Friday, July 11, 2014

Knysna Oyster Festival Wine Show

We go to many wine festivals but one in a totally new area was a good draw when we learnt that some local wineries from George to Plettenberg Bay and beyond would be showing their wines. So some very familiar faces and wines and lots that were completely new to us

When we arrived we found they were holding a fish braai competition on the festival grounds
We don’t know who was judging and everyone was disappearing into the wine Festival
The festival puts up tents over the food area, so there is shelter if necessary
A lovely welcome and a great way to start a wine festival. Erika Obermeyer of Graham Beck pours us a glass of one of our favourite Bruts
Then it was next door to Steenberg to say hello to winemaker JD Pretorius and taste some of their Brut. Note how warmly everyone is dressed. Those night temperatures were low.
A taste of Armilla MCC and the Anima Chenin with Tom Mills on the Avondale stand
and we tasted some reds at Rhebokskloof,
had a taste at Lords wines
We tasted with Charmain Delgado at Dewetshof and went home with a box of Danie de Wet Sauvignon Blanc, which is exactly lean and green, the style that Lynne loves. A bargain at R360 for 6 and it goes perfectly with oysters
Met  Tanya Pretorius of Newstead from Plettenberg Bay and liked their MCC bubbly
A surprise was to find our friend Peter Bayly sharing his stand with Leon Coetzee and his range of interesting The Fledge & Co wines. Loved the Vagabond Rhone white blend, which they describe as "a true ruffian gentleman"
Peter was, as usual, rather busy serving and selling his port style wines  and his red blend III, made from port grapes
Domaine des Dieux is at the very end of the Hemel and Aarde Valley and their two Claudia bubblies were another good match for oysters.
Fresh oysters au natural on offer
and we met some like minded folk Andy and Penny Hillock from Hillock Wines near Ladismith, who asked us to visit when next we are in their area
The hall was cleverly and beautifully decorated with green mobiles from the forest
Then it was back to The Bell pub at Belvidere
Glass ceiling/floor with a view to the wine cellar
Then back to our cottage and a lovely view of Knysna and the lagoon by night 
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2014

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