Oak Valley tasting room review
An Unfortunate Affair
It is unfortunate when a visit to a winery proves less than gratifying, but it is downright disheartening when a visit is so dull and boring that the experience provides almost nothing worth relating.
Nestled in a fruit-shipping corner of the Elgin valley, Oak Valley expanded its portfolio to include not just fruit and flowers but wine as well in 2003 (cattle have since been thrown into the mix too). Keep this in mind as you turn off the N2 and pass the Two-a-Day apple warehouse on your left - the size and scope of this operation surely mean the wine tasting area isn't its first priority. Also keep a map on hand, because the farm is not easy to find without directions.
Run-down train stations, stacked fruit crates and corrugated iron buildings mar the landscape leading up to the farm, but when you drive through the security gates the scene changes dramatically. An oak forest lines the road leading up to the facilities where well-kept lawns stretch out in front of a small tasting room. Here you can park as you please, since the gravel area isn't demarcated with bays. Wheelchair access is slightly limited by the two small steps that lead into the tasting room, though.
On entry I see a shelf where magazines, pamphlets and books are untidily stacked, and a cluttered desk behind the tasting counter. A row of fat black files next to the single couch adds to the impression that this is an office rather than a tasting room. The small ornamental Chinese teapot on display is just bizarre. Perhaps they serve chai?
Ebony is friendly and helpful enough, and apologises for the Chardonnay 2007 and Pinot Noir 2006 being sold out. This means only two of their white wines are available for tasting: the Sauvignon Blanc 2008 and the "OV" 2007, a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. As for reds, only the Oak Valley Blend 2005 is on offer.
As I am the first visitor of the day, Ebony opens three fresh bottles and follows up with some rudimentary tasting notes. I find the whites excessively youthful and when I say so, Ebony nods and gives me a quizzical smile. I far prefer the red blend (Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon) and take a glass to enjoy at one of the two small tables outside. I lose interest quickly, though, and leave without Oak Valley having made much of an impression...
Tel 021 859 4110,
www.oakvalleywines.co.za
OPEN: Fri 09:00 - 17:00,
Sat by appointment
SERVICE: 5/10 - was it good?
Was it bad? It was neither
AMBIENCE: 2/10 - what
ambience?
VALUE: 3/10 - over priced, under
delivers
QUALITY: 4/10 - although Platter's
will disagree...
Photographs by Danie Nel
