Robertson Wine on the River Festival

The great (Klein) Karoo Trek started with Wine on the River's 10th Anniversary

We set off on Saturday morning and aimed for Robertson for the 10th Wine on the River Festival, where we would spend both Saturday and Sunday. We haven't been to all 10; we've only missed one when we were away from home. It is one of our favourite events each year. The people are friendly, the wines superb (many are excellent value) and the venue alongside the Breede river is very special. You pay one entrance fee, you get a glass and you can taste all day, every day. There are also very good food stands. It's a formula which works

We normally go on a Sunday and this year confirmed our belief that for us aging folk, Sunday is quieter. The festival was pumping when we arrived. It fact, it was so busy that the normally ample parking field was full and we were directed to park next door at Van Loveren, from where a shuttle took us to the festival, held on the riverside at Goudmyn Farm

The grapes are just beginning to develop and many vines are bursting with flowers or baby berries

On the shuttle bus

Huge happy crowds enjoying themselves

It was HOT and every bit of shade had been taken

Elizma Botha has been the extremely competent and innovative organiser of the Robertson Wine Valley festivals for the last 6½ years and we are sad to report that she is leaving to go and work with her husband after a very successful career with the Robertson Wine Valley. We will miss her. The new appointee is Beatrix Galloway, who is originally from Robertson, and she will take over the reins in early December

We were pleased to see that Zandvliet (recently bought from Paul de Wet by Clemengold) were still serving our favourite riverside lunch. Lynne had the country lamb chops with good crisp onion rings and chips - which were very soggy, sadly, even though we asked for them to be crisp

John had the yellowtail in batter with the same accompaniments. We found a table and chairs on the side of the river to enjoy them, but there was no shade and it was extremely hot. We had been given a bottle of Graham Beck Brut and enjoyed this with our lunch, but it was hard to keep it cool

You could do a tour of the vineyards on the other side of the Breede River. This is the tractor and trailer crossing the weir, which is why it looks a little submerged

This year they had a duck race for charity sponsored by Sanlam. The beneficiary was the Bonnie-People Project, an early childhood development and after-school facility. You bought a duck for R100 donation and if it won you got a prize of R5000. Corporate could also buy a duck for R1000 and the winner got a prize of R5000 donated to the charity of their choice

We left during the early afternoon to escape the heat and the crowds and returned on Sunday morning to enjoy more of the festival

Bonnievale Winemaker and owner of Arendsig wines with one of his pretty twins. Talented Lourens van der Westhuizen also makes wine for many other farms, hotels and restaurants in the larger Robertson, Bonnievale &Montague Area

Arendsig's clever display of their wines, with descriptions

 Yegan Naidoo of Rivergold Reelin Private Cellar in Bonnievale, a new farm for us, had a very good 2010 Chenin blanc - made by neighbour Lourens van der Westhuizen, so good we bought a case of it. In fact we bought four boxes of wine at the Festival

Owner-chef of award winning Mimosa Lodge in Montagu, Bernhard Hess, serving their wines

And we got our Sunday lunch on their stand. Lynne had the excellent sushi, John the crisp sweet tempura prawns

We had vouchers for the riverboat and it was a great way to while away some of the afternoon

This wonderful aerial acrobat of a barn swallow seated himself on the pontoon of the boat to spot insects on the water

and would then swoop off to catch them, even flying right under the boat between the pontoons

What a lovely house to have right on the river's edge. It can be rented from Goudmyn River Chalets. We certainly aspire to one!

© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2015

RETURN TO MENU

SUBSCRIBE TO MENU

McGregor Country Cottages and Green Gables Mill House Country Inn

Our First night: a cottage in McGregor and great dinner out

The Robertson Wine Valley and McGregor Country Getaways organised our accommodation while at the festival and for our first night we did self catering at Country Cottages in McGregor. The country views on the way are lovely

Our home for the night was Orchard cottage, right in the middle of an apricot orchard which will be ripe in a week or two. It is in a gated centre with several other cottages

Our back garden

It has two bedrooms, one with a double bed

and another with two single beds

The lounge and kitchen area is spacious and well appointed. John was delighted to see the television over the fireplace as he was able to enjoy the Rugby, SA playing Wales

We only cooked breakfast the next morning, but it is a very well supplied kitchen

There is a pool in the orchard

We looked on Trip Advisor and read how popular and good Green Gables Country Inn restaurant in McGregor is, so Lynne had booked a table for dinner. We were welcomed by the pianist, professional musician John Hargreaves

John was the Timpanist with the Cape Town Symphony Orchestra for years and he also used to make his own wine, which we sold in the shop. In the background is the very friendly owner Jill Meyer. She and her late husband Tiger have run the hotel for 16 years

It is a wonderful old house with eclectic decor. Our table was next to the window

The restaurant was full; it is very popular, so always book. They do put up a lot of people who do the walk through the pass from Greyton. Jill told us that many come intending to walk back the next day, but then get a car back as the walk is quite taxing

We took some older wines from our cellar for our week away, like this bottle of Cordoba 1999 Merlot, and did not have to pay corkage. We are glad we opened this now, it needed drinking. It went beautifully with dinner

