Hemel en Aarde tastings day three

Day three in the Hemel and Aarde valley started a little late after we had packed up the car and tidied up the cottage. Then we were off to Sumaridge for a tasting of their wines. The cellar also looks rather like the outside of a stone church and is situated next to one of their dams.

You can stand at the tasting counter, or sit, as we did, on the balcony or in the tasting room.  They charge for their tastings; R25 per person, refunded to you individually if you buy a bottle of wine

Savey (sort for Sauvignon Blanc) is the white tasting room cat and there is a large totally black one but he is not as approachable as Savey.

The gorgeous view from the balcony, over the dams towards Betty's Bay and Walker Bay

Cellarmaster/General Manager Gavin Patterson welcomed us, answered all our questions and told us a great deal about the farm and the wines and the terroir .

We liked his 2011 Chardonnay:  woody and buttery with marmalade on the nose, Nice fruit and deep and full on the palate with orange peel limes and lemon but perhaps a tad too much wood for us. The 2013 Rose has a pretty ‘pink’ nose and is made from 50% Merlot,  25% Cabernet Franc, 25% Malbec.  The Pinot Noir is made in the darker, more concentrated style  with dark fruit and lots of licorice and smoke -  lots of elegance but will need time. And the Epitome has expensive wood notes and savoury deep dark fruits and is made from an unusual blend of Pinotage and Shiraz

Then it was off to the seaside to try to see some whales and do some sea bird spotting

Hermanus in all her glory

Cormorants having a roost

Lunch at Milkwoods at Onrust.  It is on the edge of the Onrus River estuary

and right on the edge of the beach, which is great for surfing and has a lifeguard

We ordered and enjoyed a bottle of Beaumont Raoul's Jackal's River White and took the unfinished half home. The crisp acidity was a perfect foil for the fried food

Delicious, crisply beer battered hake, garlicky tartar sauce and crisp chips

Lynne had the grilled hake with a small salad and a hollandaise sauce with chips and a Becks alcohol free beer

The very reasonable bill before our tip was added.  They forgot to charge us for the wine (R100), but we EFT’d a payment in the evening, so our good waiter, Rodney, wouldn't have to pay for it.

© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2014