Hamilton Russell tasting room review
Hamilton Russel - Tasting Room Review
Which wineries are worth visiting? Every month two of the same calibre are put to the test. By Jeanri-Tine van Zyl.
Turn off the R43 on the outskirts of Hermanus onto the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley road (R320) and this winery is easy to find. Less easy to locate is the tasting room, which we eventually realise is the small Cape Dutch cottage on the banks of a dam. Unfortunately it is also situated next to a bottling plant which, when we visit, is in operation and very noisy.
Down the wheelchair-unfriendly stairs, we enter the cottage’s small visitor’s area with only a ringing phone to greet us. We gape at some artwork and try out the bulky leather couches. Eventually someone runs into the tasting warren, but with a “can I answer that?” disappears into the adjacent room. We see a cluttered desk and steel washbasins. The door will remain open for the duration of our tasting.
We wait some more and, in our boredom, a jar of crackers inspires a game of “guess the sell-by date”. Hamilton Russell olive oil and honey are also on display. The fire in the fireplace is cosy – too cosy, with the mercury hovering over 20ºC.
Phonecall completed, the friendly but distracted tasting room attendant asks whether we want to taste wine. We nod slowly. Hamilton Russell is renowned for its Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, with the Ashbourne Pinotage also enjoying much praise. Only the 2007 Chardonnay and 2006 Pinot are offered but, at R220 and R270 a bottle respectively, we’re looking forward to the experience...
Then about a dozen people arrive. They are supermarket buyers and Anthony, the winery owner, runs in to address them. With everyone bundling up close, the space is suddenly as tight as his pants. This time, the prestigious (and correspondingly expensive, explains Anthony) Ashbourne 2004 is on offer – not to us, but the tasting room attendant sneaks us a glass.
On an ancient aerial photograph of the Walker Bay region, Anthony traces the farm’s boundaries with a laser pointer. The crowd has discovered the cracker jar. Crunch, crunch. In the middle of the lesson, four more people enter the room and a somewhat annoyed Anthony refers them to our hostess. They are now both addressing people in the small room at the same time. The cacophony of rehearsed wine jargon becomes too much for us and we jostle our way out.
In HRV’s defence, fans know what to expect and those serious about buying probably just drive up, swipe their black American Express cards and leave. But for me, even the superb wines have left a “sour” aftertaste.
OPEN: Mon-Fri 09h00-17h00,
Sat09h00-13h00
SERVICE: 3/10 - friendly when
eventually attended to.
AMBIENCE: 5/10 - saved by the
idyllic setting.
VALUE: 4/10 - no fee, but no older
vintages offered either.
QUALITY: 7/10 - good, but at this
price you expect nothing less.
