday too! So if you don't have the time to visit the wine farms themselves you can do it all in a one-stop-shop, the Bottelary Wine Centre.
You'll also find wines from nearby producers - folks such as Beyerskloof, Villiera, Simonsig, Koelenhof, Bouwland, Louiesenhof, Mulderbosch, JJ Wines, Stoney Croft, Devon Hill, Monterosso, Clovelly, Devon Rocks, Devon Air , Devon Vale and Ernst & Co … And the restaurant next-door, Rosé is a great place to chill out and have something to eat - and they allow you to bring the wine you've purchased at the shop into their restaurant! Guess where I'm going to be on Sunday?
