On
our last morning in Stanford we were taken for brunch to the boutique winery
called Walker Bay Vineyards which is also the home of the Birkenhead brewery. They
have 20 hectares of vines and they released their maiden vintage Sauvignon
Blanc and Chardonnay in 2007 followed shortly afterwards by their red blend
consisting of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot
The ±20 hectares of vines planted on
clay-textured soils and benefitting from the prevailing cool winds from the
ocean now also include Shiraz
This is a selection of their wines and
beer
In the brewery which was started in
1997, they now make 6 craft beers. It was named after the famous British iron-hulled
steam troopship H.M. Birkenhead which foundered on the coast close to the
estate in 1852. There were not enough lifeboats for the 643 people aboard and
this gave rise to the Navy tradition of "Women and Children First" as
the soldiers stood firm and let them take the lifeboats. Only 193 people were
saved. The "Birkenhead drill" of Rudyard Kipling's poem describes
courage in face of hopeless circumstances
First we enjoyed a beer tasting
A delicious brunch was waiting for us
with smoked salmon, cream cheese, croissants ...
... fruit salad, yoghurt, avocado
salad and more
Reinhard Odendaal,
Winemaker/viticulturist of Walker Bay vineyards, introduces us to the estate
The six beers in the tasting are all
extremely well made and are all very different. We do buy them. They can all be
purchased on the farm and also are available in many South African cities and
towns
Then it was time to taste the Walker
Bay wines and they are very drinkable. The 2013 unoaked Chardonnay at R89 is in
the Chablis style, crisp and elegant. The oaked chardonnay has a buttery nose
and is full of leesy limes and lemons and cooked apple notes, but remains
crisp. The Amasteca 2013 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Merlot
is very accomplished and we liked the Rosé too. Definitely a winery to watch in
the future
Time for breakfast with scrambled eggs
and bacon with accompaniments
Reinhard is employed by Birkenhead
Holdings Limited and is also the GM. A young mover and shaker
His dog charmed everyone
He is recovering from a climbing
accident
Then it was off to the Klein River
Cheese factory to make some purchases to take home
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor
& Bacchus 2015
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