Route 62, Calitzdorp

Every wine enthusiast should journey down the R62 at least once – to experience the excellent Port of Calitzdorp and then some. By Cathy Hofmeyr.

Montagu, they say, makes the best Muscadel, Barrydale the best brandy and Calitzdorp the best Port in all the Klein Karoo. It’s a claim you can put to the test while following the curves of the Langeberg and Swartberg mountains along Route 62 from Montagu to Oudtshoorn.

 

Superseded by the N2 years ago, Route 62 became the forgotten road. But why take the highway when you can meander through quaint towns, over mountain passes, past whitewashed old homesteads, through vineyards and blossom-bedecked orchards? Those exactly were the sentiments of dynamic Gert Lubbe, owner of the Montagu Country Hotel. So he set about putting Route 62 on the map as the leisurely alternative that impels you to stop and smell the roses. Gert, you see, is a man who understands the essence of road trips. His preferred conveyance is a 1956 powder-blue Cadillac sedan.

Personally I’m never quite sure if Route 62 starts with the first glass of bubbly at Graham Beck’s avantgarde orange cellar or the tuisgebakte beskuit at Affie Plaas Farmstall, both outside Robertson. But I do know that once I’ve entered Cogman’s Kloof, with its fantastically warped sandstone cliffs, I’ve officially arrived in Muscadel country.

My destination was Calitzdorp, but Route 62 has a knack of distracting you. First diversion after Montagu was Barrydale. For brandy connoisseurs, Barrydale Cellar makes a good version under the Joseph Barry Cape Pot Still label. But first a meal, and it’s worth noting that these days the town is making a claim to the culinary capital of the Klein Karoo. Without leaving the main road you’re tantalised by such eateries as Desert Fish, the Jam Tarts in a revamped service station forecourt, Getafix Italian ice cream and Clarke of the Karoo, which in foodie circles is touted as one of the 10 best reasons to visit Route 62 – look out for the windmill.

Past Barrydale, where the orchards and vineyards make way for dancing dust devils, is the icon of Route 62, Ronnie’s Sex Shop. But for a prank by Ronnie’s mates long ago, it would still be just a little whitewashed building selling dried fruit and Coke. Instead, the addition of that three-letter word has made the roadside café world renowned.

After Ladismith, the spectacular Huisrivier Pass delivered me, finally, to Calitzdorp, “Port capital of South Africa”.

It was CJ Langenhoven who called Calitzdorp the wegkruipdorpie (hide-away village). Situated in a fertile basin surrounded by mountains on three sides, the village hides its charms protectively from those travellers belting down the main road. I thought Calitzdorp was all about Port. Imagine, then, my surprise, soon after arriving, to find myself listening to the gooseflesharousing organ notes of the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah, rising triumphantly up to the beautiful pressed steel ceiling of the Dutch Reformed Church.
I’d found organist Father Noël Jean Criel in the museum, and we got chatting. So what brought a scholar with doctorates in music, literature and theology to Calitzdorp? “I came for the organ,” he exclaimed. He regards the Potgieter memorial organ (donated to the Dutch Reformed Church by three local farming brothers) as the finest one around these parts. And Father Noël knows organs – he played for his first service at the age of nine.

During Father Noël’s first visit to Calitzdorp years ago, his host said: “I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve arranged for you to give a recital tomorrow morning in the Church.” He did three that day and now gives free recitals a few evenings a week. There wasn’t one scheduled on the day I visited, “but come along at lunchtime and I’ll play for you,” he encouraged. And that’s how I spent my first lunchtime in Calitzdorp – sitting in an oak pew, listening to the magic of Verdi, Bach, Handel and Father Noël.

“Now go off and try some Port,” he said by way of farewell. “And do try the Ring of Rocks red blend from Boplaas. It’s superb.”

First I had to taste mustard at Anna Sophia’s where this enterprising lady has an array of home-made concoctions. There’s a sweet one “just for sissies” and one with chillies for “consenting adults only”. Port, beer, Chardonnay, pumpkin and cashews all go into her creations. Her mustard-making beginnings were a long story, she said. “Come and have a cup of tea, and I’ll tell you.” Anna’s story involved a pot of experimental black pepper mustard, a competition and a desperate desire to win a year’s subscription to Food & Home magazine. The rest, you can ask her yourself.

Ebenhart Botha is another unique craftsman. His passion is hand-made pipes – and restoring his giggel groen ’69 Mini. With a mischievous glint, he picked up a pipe with Eskom carved on the bowl. “This one’s called Beloftes (Promises). It costs 60 percent more than my other pipes and you can’t smoke it for two hours every day.”

There were no Eskom problems at Rose of the Karoo when I booked in for dinner and bed. I wondered initially if the generator was the reason for the restaurant’s popularity, until I tasted the zucchini and feta soup, followed by pot roast Karoo lamb. As the Port-coloured awning in the main road tells you, at Rose of the Karoo you can wine, dine, shop and eat. It’s a deli, restaurant, beer garden, lovely B&B rooms, self-catering cottage with a pool and mountain views, and the What-Not Shop. All of which keeps proprietor Sandy Alpert very busy – but not too busy for a chat. Sandy is a Cape Town escapee who just loves seeing people enjoy themselves. Her home cooking certainly does that – at prices to add a smile. And you can call her Rose – everyone else does.

Old-time friend Barney du Plessis, who originally cajoled Sandy into Calitzdorp, joined us for a glass of Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve. “Calitzdorp,” he said a little dreamily. “Everything’s in walking distance, everyone knows everyone else, there are no traffic lights, but four art galleries. . .”

The way to explore Calitzdorp is on foot – and the tourist office gives out handy pamphlets detailing the architectural gems. To stroll down Queen Street is to take a walk back in time. Here a shower of scarlet bougainvillea adorns a whitewashed Cape Dutch Gable; there a vine twists through Victorian fretwork; and a restored Georgian cottage houses the Route 62 Gallery.

Cathy Hofmeyr is a respected travel photojournalist. Now freelance, she worked at Getaway magazine for many years.