Rough around the edges

Approximately one-and-half hour’s drive from Cape Town, 17km from Stanford, set between canola fields and cattle farms is Raka. This much-loved brand is well known by South African wine consumers, winning accolades both locally and internationally, yet a quick survey among friends and colleagues revealed that few had ventured to the estate to sample its wares.

 

With just a handful of other wine farms in the area open for tasting, the R326 from Stanford is not an obvious wine route. But it is here that fisherman Piet Dreyer chose to drop anchor in 1982. The farm was named after Piet’s black fishing vessel and his love of the sea is evident in the architecture of the cellar and tasting room, with the front of the imposing building seemingly designed to reflect the bow of the ship, overlooking the valley below.

It’s a massive structure that is harshly juxtaposed against the landscape. Driving into the parking area, where a small, red boat lies marooned, I find the building dominates the scenery. It’s certainly not a quaint establishment – a daring move in such an isolated and ill-frequented area – but I’m looking forward to a stand-out tasting experience to match the stand-out cellar and its stand-out reputation.

The theme of shipping and the sea is continued through the hall of a tasting room, with photographs of ships swept up in storms adorning one wall. It’s sparsely furnished and rather cold, and my voice practically echoes as I greet our hostess. Two large, dark tables and an antique dark-wood server dominate the decor. It’s stark and lacks charm, but my partner reminds me that the tasting room probably does not see much foot traffic, so a massive capital outlay on interior design would not have made good business sense. Rather spend the money where it counts – in the cellar, he says.

We are motioned to the far corner of the room where Raka wines are on display on a wine barrel, and here we conduct our tasting, standing rather awkwardly, glass of wine in one hand, tasting notes in another. Every now and again I walk to one of the large tables to add the price to the tasting notes supplied and I’m surprised the attendant doesn’t offer us a seat. Three whites are available for tasting: the Sauvignon Blanc 2009 (R45), Chenin Blanc 2009 (R45) and Shannonea 2009 (R40), a blend of Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, and a Rosé (R30).

Then there’s Spliced, the nautical term for weaving strands together to mend a rope. The 2008 vintage (R45) is a blend of 66% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Ruby Cabernet and makes for friendly, everyday drinking with herbaceous notes, some mint and ripe, rich cassis. The acclaimed Biography 2008 was not available for tasting, although we were able to try the Figurehead 2005 (R80), which is not usually available in the line-up. The 2007 is in fact the most current vintage available, so it was interesting to note the ageing potential of the Cape blend, which offers ripe berries, hints of spice and smooth tannins.

A tasting of four wines at Raka costs just R10, but we left having sampled five. The tasting room lacks atmosphere, but it’s honest and unpretentious, albeit rough around the edges – hopefully what visitors to the region are after.

VERDICT LIKES
The tasting room is down-toearth and unpretentious and the staff friendly.

DISLIKES
The experience is perhaps just a little too rough around the edges.

WHAT ELSE IS THERE?
Before you reach Raka from Stanford, stop at Kleinrivier Cheeses and buy some of its excellent aged cheddars.

RAKA is located on the R326, 17km from Stanford. The tasting room is open on weekdays from 9:00 to 16:30 and Saturdays from 10:00 to 15:00. Contact the winery on 028 341 0676