Another early rise for us on Wednesday to get to the Van
Ryn distillery near Stellenbosch by 8am and then into a bus for the trip to
Opstal Winery in Slanghoek valley to see the brandy grapes being harvested,
taste the must and some of the rebate wine from the tank from an earlier
picking during the week. Then it was back on the bus for 2 superb brandy
tastings and lunch at Van Ryn. It’s a hard life...
Bleary eyed journos were delighted to
find small scones and muffins with good coffee awaiting us at Van Ryn before we
boarded the bus to Breedekloof.
The Van Ryn tasting room, empty at
this early hour
We grabbed some quick refreshment
and arrived at Opstal an hour later to
be welcomed by owner and patriarch Stanley Louw
Opstal make award winning wines
including the Platter 5 star Carl Everson Chenin blanc made by Stanley’s son,
winemaker Attie Louw, but their main crop goes into fine brandy and they have a
contract with Distell to supply it as Rebate wine. It is mostly Colombard and
Chenin. It is the top quality and goes to Van Ryn
The surrounding countryside is
breathtaking.
Vineyards from mountain to mountain
all across the alluvial valley, where there is good elevation and a great
variation in soil types. From clay, black alluvial, river sand and Kliprug to
name a few. They grow 16 cultivars for wine, but that is a small segment of the
business, with most of the bulk wine (5 million litres) going to Distell.
We were fascinated to see a mechanical
picker in action
It goes rapidly through the vines and
two experienced harvesters follow it to pick any bunches left by the machine
It is a very complex machine but,
because it is so efficient, it is replacing workers. The economic factors and
the need for a speedy harvest make this a necessary piece of equipment
John was invited on board to take
photographs
Another Louw son runs the machine and
he explained how it works
A beautiful ripe bunch of Colombard
grapes. We tasted them on the vine and they are not pungent or even very sweet
which, apparently, is very good for Brandy. No sulphur is used at all in brandy
making.
And there are lots of bunches on each
vine. The machine demonstrated picking two 90 metre rows of grapes – they
picked 2.7 tons in about five minutes, it was extraordinary
The mechanical harvester underway and
the harvesters following to get any stray bunches
Grapes are gently shaken off the vines
and come into the hopper fed by an Archimedes screw. The loose leaves and other
detritus are blown off and separated
Piles of pips and grape stalks that
will become compost
Then a hopper is driven to the machine
and the grapes are offloaded and sent
immediately to the cellar
where more leaves and stalks will be
removed
The hopper tips the grapes into the
destemmer
A worker makes sure the area is
cleared of the stems as the destemmer works. The remaining grapes and juice
then go through a cooler system into the press and then into fermentation
tanks.
We taste the rebate wine, which is
fermented for 12 days, but is not clear as this is how it goes into the brandy
making system. It was floral, with peaches and jube jubes on the nose, grassy
and tropical with a dry finish on the palate, so you can see hints of what it
might become as brandy. Then some of the juice from the grapes we have just
seen picked. It was nice and fruity but not as sweet as wine grapes, which need
more sugar
Winemaker Attie Louw tells us what
they do with the juice next. Next to Attie is William Stacey, who sources
grapes for Distell
Time for a glass of Opstal’s Sauvignon
Blanc Sec Sparkling wine with brunch
Some lovely mid morning snacks to fill
in for the breakfast we had no time for
served in the restaurant area at
Opstal, which is used for functions
The Platter 5 star award for the
Carl Everson Chenin blanc
And then it was back on the bus to
Stellenbosch and the Van Ryn distillery
We meet the Master Distiller Marlene
Bester
The original Potstill is still (sic)
in operation
No brandy was being produced that day,
as they were awaiting the delivery of new harvest rebate wine, but the pot
stills had all been cleaned and polished
The distillery filled with pot stills
and one column still at the end of the room
Make a trip to Van Ryn just to see one
of the experienced coopers ply his trade of making barrels. It is so skilled
and so interesting.
Trimming a barrel stave by eye with a
very sharp adze
And it fits the form perfectly. Years
of experience here
How they steam the barrels to get the
staves to bend
And he plays us his tune as he knocks the hoops on to the barrel.
Into Die Paradys executive tasting room
used only for very special occasions. They know how to make us feel special!
We taste the five stages of brandy
making from L to R. From the low wine after distillation with water and solids
removed. 2. After the unwanted heads and tails are removed. 3. Matured for 3
years. 4. A 10 year old at 38% alcohol. We have not done this tasting before
and it was very instructional. Especially as you can see the growth of the
aromas and flavours and the depth of what the low wine will eventually produce.
Brink Liebenberg, the Group General
Manager of Spirits Production, tells us about Van Ryn as a company
We stopped for some lunch
Mini bagels, mini pita breads filled
with chicken and tzatsiki, and spinach stuffed buns
Wraps, olive tarts, fruit tarts and
chocolate brownies
And finally, the piece de resistance. We
tasted through a selection of Distell brandies. All Potstill brandies, except for
the first one which was a 3 year old blended Viceroy brandy. Van Ryn have won the Best
South African Brandy award 11 times. This is judged by international judges
Lots of sniffing and gentle sipping.
We tried to guess which brandies but no one was that experienced. John did
guess Flight of the Fish Eagle correctly! Dayne Stern who handles the Van Ryn
PR account for Corporate Image is on the right next to Lynne
These were the brandies we tasted, in
order of tasting, L to R. They are all quite different and we all had our
favourites. Unfortunately, it is difficult if your favourite costs R1500 a
bottle: the Van Ryn 20 year old, which was remarkable. It has wood smoke, salt,
honey and milk chocolate on the nose. It’s liquid honey and citrus on the
palate with warmth on the edge of one’s tongue; long, complex and many layered.
The 12 year old Van Ryn also charmed us with its dark caramel toffee nose with
complex berries, cherries and chocolate. On the palate, layers of brandied
fruit, sophisticated and complex with wood smoke, herbs and honey with a dry
finish. At R570 a bargain for a 12 year old. Both were awarded 5 stars in
Platter
We had a marvellous Day. Thanks to all
at Van Ryn and especially for the 12 year old Van Ryn Brandy we were given to
take home
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2015
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