Wednesday, November 03, 2021

MENU visits the Karoo and the Garden Route 2. Calitzdorp - Axe Hill

Day 2 of the trip. The bird life here has been very varied
 There is a pepper tree outside our cottage and two beautiful male Olive Thrushes visited us this morning,

a pair of small doves was contemplating a nest, John photographed a barn swallow
and we have seen lots of swifts in the late afternoon, scooping insects in the warm thermals

Today was all about wine and port in Calitzdorp. Knowing this, we had a very good breakfast
Mike Neebe at Axe Hill, whom we have known since we sold his first port in our shop Main Ingredient, had invited us to visit and taste with him

We had arranged to be there at 11. Getting there was going to be a doddle as his winery is down the road we were staying in, just the other side of the R62. It had been a long time since we were last there and we went down the road, convinced that we knew where he was. We drove for nearly 2 kilometres and then turned back, convinced that we had missed the farm. We hadn't, so we had to go back again, just about 100 metres further this time and there he was welcoming us

We had a marvellous tasting of his wines and ports, from the bottles, young and very vintage and excitingly from barrels
He is very good at what he does. If you are heading this way, this is another excellent cellar to visit in Calitzdorp

Some of the Axe Hill wines and ports available for tasting

Two wines from his Gatos brand (gatos in Greek means cats; there are a few in the area). The white is a blend of 52% Chardonnay, 13% Viognier and 18% Palomino, mostly fermented and aged in Chenin barrels. Peaches and light wood on the nose from the old barrel, lively and refreshing on the palate; a wine to serve with fish, seafood and a rich bisque

The light red 2021 Gatos is a Blanc de noir saignée Cinsault. Quote: “ ‘sohn-yay’ means ‘to bleed,’ and it also describes a method of rosé winemaking that involves ‘bleeding’ off a portion of red wine juice after it's been in contact with the skins and seeds. So Saignée is a unique style of rosé wine because it is so often bolder and darker in colour than any other rosé wine’." Perfumed with vanilla and blossoms, good red berries and strawberries, very much in the French rosé style. On the palate the savouriness of Cinsault, maraschino cherry, crisp and dry followed by more juicy berries

The 2016 Machado is made from port grape varietals and they speak on the nose with dark heady fruit. Touriga Nacional, Souzão, Tinta Barocca and Tinta Roriz. Soft on the palate, very juicy morello cherry, rhubarb and mulberry, a lovely food wine with some chalk on the end

Mike also let us taste some 2021 Tempranillo from the barrel. The vineyard was planted in 2011. Vanillins from the 500 litre barrel, quite delicate on the nose, still showing a bit of fermentation pétillance, lovely fresh red and black berry fruit, raspberry mulberry; it’s busy gathering its skirts together for its debut, which we hear will not be for a while yet

The Axe Hill Distinta, 40% Tinta Barocca, 40% Touriga 20%, Souzão tells you where it is from; vanilla oak, warm berries and a hint of complexity on the nose. Chalky tannins, dark berries, rhubarb and dark wood in layers with supple tannins. John bought a case, so we have some to delight us for the present and the future

Another from the barrel, the non-vintage white port 2003 to 2011, solera style. The age has made it tawny coloured, it’s nutty with raisins, naartjie and a hint of smoke on the nose. Lovely glycerols, dried Christmas fruit, fresh apricots, it’s chewy and delicious. The roasted cashew nuts are there at the end. It is exciting and we can’t wait for Mike to bottle it as the current one is sold out

Wine from the barrel in the glass and one of the vinoteque bottles

The red port from the barrel; he has left the 2010 in barrel to mature. Lots of deep sweetness coats the tongue, lovely chalky tannins, plums, cherries, layers of dark fruit and brandy flavours; very, very good. The legs on the glass were incredible. It’s a classic blend of old school Axe Hill Port: 20% Tinta Barocca, 60% Touriga National and 20% Souzão. We then tasted from the current bottled Red Port and it is much more restrained on the nose, with violets and incense wood on the nose. Silky smooth mouthfeel, then that kick from the brandy fortification; mulberries, cherries, plums and dark licorice on the end

A small and crowded cellar with some interesting connections

A treat, a taste of the Axe Hill Cape Vintage 2020; all in bottle, but only to be released in five years’ time. Tobacco box wood; restrained Christmas pudding fruit on the nose. Quite different on the palate; sweet berry fruit, elegance, chalky tannins and long deep flavours. He still has the 2019 Cape Vintage in the barrel. It has a very complex nose and reminded us of good Portuguese port. It’s a Kitshoff! Rugby fans will know what that means.... for others, red-headed Stephen Kitshoff is a very powerful Springbok forward

