Hartenberg tasting room review
HARTENBERG
- Hearty and perfect
I am going to stick my neck out and say it. I think I have found my favourite tasting room. At Hartenberg Estate, history, elegance, fine wines, good service and ambience are finely balanced to create a very memorable experience.
Situated off the Bottelary road, a paved road leads to the estate where there are numerous parking places, including demarcated wheelchair bays and access. Walking down to the tasting room, you enter an inviting outside area where tables are arranged in a circle around a well-kept lawn.
Here we are greeted by a suave Issa, who smilingly walks us to a table beneath the pergola that overlooks a garden showing seasonal flair. A great host, and very familiar with the product he is selling, he answers all my questions without blinking an eye.
Even a catch-you-out question on the origin of the French barrels leaves him unperturbed. He knows his story. There is a slight irritation, though: a blonde woman who continually shouts orders and distracts Issa while he is attending to us.
All the wines are available for tasting, even the top-end Gravel Hill. Well, this is not always offered but luckily for us a special tasting warranted opening the bottle earlier. With only 300 cases made and selling for R675 per bottle, this is indeed a "veritable giant" - but there are other wines that offer equal value and quality at half the price on the menu.
Carl Schultz, whose Cape Winemaker's Guild membership is also indicated on a bronze plaque, is best known for his Shiraz, but it was his Merlot that got him the award for Winemaker of the Year in 2004. Also, don't overlook this farm's Riesling or Chardonnay. And the Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz 2005 is one of those golden fi nds of the winelands - retailing for R55 a bottle, the price is dropped to R35 if you buy a case of six or more. What a bargain. I order a case as well as some bottles of the dry Weisser Riesling 2008.
I collect my shopping at a separate area downstairs, where the branded material that often clutters tasting rooms is tastefully kept separate. The staff running operations here are also slick, effi cient and terribly helpful.
With eat-your-heart-out platters on offer, you can easily spend a few hours at Hartenberg. Keep this in mind when making the trip, because you won't be in a hurry to move on to any other appointment.
I leave, enormously impressed, and pleased that some wineries do know how to get it right. Tel 021 865 2541, www.hartenbergestate.co.za
Service: 9/10 Suave, sophisticated and informed.
Ambience: 10/10 Lulling and beautiful.
Value: 8/10 Go for the premium wines.
Quality: 9/10 Giants with a lot of Hart (sic).
