What to drink:
I had this amusing chat with a chap in the industry who asked me if I even
needed to buy wine anymore considering my job...the answer is nooooo but yeah
(in a Vicky Pollard accent). The big gun wines I have been fortunate enough to
receive after wine events but for the cheaper stuff, the stuff you don't need
to keep for 5+ years or serve in your best glassware, I do buy - I'm actually
pretty sure that the South African consumption of 7 litres per capita per year
of wine is largely down to me - One such inexpensive wine that I'm quite into
now is the newly opened Baleia Bay Wines wooded Chardonnay 2013. It's a bargain
that you need to hunt down.
My other wine choice this week is from Spioenkop which is located in Elgin and run by Koen and Lore Roose. Put aside your prior thoughts on Pinotage, you MUST try his 2 vintages. The Spioenkop Pinotage 2013 is from Elgin grapes and the 1900 Pinotage 2013 is a mixture of Bottelary and Elgin grapes. Neither taste anything like those big, clove-filled, jammy, dark berry versions that seem to be the norm in fact, if you hate Pinotage because of those very qualities, you will adore this. Koen's desire upon moving to SA was to make Pinotage that leaned more towards its Pinot Noir lineage and it does this magnificently.
I want to see this wine everywhere because it's a beautiful expression of a
wine which I feel is being mistreated and undersold.
It would give the ABSA Pinotage Association a heart attack (they might not even
recognize it actually)...but it's magical to me.
What to do
Bein is a minute winery in the Polkadraai Hills area of outer Stellenbosch. Run by Luca and Ingrid - two Swiss ex-vets, they only produce Merlot and in very small but delicious quantities. It's not just the wine that I want to share with you but that they do donkey walks! R150pp will get you a 2 hour+ experience which includes a 30 minute stroll (probably less, I was walking slowly) through vineyards whilst two donkeys carry all the essentials (wine, food, blankets). The walk leads you to the top of the hills where you can picnic with a view of Strand, Table Mountain and on a good day, False Bay. The walks take no more than 20 people and no less than 6.
Next on my list: I had a really shocking experience at Babylonstoren last year so it was with apprehension that I attended an event there yesterday (Thursday 27th) to try their brand new Nebukadnesar 2012 - a 5 cultivar Bordeaux blend, the majority being Cabernet Sauvignon, that will sell for R260+. This is a wine that needs a few more years to lie down and settle but it's very neat and refined. A smart wine so say the wine critics. The launch itself was a very grand affair hosted on a specially created platform built above the barrels in their underground cellar. The platform held a long table bathed in candlelight and above it were hanging vetegables and freshly baked breads - very whimsical. The food, harkening back to a more ancient time, was easily devoured and we were encouraged to eat with our hands.
Babylonstoren itself was founded in 1690 and with its diverse heritage,
cultures and beautiful surrounds, it inspires images of ancient Babylon and the
Hanging Gardens which might have lost their Wonder Of The World title against
the spectacular gardens of Babylonstoren. Nature is in her element here and you
can do a tutored tour around the gardens and experience their rich array of
fruits, vegetables and herbs. I can't speak for the main restaurant or their
Green House Restaurant but I've been told that the latter has lovely breakfast
options.