From Overgaauw to Jordan along the Stellenboschkloof road

From Overgaauw to Jordan. By Fiona McDonald.

I took a trip down memory lane while driving along the Stellenboschkloof road – because Overgaauw was one of the first wineries I ever visited… and it felt as though little had changed. I recall a group of us doing the obligatory day in the winelands while holidaying in Cape Town. Who knew then that I’d end up being bitten by the wine bug in such a big way?

 

But that was where I started once again – at Overgaauw. And once more, there was a large Hereford bull calmly chewing the cud in the pasture on the approach to the tasting room.

There have been changes over the intervening years – the new Shepherd’s Cottage range was launched last year and is doing well by all accounts and son David van Velden has taken over from Chris Joubert in the cellar. Overgaauw bottled South Africa’s first Merlot and were also among the port-style wine pioneers. The welcome is warm and although there’s a R10 fee to taste the full range, that is waived upon wine purchase. Something else on offer in the tasting room is mom Annalie van Velden’s homemade grape varietal jam. There’s Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz, Sylvaner and Sauvignon Blanc. The interesting thing is that the grapes are picked around harvest time but then frozen because the weather’s too hot for jam making! The laborious boiling and pip sifting process takes place when the season’s changed.

A hop, skip and jump away is Gilga wines, the physical home to former Overgaauw winemaker Chris Joubert who now also consults to Lourensford.
It’s not open to the public but Joubert is happy to accommodate enthusiasts – time and winemaking commitments permitting – who take the trouble to phone for an appointment.

It’s right next door to Overgaauw because Joubert bought a small chunk of the Van Velden’s farm to provide a base for his own label. Already well known for the Gilga Shiraz, Joubert has added a Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon blend called Amurabi.

Bonfoi is the third wine farm along the Stellenboschkloof road – and is pretty as a picture, with the Cape Dutch gabled manor house adjacent to the old cellar that was refurbished in 2001.
As at Overgaauw, the welcome is very personal and either Elizann or the owner/winemaker/jack-of-all-trades Johannes van der Westhuizen will guide you through the range of six wines – four reds and two whites. There’s a R10 fee to taste but that’s also waived on purchase.

The recent refurbishment incorporated elements of the original 1820 structure and became the barrel maturation cellar that extends from the tasting room.
Bonfoi’s vineyards stretch from behind the cellar up the southern slopes of the Bottelary hills. Some of the farm’s land forms part of the Bottelary Hills conservancy and is given over to fynbos and highly endangered rhenosterveld.

There’s also a boulle court should the urge for a game strike while you are there...

If you continue towards the head of the valley you’ll come to a point where the road splits. Heading straight takes you to De Waal while branching off and following the road to the left takes you to Jordan. It used to be known as Uiterwyk but the family decided to honour the De Waal name since they’ve been farming this patch of land for nine generations. That and the fact that Uiterwyk doesn’t exactly trip off the tongue when doing business in Singapore or Canada…

The farm is renowned for its prowess with Pinotage and the brothers Chris, Daniel and Pieter all have a hand in either cultivating the grapes, making the wine or marketing it worldwide. The tasting room, located at the back of the impressive Cape Dutch manor house, is open from Monday to Saturday but please note that they close for lunch and there’s a R10 fee to taste. One of their special wines is the Top of the Hill Pinotage, a former winner of WINE’s Pinotage Challenge. New additions to their range are some screw-capped wines – the Young Vines Merlot, Young Vines Sauvignon Blanc and a Young Vines White. All are intended to be easy-drinking quaffers.

The final stop is Jordan Wines where husband-and-wife duo Gary and Kathy Jordan are at the helm. The tasting room underwent a major revamp in November last year. “Extreme makeover: winelands edition,” quipped Gary as workman drilled and hammered around him.

There’s a brand new tasting counter, custom-made from the staves of an old 18 000l vat, with stainless steel design elements adding a contemporary touch. Ever the innovators and enthusiastic sharers of what happens behind the scenes, the Jordans have installed a large plasma screen with video material of the 2007 harvest. But they haven’t stopped there and plans are afoot for a restaurant to be opened during the course of the year.

“We often find people come all the way up the valley – and there really is nowhere for them to eat, unless they bring a picnic. Our surroundings are beautiful and we’d like people to make the most of them so it seems logical to have a restaurant where people can spend a bit of time relaxing and enjoying our wines with food.” And a broad range of wines it is too – from Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Noble Late Harvest to Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot and red blends under the Jordan range. Then there’s the Bradgate range as well as the Chameleon range.

Jordan is open 7 days a week (from 9h30 to 14h30 on Sundays) and there’s a R15 fee, refundable on purchase.

MUST TRY WINES:

Bonfoi – a consistently good Shiraz which has rated 4 Stars in WINE (2003 vintage).

De Waal – has to be Pinotage, but you’re spoiled for choice with the Top of the Hill made from ancient bushvines while the CT de Waal is from slightly younger vines – only 40 years old! Both serious wines with black berry flavours and structure galore.

Gilga – has to be the Syrah. A concentrated, tight style that needs time to show its true colours but when it does, it’s glorious.

Jordan – on the white side the Nine Yards Chardonnay is excellent, but then so is the Sauvignon Blanc. On the reds the Cobblers Hill is a personal favourite and the Cab is stunning. And don’t forget the Mellifera Noble Late Harvest…

Overgaauw – was the first to bottle Merlot but the Tria Corda blend of Cab, Cab Franc and Merlot is a classic. The Port is good too.

WINERIES:

Bonfoi Tel:
021 881 3774
www.bonfoiwines.co.za

De Waal Tel:
021 881 3711
www.dewaal.co.za

Gilga Tel:
021 887 1861
www.gilga.com

Jordan Tel:
021 881 3441
www.jordanwines.com

Overgaauw Tel:
021 881 3815
www.overgaauw.co.za