On Tuesday morning we found our way to Van Ryn in
Stellenbosch where we had been invited to do a brandy and chocolate pairing, a
tour of the distillery and then lunch in their elegant dining area. We have
both studied brandy and other distilling when we took the Cape Wine Academy
diploma a few years ago and we had an intensely interesting tour of a brandy distillery in Cognac last year and a negociant producer, which we wrote about. South African brandy deservedly wins many international awards. We make fine
products in the correct manner and it is always nice to see the process again. Sadly, we cannot show you all the pictures, as
some areas are not available for photography. Which means you might just have
to book yourself a visit to see the process and taste some fine South African
products...
The Van Ryn
distillery is just off Baden Powell Drive, which leads from the N2 and goes past
Spier on the way to Stellenbosch. This
is their elegant formal entrance where you can, in good weather, do a tasting
and eat lunch
Some
traditional and some quirky decor inside the tasting area
A miniature
model of a working distillery
We were warmly
welcomed by Fre-Nay Brown, Brand Home Manager at Van Ryn's Brandy Distillery, who told us what the tour tasting and lunch would entail
Our able guide
was Marvin Moses, standing here in front of the original still used in the
1840’s
Low wine is
boiled and turned into steam which is then distilled out as a liquor. In South
Africa we double distill and we then mature for a minimum of three years in
oak.
These are
storage tanks for the base wine which is early picked chenin blanc or Ugni
blanc of high acidity and low alcohol, with no added sulphur. These wines are made elsewhere for van Ryn
and then sent to the distillery to be turned into brandy
One of the
highlights of the tour is watching Jackson Mnqavana, one of their experienced
master coopers, who takes you through the whole barrel making process. A cooper makes
just one barrel a day and it is an extremely skilled process. The Coopers even have to make their own tools
which they then use throughout their career.
Here he shows us how he trims the staves with a very sharp adze
His own set of
very special tools, each of which has a precise use in the art of making a
barrel
Trimming
the barrel with an adze to make space
for the lid
Planing the
rim of the barrel
The very smart
restaurant area
Other visitors
enjoying the brandy tasting
Here we taste
a 12 year old, 15 year old and a 20 year old brandy with three expertly matched
chocolates. The black coffee is to
refresh your palate between each pairing. We did taste each chocolate with all
the brandies and found that they went perfectly with the brandy they had been
paired with. You might disagree... go
and see for yourself.
Milk chocolate
with the 12 year old, cinnamon and orange with the 15 year old and 70% dark
bitter chocolate with the 20 year old.
Marvin, our guide, took us through the tasting
A small but
very good menu should you want some lunch after your tasting
Robert Bruwer
is in charge of the catering
John chose the
cheese and charcuterie platter
Lynne the
unusual and absolutely delicious salad of smoked chicken and fior de latte
mozzarella with fresh strawberries,
avocado, caramelised nuts and dressed with a local raspberry vinaigrette
Robert insisted we finish with a slice of dark and
moist chocolate and brandy torte.
Deliciously wicked and very, very
sweet and rich
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2014
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