There was no menu. It is a set three course meal, but you pay for the courses you eat, so you can skip the starter or the pudding. We skipped the butternut soup starter, as it was a very warm evening, and went straight for the roast pork option. We could have had roast chicken. Just like eating a well prepared Sunday roast. Roast pork, done two ways in a rich meat gravy, crisp duck fat potatoes, carrot ribbons and a sticky sweet, brown sugar dusted, pumpkin fritter which was a great accompaniment to the pork

It is a lovely dining room with lots of art on the walls, some for sale. There is a TV lounge at the end

Dessert did not appeal to us, but we are so glad we said yes to the cheesecake. It is from a secret recipe and is lighter than air with a good caramel topping. Dinner cost us just R100 a head, which we think is marvellous value

You can also dine on the terrace which has views of the garden and the countryside. And, of course, you can stay a night or two. Rates start at R400 pp. Address is Smith St & Mill Street, McGregor, 6708 Phone:023 625 1626

Friendly and professional owner Jill Meyer with her poodle.

Rugby in the TV lounge

Night view of the garden

Sunday morning on McGregor's Main Street

It is a lush valley full of vineyards ...

... and hills

© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2015

RETURN TO MENU

SUBSCRIBE TO MENU

Bistro 13 at Stellenbosch Vineyards celebrates its first anniversary

with a celebration lunch

This bistro opened just a year ago and it already scores 5 stars in the reader reviews on Eat Out. Chef Nic van Wyk, ably assisted by his partner Roxy Laker, has put together a winning formula of good bistro food, paired with a selection of Stellenbosch Vineyards wines. We were invited for lunch with other media to celebrate and to sample their new summer menu. We were fed good food till we begged "no more please!"

Roxy welcoming us and telling us about the past year. The R44 outside the restaurant was under huge construction for a couple of years as they widened the road. It is now finished and access is great to all the establishments along the way

Chef Nic with his pots

Our menu for the day with lots of dishes from the new summer menu

The bread was made by Nic and was delicious

First course of deep-fried crumbed goats cheese with a tangy salsa, fresh broad beans and honey vinaigrette.

This went perfectly with the dry and crisp 2015 Welmoed Pinot Grigio

Stellenbosch Vineyards Hayden's White paired with the next course ...

...tender morsels of fried baby calamari dusted with smoked paprika and accompanied by a creamy avocado salsa on a base of baby potatoes, topped with ribbons of crisp pickled cucumber. The plate was dotted with a good rouille mayonnaise. Definitely a dish to return for again and again

Wine for the next course was the Credo Chenin 2010. So great to have a chenin with some age and maturity, which is still singing with fruit and elegance

The next course was Sweetbreads on a carrot purée in a brown caper butter, for those who enjoy sweetbreads. It is one of Nic's signature dishes and we hear it was excellent,

but for those of us who are not fans of sweetbreads, wafer thin slices of well seasoned pork belly served with a celeriac remoulade, apple cubes and a fresh salad of baby leaves. Another well thought out dish

The main course was beautifully plated. Herb crusted tender but firm monkfish fillets, served with Nic's own rich tangy tomato sauce done two ways, the darker has squid ink added to it. It was accompanied by peas and crisp potato cubes. The wine served with this was the Credo SMV 2012. SMV is a Shiraz, Mourvedre, Viognier blend and it may surprise some that red wine does pair well with fish dishes, especially when accompanied by a rich sauce

Roxy with Kalinka Lombard

And then a surprise addition to taste from Infinity wines. The First XI The Belter 2014 is a wine made at Rickety Bridge for cricketer Faf du Plessis, who has a share in the restaurant. It is a blend of Shiraz, Mourvèdre, Grenache, Cinsaut, Tannat and Viognier. The bottle is signed by four great cricketers: Two South Africans, Faf du Plessis and AB de Villiers, New Zealander Stephen Fleming and Australian Mike Hussey. This wine will be served in the restaurant. It's a complex and layered blend showing good aging potential and which goes well with food

And then another main course: Braised lamb shoulder and rib, on a bed of barley and asparagus "risotto" with crisp onion rings, broad beans and a herby olive oil and garlic sauce. Wonderful. The toothsome barley goes so well with the soft lamb. The wine served with this was the juicy Stellenbosch Vineyards Bush vine 2014 Pinotage

Nick sent us a pre-dessert of a warm Rum Baba. Many people at the table had not experienced this classic dessert before and it may well become a firm favourite at the restaurant. A baba is made from a baked yeasty batter and it is then soaked in syrup and alcohol, usually rum, served warm and topped with a rich cream and fruit. Nic added more syrup to the plate

Then came the official dessert - a Three chocolate terrine with a caramel sauce and praline dust. It was beautifully light, but rich with chocolate. Both desserts were served with the sticky sweet and delicious Infinity 2012 Noble Late Harvest wine. By now we were all "elegantly satisfied" and ready for the trip home after good double espressos. A great introduction to the summer menu, thank you both

The summer menu for you to go and try

© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2015

RETURN TO MENU

SUBSCRIBE TO MENU