Mike has lots of stock in reserve as well and seems happy to wait for some of the barrel stock until he thinks it is ready for the market. He gave us such a great tasting and a lot of his time, for which we are very grateful

Tasting all these impressive ports has made us vow to drink it more. So, fewer desserts after dinner parties; we intend to serve great cheeses and some port to encourage our friends to drink these excellent ports which we produce in South Africa

Posted by MENU at 11:04 am 0 comments

Tuesday, November 02, 2021

MENU visits the Karoo and the Garden Route 1. Calitzdorp - De Krans and 365 on St Helena

Oh what a joy to be on the road again. We left home at 9h15 and headed off to Calitzdorp via the N1 and Route 62. Traffic in town and all the way to the R300 was hectic; so many trucks and so many fools. Then things thinned out and by the time we got to the du Toit's Kloof tunnel, it was just as we like it. The sun was out as we came through at the other end into one of the most spectacular valleys in Africa. Huge mountains either side; magnificent stone buttresses of such strength and age

A family of baboons sitting at the side of the road

A huge eagle was searching the valley floor for prey, The Molenaars river was flowing beautifully and we imagined fish hiding from anglers in the flow. The Protea trees have recovered from the fires of past years. We wondered if there are leopards in the kloofs

When we reached the Rawsonville valley, it was filled to bursting with new vines; bright spring green and, after the cold and wet winter we have had, it promises a good harvest. IF farms can afford to make wine this year, many having been hit badly by the lockdown alcohol sales and export bans. The speed limits on the N1 National road to Worcester are now mostly at good speeds. You no longer crawl at 60 Km/h for miles and the turn off for Robertson is clearly marked

After the, now large, town of Worcester, you come to the lush Nuy valley,
famed for its sweet wines, great olives and olive oils

and then the scenery changes to be a little more Karoo like, open plains with no trees, kopjes turning into hills, then into growing layers of mountains until they tower above the valley. Yellow seems to be the colour of the flowers at the moment, lots of daisy bushes along the way. It can be a frustrating ride as it’s mostly one lane; there are many trucks heading inland and many (sensible) double white lines in the middle of the road. And then, nearing Robertson, the vines and orchards begin to return. Once you see the Graham Beck winery, you know you are nearly there

We made a quick comfort stop (as the Americans coyly put it) and can report that the Shell Garage facilities in Robertson are spotless. Five minutes later, we were back on the road again. Through to Ashton and over the new modern bridge which is now open, but still being constructed. It’s a bit of a behemoth and we are not sure it quite suits this humble, quiet little town which stretches along the main road. It is over a rather small brook

Then straight on to the Montagu pass, which is spectacular, or will be when they finally finish the road works. We took our Wine club to Montagu in 2016 and the works were starting then. And yes, there is still a 20 minute Stop and Go alongside the river. Well, at least it’s a pretty place to be stuck in. The tectonic folds and uplift in the mountain rocks are spectacular and it is why Montagu has hot springs. Then slowly through the famous entry hole in the rock and into pretty Montagu

Out at last onto Route 62 towards Barrydale and Ladismith, the countryside is full of orchards in bloom,
 apricots, peaches, plums and other delicious soft fruit which we will have in the shops before Christmas

The air is clear and sparkling, the tarns and dams are a spectacular sapphire blue. It seemed sad to rush through such pretty places, but we had a lunch date in Calitzdorp. Then, when the Karoo takes over from the farms, flashes of brilliant pinks and oranges and scarlet – small vygie (transl: little fairies) (Mesembryanthemum) plants showing off in Spring

We sped past the famous Ronnie’s Sex Shop, which apparently is now also a Pompstasie! (South African humour). It is not a Sex shop, its name is there to get you to stop and buy or drink something, as its far away from a town. And clever marketing works

And then you realise that you are climbing up and up and, just before Calitzdorp, you go down a rather spectacular and very well designed pass cut into the mountains. Your ears pop half way down, so you know you have been very high up

Then the mountains end; there before us was the dorp in the valley and we had arrived. In good time, at 1.30, to enjoy a tasting of excellent wines and have a great chatty lunch with Boets Nel, the owner of De Krans Estate

Lots of shaded outside seating at De Krans and it is obviously very popular, as there were lots of customers
 It was a bright, warm and sunny day; so good after the gloomy weather in Cape Town

