Thursday, August 11, 2016

A visit to Tulbagh - Saronsberg winery

Dewaldt Heyns, the cellarmaster, had the same dreadful cold John was not enjoying, so he was pleased to sit with us in the sun for a while on the terrace and talk about the wines, while we tasted. He is a member of the Cape Winemakers Guild and has wine in this year’s auction
The outside of the winery with the iconic Saronsberg lady of the lake
The tasting room with the art gallery above
The picture on the chimney breast is also used on the Provenance range of wines
Dewaldt pours us a generous glass of their MCC Brut 2011 which has 100% Chardonnay and was on the lees for three years. It is fruity and crisp with a good mousse. It will continue to age beautifully
One of the many pieces of art in the gardens of Saronsberg; many are witty conversation pieces
You will find this statue of a lady on the bottles of Saronsberg wines. The mountain view across the lake is wonderful
Her body emblazoned with a star


Inside the white wine cellar with its many tanks and barrels stacked high
Showing us how high they have to go. They are in the process of building a function centre and Dewaldt has had to make plan for storage of the barrels that were in that space previously.
Pupitres with the bottles of MCC which get riddled (turned and raised a little) on a daily basis by the valued member of staff who has the most experience and ability
There is a lovely soft aroma of oak wood as well as maturing wine
Outside, a statue of leaping impala
And who should we meet checking out after a deserved break over the long weekend but the Mount Nelson Hotel's Executive Chef, Rudi Liebenberg, fwith his wife. They had spent a relaxing time, with the children staying at home with carers
Late afternoon view of the winery with the oaks in front. They are Turkish oaks and they do not lose their leaves in winter
The building on the right hand side is where the function venue is being installed
A lovely place to spend an afternoon by the lake
We love the Saronsberg Rose, so fresh and fruity, dry but full of strawberries and so very like those from Provence
We absolutely loved the 2014 Grenache and Dewaldt let us take it back to the cottage with us. More about this next week
And to finish off a lovely tasting, Dewaldt brought us a bottle of his own 2011 Weathered Hands Chenin Blanc, made from 40 year old Swartland bush vines. It’s full of golden gooseberries and conference pears on the nose, with a full mouth of sweet dried pears with almond notes and good acidity. It has elegant, slightly chalky tannins and will last so well. But it is drinking perfectly now
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2016

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