A few hours in Wellington
What to do and where to go if you have a day – or even just a few hours – in the winelands. By Fiona McDonald.
My experience of driving the winelands has shown that the best route to Wellington is to take the R44 Agterpaarl road off the N1 at Klapmuts.
Once in Wellington, head through the town towards the Bains Kloof Pass. The first winery you’ll encounter at the foot of the pass is Bovlei. This co-operative cellar is currently marking its centenary year and still churning out great value wines but there’s also a gem to be found in the Shiraz-Mourvèdre blend.
Turn left and head towards the well signposted Nabygelegen and Doolhof which I headed for. The farm was named by the early settlers (circa 1700) who thought the valley between the Groenberg and the Limietberg was a maze (doolhof in Afrikaans…).
Since taking over ownership in 2003 Dennis Kerrison has upgraded and revamped the place. For R20 you can taste the Signatures of Doolhof and Doolhof Estate range. Around 80 hectares is suitable for vineyard but only 40ha are currently under vine. In recent years Doolhof has done well with both white and red wines. On the white side it’s their Sauvignon Blanc that impresses – possibly because the vines aren’t subjected to too much sunlight courtesy of the steep valley sides. And the red blends made by Therese de Beer show good fruit and restrained use of oak. It’s also a good place to linger and drink in the mountain views.
Right next door is the nominal home of the international blogging phenomenon Stormhoek wines. Stormhoek achieved almost instant international success because of its use of the Internet for marketing purposes. It sent a few top bloggers wine to taste – and they wrote about them, thus setting off a snowball that saw sales climb by hundreds of thousands of cases! (See WINE’s report in the April 2007 issue or visit
www.winemag.co.za for the full story.)
Their latest release is Stormhoek Couture Rosé on Ice, a Cabernet-based pink wine that is designed to be drunk with an ice-cube clinking in the glass! It’s also the home of Graham Knox’s Siyabonga wines. Ironically Siyabonga is closed to the public while Stormhoek requires an appointment. Since I didn’t have one – and the wines are widely available – I drove on.
One farm you have to drive through to reach the above cellars is Welvanpas, a farm that’s been in the Retief family for countless generations. That’s the Retiefs of Voortrekker Piet Retief fame… Tastings take place in the Cape Dutch manor house.
Nabygelegen has been home to former banker James McKenzie since 2001 when he began extensive renovations of the old frontier farm (established around 1712). Its ancient origins are celebrated in the winery and tasting room’s buttressed walls, complete with narrow gun slots for fighting off the native hordes! Winemaker Charles Stassen has assisted McKenzie every step of the way and this farm has a range of really interesting wines, such as the Merlot-driven 1712 blend, the Scaramanga blend of Tempranillo, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon and the Natural Sweet (previously known as At the Limiet) from Hárslevelü. Tastings are R15 but this is waived against purchase.
One of two exciting additions to this valley road is Dunstone winery, which had its first bottling in 2006 (vinified at Nabygelegen) but only recently opened its doors to the public. Brits Lee and Abbi Wallis moved to the Cape in 2002 with Abbi running the Bovlei Valley Retreat guesthouse next door while husband Lee is Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Cape Town.
Tastings take place in the cellar at present – and there are just three wines to taste – a 2006 Shiraz, 2006 Merlot and a 2007 Rosé from Shiraz. Expect to pay R10 for the privilege. And in case you were wondering about the canine logo, it’s modeled on the Wallis’ Weimaraner, Shiraz which apparently loved taking guard on a pile of rocks and rubble during construction of the cellar!
Offering a change of pace is De Compagnie. This farm, also more than 300 years old, no longer makes wine, focusing instead solely on brandy production. Johann Loubser and Riana Scheepers are open by appointment only – but it’s well worth getting a group together for a visit and led brandy tasting. This takes place in a converted barn, complete with reed ceiling, venerable wooden beams and ancient wooden furniture. The gardens are spectacular and alongside the tasting room is a paddock which houses Argentinian miniature horses, two stallions, a mare and her foal. The last stop is at the second new addition to the Wellington wine scene in recent months – Bosman Family Vineyards.
For years the Bosman family’s Lelienfontein farm was purely a vine nursery – and that remains the main focus of their business but they have just released three new wines for the first time in more than 50 years. Their winemaker is Corlea Fourie and she’s extremely optimistic about Bosman’s future based on the 2007 Chenin Blanc, 2007 Adama and 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon. The joy of being a vine supplier is the access to all sorts of vines – as evidenced in the Adama – a blend of 85% Shiraz, 10% Mourvèdre, 3% Primitivo and 2% Viognier!
Since their wine venture is relatively new, it’s advised that you phone for an appointment to taste. There’s another new winery on this road, Groenendal, but at the time of writing its cellar was not complete and tasting and sales were by appointment only. Give them a ring fi rst should you want to visit.
