We were invited to the media launch of this new
marketplace at Windmeul and they very kindly organised transport for us from
the V&A Waterfront. Sadly, it was on a really harsh wintery day and we had
to take shelter in the MyCiti bus station while we waited for the driver to
arrive
A really wet day in Cape Town
and how can we complain when we need every drop we can get
Windmeul Cellar is on the R44, en route to Wellington
Welcomed by Ronelda Visser of
Peridot Communications
They have changed the cellar in which they had their huge cement wine tanks (Kuipe in Afrikaans) into a lovely area with
individual shops
We were treated to coffees from
the coffee shop and amazing Breakfast Bacon and Egg pizzas. These cost R90 each
and would happily feed a family! Lots of eggs, bacon and tomato and topped with
lots of crisp and gooey cheese and rocket, they have crisp thin bases
Marketing Manager Liza Geldenhuys told us we would be having
a presentation on olive oils and buchu later
This is the new Marketplace
Lots of local produce for sale
and, of course, Windmeul’s wines
Curried Pickles and Beetroot
from Dercia
The wines and some cheese
boards
A freezer and a fridge with fresh
local meat
Some lovely temptations
Some beautiful handmade wooden
toys
Crockery and pans
Windmeul win lots of awards for
their wines
Time to sit down and hear from
Elsabe du Plessis about her Olive oil and Buchu products. She is such an informed and
amusing presenter. She soon realised most people were au fait with olives and
oil - she did pass on some good tips about other uses than culinary, so she
concentrated on telling us about Buchu
She told us this herb has been
used for centuries as a medicine, it has good anti-inflammatory properties.
There are 117 different species but only 2 can be cultivated. That is what she
and her husband do on their farm. This is the short round leaf Buchu Agathosma betulina. Oil is extracted
which, in France, goes into perfume, in the USA into food and in Britain and
Germany it goes into pharmaceutical products as well as tea. To make the tea pour
on hot water (it should not be boiling) to 1 tsp of dried buchu and steep for 2
to 3 minutes, sieve and drink. She says it is excellent for prostate and high
blood pressure. Never for low blood pressure however
Elsabe steeps hers in some
good brandy. Good for the stomach, bloating, nausea. She says you can also use whisky
or rum.... She is a very amusing raconteur and very knowledgeable. We also learned
that bedsores can be improved if washed with buchu water, and buchu salve is
applied. It is used in the animal kingdom on pregnant pigs and ostriches and is
useful for kidney problems. Obviously a miracle herb
She had made us some buchu
shortbread. It does not have any of that characteristic rather cat’s pee smell
and was slightly herbal and delicious
We also sampled that Buchu
brandy - you can tell it does you good - but it was not to everyone’s taste. She
also told us the extraordinary fact that buchu earns the farmer something in
the region of R28000 a ton! So definitely worth farming, even in these drought
years
Then we moved through to the
tasting room to try some of the Windmeul wines. This is the 2017 Chenin Blanc. Many
people say that this is the best area for Chenins. Dust and tropical fruit on
the nose with granadilla, peaches, guava and pineapple; with fresh acidity and
clean flavours of melon and guava on the palate
They have a pairing of
roosterkoek (fire damper bread) and wines they wanted us to taste for lunch. It
is R50 a tasting for three different variations
The first one was fried fish
with avocado and a touch of horseradish; then chicken mayonnaise with cheddar,
apple and pecan nuts and finally sliced steak with a tiny piece of brie on a
creamy mushroom sauce. Not sure the brie is needed; the sauce is rich enough
We then tasted the about to be
released 2017 Wooded Chenin Blanc. More herbal with a whiff of smoke then some pyrazines
and tropical fruits, layers of peaches, limes and apricots. Rich good mouth
feel and the wood is prominent. This is a dry land bush vine Chenin. Cellar price
R80; 12 months in wood. The 2016 was a Top 10 Chenin; dark toast on the end
Danie Marais has been cellar
master at Windmeul for 18 years via Bovlei and McGregor
Then we had some more pizzas from the
restaurant
An avocado, bacon and peppadew,
one of our personal favourite combinations
It went very well with the
Wooded Chardonnay which has a yeasty nose with white peaches. It is a nice and
clean crisp chardonnay with some smoky wood, filled with limes and apples. No
faults
We also
tasted the 2015 Pinotage, lactic on the nose with vanilla oak from the 100%
French barrels and some rhubarb. Sweet cherries and plums, tight chalky tannins
with some green leaves, rust and some red velvet with a slightly bitter end
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2017
