Harvest at Ormonde in Darling

The Basson family house on Ormonde farmstead in Darling

Tables laid for lunch in the barrel cellar, where they still have some huge old barrels from years ago. These have now become more popular and are quite scarce

Waiting outside the barrel cellar to go picking 

This is dry land country in high summer so no grass, but a row of old bluegum trees that were used for wood and windbreaks in the olden days.

The talented chef starts to cook our spit braai lamb for lunch

A beautiful farmyard scene on Ormonde with a wonderful West Coast sky

Watched by owner Theo Basson, we all climb aboard the staff transporter. NO, it is not the cattle carrier

After a bumpy ride through the streets of Darling, the countryside and then the vineyards about 14 Km from the farm, we reach the grape pickers, who have already brought in several loads of the Cabernet Franc

Some watched and some picked alongside the workers. All the grapes we picked went into the workers baskets so, hopefully, we helped rather than hindered their work.

Take a pair of secateurs and get picking

Theo tells us how and where to pick

Using secateurs was new to some

Beautiful blue black Cabernet Franc grapes

The pickers take a mid-morning break

We all move on to new rows

Lug boxes emptied onto the tractor bins

A typical Darling landscape at harvest time

Theo Basson, the owner of Ormonde

The farm manager with his Labrador, watching progress as the tractors head for the farm with full bins

Wonderful ripe grapes still on the vine

There were other crews picking in other vineyard blocks

This block has been picked; time to move on

Super Labrador

A tractor has its wheel changed, all part of the day’s work

Another glorious summer sky

Travelling  to the winery in the staff transporter

Bins full of grapes queuing up for the crusher

The Archimedes screw, where the grapes are de-stalked and gravity fed into the winery below

Beneath the screw, the grapes head for the tanks

A worker removes the stalks from the cellar once they have been separated from the grapes

In the very clean cellar, you could smell the grapes fermenting

Another bin of grapes goes into the screw

Theo shows us the fermenting tanks

We tasted some freshly fermenting Sauvignon blanc – still full of sugar and beautifully perfumed fruit

Everything is kept spotless

The four graces treading some Cabernet Franc grapes

It is hard and messy work

Good for the skin

And a great deal of fun!

The grape juice starts to rise to the surface

It was time for some lovely cold Sauvignon Blanc, Alexanderfontein’s Chip off the Old Block (Ormonde's supermarket label)

Washing off

A green vineyard, which will take on colour now that the grapes have been picked

As we left, the grapes were still coming in and here a worker helps to get them into the hopper

Waiting for lunch in the barrel cellar

Theo answering questions

The lamb was absolutely scrumptious, tender, and was covered in a really good basting sauce

Another of their labels, the Ondine Pinot Noir, has loads of elegance and good fruit, toasty wood and a smoky nose

Our favourite wine of the day, the Ondine Cabernet Franc - we bought 6 for our cellar

© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2013