Kaapzicht tasting room review
KAAPZICHT
- Rustic, very rustic
Kaapzicht Estate is one of those established family wine farms, having been in Steytler hands since 1946. Respected, too, with the wines attracting a decent share of awards since winemaking commenced in 1984.
Winemaker Danie Steytler, a member of the Cape Winemakers Guild, is known for producing elegant wines that over-deliver on quality relative to price. A trip to this winery's cellar door is therefore justified, but will it translate into an enjoyable outing?
Firstly, forget making the trip when it is raining. The track leading off the Bottelary road is bad and should, in my opinion, only be open to 4x4s. Arriving at the farm, I also have to negotiate passing packaging trucks to get to the small parking area.
There is no-one but a big, over-friendly dog to greet me, and the tasting room is locked. Scouting around, I discover a huge braai area and a hall with a disco ball - it seems they cater for funky-chicken weddings. After some running around, the tasting room is eventually opened by someone who's sitting at one of the table-and-chair seats outside.
The interior is dank, dark and lined, from top to bottom, with framed awards. So the wines are great - that's why we are here. But why doesn't the area where public interaction takes place reflect this pride?
Old curtains, an arbitrary wood-carved "chandelier" and an ugly basin behind the counter dim all expectations. And the attendant doesn't save the experience either. He doesn't know much. "My passion is with the red wines," is his excuse for not being clued up on the whites, but when quizzed on the reds he doesn't exactly shine...
While I enjoy the wines, the experience drags. Even the scenery is boring except for the peacock in heat, fanning his tail. The flagship Steytler range is not available for tasting, but the menu offers many great-value-for-money wines - especially the magnifi cently drinkable 2007 Kaapzicht whites which are currently being sold for R15 a bottle from the farm. The Sauvignon Blanc has a bright palate and the Combination blend of Sauvignon/ Chenin Blanc is refreshingly quaffable. The red Kaapzicht Bin 3 at R55 a bottle is also a great buy.
If you do decide to visit, don't go with unrealistic expectations.
Tel 021 906 1620, www.kaapzicht.co.za
OPEN: Mon to Fri 09:00 to 17:00;
Sat 09:00 to 12:00.
SERVICE: 3/10 Friendly but
uninformed.
AMBIENCE: 3/10 Farmyard vibe.
VALUE: 8/10 You truly can't fault
the wines.
QUALITY: 8/10 Terrific red blends.
I am able to drive that road with ease, even with low-profile wheels on my car, since it's in part a brick road as well. Not a bad road at all.
So it makes me sort of wonder what car was actually been driven to the farm, or whether it actually was a car to begin with. It also gives me the impression that the reviewers attitude was negative to begin with, before the wine farm was even visited. It makes it almost certain that a bad review can be expected anyways. "