Inside the tasting room, which is also a deli and restaurant

While we waited for Boets, we were given a taste of the De Krans 2020 Tritonia Verdelho. It is a grape much grown in Portugal and Spain and has started to appear here as canny wine farmers realise it can stand up very well to the warmer climates that we face. They have added 9% Chardonnay to add a little complexity, Tim Atkin scored it 92. Perfumed with loquats and warm sun on yellow fruit; a small whiff of oak. A very good mouth feel, crisp fruit, lots more sunshine, cling peaches and some salty minerality; a classic food wine

We also tasted the 2021 Garden Route Sauvignon Blanc, grown on vineyards in the Langkloof and were so impressed that Lynne bought a case. A classic nose of green pepper, cat’s pee and elderflower, with finesse. It’s had lees contact and reminded us of some of the other good quality Sauvignons Blanc we buy. Rounded on the palate with minerality and some salt, good citrus fruit and hints of guava

Boets so generously spent the whole afternoon with us
chatting over lunch and introducing their very good wines to us

The 2018 Touriga Nacional has dark, dense black and red fruit, smoke, blackberries, and dark salty licorice
More licorice on the palate, with great mouth-filling berry fruits, cassis, cranberry and rhubarb

The 2019 Tinta Roriz has spice, plums, vanilla and smoke on the nose
Initially quite soft and then it suddenly comes to life on the palate with good deep mulberry fruit
It has a backbone too, of good wood

A Twist of Fate 2019 is a blend of Tinta Barocca and Tinta Amarela. It is a wine for summer, as you can serve this chilled as well as at room temperature. Spice and berries on the nose and, on the palate, the spice is there with salty minerality, exciting red and black berries. It’s almost Pinot Noir like, but with a little wildness. Very easy to drink and, at R90 on the farm, a steal, and great with barbecues

So good to see Boets after quite a long time
The Pinotage Rosé shows that they have good Pinotage, as it makes a very good rosé
Dry, crisp and friendly, with long flavours of berry fruit; cranberry and strawberry

Good to meet their cellarmaster, who recognised us from competition tastings
Christoff de Wet has previously worked at Lutzville and Distell and has worked stages in the US and Australia
 We are very impressed with the wines he is making

The 2020 Muscat Blanc is very special. Rose petals and Lyle’s golden syrup on the nose, from the Muscat d’Alexandrie
Intensely sweet golden fruit, countered with a crisp lemon lime hit of acidity and then apricots appear
So well balanced for a sweet wine
This, deservedly, has won a Veritas Gold and other respected awards

Time to eat something. The menu is on a blackboard

Lynne always works on the premise that people inland get fresher fish than we do where it comes from, the Cape coast,
and she was proved right with this excellent beer battered hake with chips and salad

Boets went for a half portion of the pulled pork and it looks as though they just left off the top half of the bun!
 One to try in the future

John chose the fillet of beef on a burger bun. It came with a huge portion of chips

Time to say thank you and to go and check in at our Booking.com accommodation for two nights

Looking across to the Boplaas winery from our accommodation


The owners have two apartments that they let out; this has more of a view

Inside the other apartment, where we were, this is the lounge area with the kitchen area at the back

A dining table, where we could set up our computers. This is now an essential when we travel and we are trying to persuade people to add enough plugs and provide space to set up computers, now that so many of us are working while we travel. We find that, sometimes, we have to prop up our computers with wine boxes, as we often have to work on coffee tables, or even the bottom of beds. Good free Wi-Fi is also essential

There were two bedrooms in the property which sleeps six. We only used this large room to store our suitcases
It is quite spacious

We took the only double bed, in a small room with a rather creaky floor, but comfortable

Time to chill out; we went to inspect the Braai area, had beer and crisps and watched the sun go down
It was windy, so we decided not to braai and had a simple supper in the apartment

A barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) photographed in the garden from our door

The owners have several rescue dogs, the young one is not as friendly as he looks; he would be contemplating which arm to bite and licking his chops in anticipation! Luckily he was locked behind a secure gate. This one was very friendly and tried to lick one into submission! Juanita Beech, who runs the guesthouse with a lot of help from Alan, her husband, is doing a splendid job in Calitzdorp, feeding strays and animals that the owners cannot afford to feed in these hard times. She also makes sure that they sterilise as many animals as they can. The town generously supports her with bulk pet food and money for the veterinary charges. She is setting up an N.P.O.






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