Today the morning was free. At 12:30 PM we gathered in the lobby for the Stellenbosch wine tour. We are now with a different guide, Garth Angus. Garth's knowledge of history, geography, wine and just about everything that was going on in the world, was truly amazing. He was a very interesting young man - very easy to talk to. We were going to visit 2 wineries, Middelvlei and Hartenberg Estate, both smaller, family-owned and operated vineyards. On the way to Stellenbosch, he explained that a pinotage was a wine that combined the vine of a pinot noir with that of a hermitage. I don't know what a hermitage wine tastes like, but I do know that I loved the pinotages I tasted. Garth also mentioned that most South African wines were generally fruity, mainly red and had an alcoholic content of 14% or greater. In fact, 80% of the wine produced in the area was red, with 60% of that being Shiraz. Limited amounts of Zinfandel and pinot gris/pinot grigio were grown, and the greatest overall yield is chenin blanc (used in the making of cognac and brandy). South African wines are not allowed to have sugar added to them, and acid is added by using tartaric acid.
We were met by Althea when we arrived at Middelvlei, the vineyard owned by the Momberg family since 1919 (now run by the third generation). This wine tasting was paired with a most delicious lunch of butternut soup, fresh hot homemade rolls with snook pate, and lamb pie (very low carb:) First up was a 2011 unoaked chardonnay, aged in stainless steel; then a 2010 free-run pinotage (grapes are not pressed. They are harvested and put into a barrel where the weight of them eventually forces the juice from the fruit). The third tasting was a 2009 Shiraz, followed by a 2008 Cabernet. I was seated at the end of a picnic table across from Iris, and while I was talking to Garth on my left, a huge Great Dane mosied right up next to me (his head was level with mine and looked quite a bit larger than mine). He scared the bejesus out of me when I turned back to my food, especially because his eyes were looking right into mine since we were at about the same level!
I was really Photoshopped into this picture with the Great Dane:)
The town of Stellenbosch (which means the city of oaks) was very quaint. You could still see the Dutch gable architecture and the Afrikaner influence of the founders. In fact, at the University of Stellenbosch, all classes were taught in Afrikaans, not English. (Now that would be a challenge)! The major industries of the town included agriculture, the university and tourism. Population hovered around 140,000, with about 26,000 enrolled in the university.
The oldest church in Stellenbosch.
A German restaurant in Stellenbosch.
The wines at the Hartenberg Estate were award-winning, especially their Gravel Hill Shiraz. Our wine tasting there was conducted by Sonnet, a delightful older lady who grew up on the property. The first wine we tasted was a wonderful 2010 sauvignon blanc (aged slightly in stainless steel); followed by a 2008 Estate Chardonnay; then a 2007 "The Eleanor" Reserve Chardonnay (named after the original owner in 1948, and produced by grafting the vines of California chardonnay and Bonnee - from France). Along the way, we were pairing the tastings with different sorts of olives, some smoked olive pate (made with anchovies) and an olive tapinade. Everything was amazing! Next up was a 2004 Pinotage; a 2007 Shiraz (the oldest wine - originally produced in Persia); their award-winning 2007 Stork Shiraz; and for the grand finale, their award-winning 2006 Mackenzie (a very smooth and full blend of malbec, Cabernet and Merlot).
Back to the hotel with a most pleasant buzz on, but still ran to the Pic n Pay for another ice cream bar.
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