Glorious summer brings on the grape harvest in our
winelands and many farms are celebrating their success. We hear that this harvest is
generally a good one, despite the drought; grapes are smaller, but the juice is
very concentrated, with good sugar and acids. We were invited to Jordan with other media people this
week to taste some of the juice, the newly fermenting
wine and last year's bottled wine and we were very impressed
A welcoming glass of Jordan's Chameleon
Rosé was appreciated by all
Gary and Kathy Jordan with Den Anker's owner Elizabeth de Visscher and manager, Réjeanne Vlietman
Gary and Kathy Jordan welcomed
us and talked about what is happening on the farm. This is the worst drought for
100 years. Thankfully, Jordan drilled for water 3 years ago, but even that water has
to be used sparingly or the boreholes will dry up. Harvest began on the 2nd of February,
coincidentally the day on which Jan van Riebeek made the first wine in the Cape
in 1659. Jordan starts later because the ±400m altitude of their vineyards meansd that they have a cooler environment than most Stellenbosch estates. This is
a cooler year than we have had for some time, with temperatures about 1.5⁰C lower. They
have, so far, been spared from the fires that have devastated other wine growing areas
As we stood in the cellar
noises of wine being made were all around us. As they brought in the grapes,
the crusher and destemmer were ready to work and tanks were being vented
The best bit, a chance to taste
the ripe grapes, the juice and newly fermenting wines, with some of last year's
wines to show what the juice can become. We could also smell some of the
fermenting yeasts that are used - they are in the chemistry flasks - rather
bready and complex, but they do their job so well. We tasted the 2016 Sauvignon
Blanc and the unoaked 2016 Chardonnay
Jordan shoes?
With coffee, a tempting
selection from the bakery of small bites of their desserts: chocolate tarts,
cheese cake, lemon tart, brownies, chocolate covered strawberries and apple pie
Gary brings out his rock
collection of some of the different terroirs on the farm. He started his
working life as a geologist
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2017
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