An invitation to Muratie and, after this hard year, we decided to accept as long as there were the proper protocols in place for social distancing. The invitation said: "Please bring a mask and note that all COVID regulations and precautions will be adhered to. A small attendee list allows for responsible social distancing"
The Itinerary for the day
- Guests arrive for a 10h30 start outside Ansela van de Caab’s house, dating from 1685, which houses the MOK Art Gallery (an abbreviation for moderne kontemporêr, Afrikaans for modern contemporary).
- Welcomed with a glass of Lady Alice Pinot Noir Cap Classique and Rijk Melck’s remembrance of the history books and journals of Laurens Campher, Georg Paul Canitz and the like
- A quick mention about Muratie’s new trail centre, hiking trails, single MTBike tracks etc.
- Moving to the Farm Kitchen terrace, a classic combination of old-world charm and Bohemian aesthetics
- Here we indulge in a wine tasting experience, enjoying current and vintage wines, including some award winners, most notably the Ansela van de Caab 2017 which has been honoured with a 2021 Platter 5-Star rating
- Moving at 11h30 through the luscious gardens, appreciating the panoramic views over the Muratie vineyards, Simonsberg mountain range, Stellenbosch Valley and Table Mountain
- Arriving at Muratie’s Canvas, a spectacular new functions venue with an exquisite setting, for a lunch time feast prepared by Kim Melck herself, enjoying the musings with Rijk Melck and the Muratie team
There was a large party at a long table on the terrace, but it was not part of the event we were attending
A welcome with the 2016 Muratie Lady Alice Pinot Noir Cap Classique bubbly. It has notes of raspberry and rose on the nose, raspberry, strawberry and tangerine flavours and a good mousse and is dry in style. The notes about the wine say: "As the wife of a senator, Lady Alice Sarah Stanford would rub shoulders with ministers, dine at ‘Tuinhuis’, host balls, officiate at college sports days – and by all accounts every event she attended turned into a dance party. Hers was the life of the English ‘landed gentry’, from hunting and shooting to lawn tennis and fancy dress, so life at Muratie was very festive indeed after she bought it in 1909. This Méthode Cap Classique bubbly made from 100% Pinot Noir is a toast to a lady for whom every day was a celebration"
Rijk Melck chatting with journalist Greg Landman
Desmond Binneman, National Sales & Marketing Manager
We met outside the MOK Art Gallery. Nice to see cornflowers
Rijk told us he was "Pressing the Refresh button" to get things going again after the long lock down, which so badly affected the wine and hospitality industry. He wanted to tell us all what they were up to and show us some of the things they had been doing during lock down
He told us some of the history of the farm and its previous owners. It is a fascinating story of many different characters who are now remembered and associated with different Muratie wines. He told us that the Melck family had owned the farm in the 1700s, but it was then sold. When Rijk’s father, Ronnie Melck, bought the farm in 1978 it was rustic, rundown and stuffed but saved by the magic of the trees. They have put energy, passion and hard work into making it what it is today. They are Boeremense (farmers), not Trust Fund managers
Winemaker Hattingh de Villiers invited us to join him on the terrace to taste some of these wines
All of which were available at the bar
It was so good to see people of the industry whom we had not seen for months
Hattingh talked us through the wines
Easier to sit and take notes while tasting
The Isabella Chardonnay has a lovely rich nose and palate of citrus and stone fruits with lots of wood
Hattingh's T-shirt refers not only to the famous struggle song, but to the Johanna Dry Rosé wine! The wine notes say: "From a young age, Johanna worked in the vineyards of Muratie, but never without a song on her lips. Now happily retired, she continues to bring beauty to the farm – by arranging the flowers in the manor house and cellar. This lively and fruity, yet dry, rosé celebrates a tenacious woman, overflowing with personality, who embodies the honesty and passion of Muratie and its people"
The 2014 Ronnie Melck Shiraz has expensive oak and spice on its attractive nose. Lots of black cherry and red berry fruit. Soft on the palate at first with some good fruit, chalky tannins, good wood and grape acids to support, which makes this a lasting tribute to Rijks father. From the wine notes: As a direct descendant of Martin Melck (who owned Muratie from 1763 to 1781), Ronnie rekindled a centuries-old love affair and fulfilled a lifelong dream when he bought this gracious old wine farm in 1987, welcoming it back into the Melck fold. Humble, honest and full of integrity, he lived for Muratie and is the only owner whose remains rest here, under the trees on the highest part of the farm. Made in traditional open fermenters and matured for 16 months in 100% French oak (20% new), this wine honours his warm personality, ‘photographic palate’ and instinctive flair for winemaking"
Ansela van de Caab 2017, the Muratie Flagship wine, has incense wood and rich, dark stewed fruit aromas: mulberries, black currant and blackberry. Silky with soft chalky tannins and intense cherry, mulberry and cranberry fruit. Ansela was the wife of the first owner, Laurens Campher. The tasting notes say: "Born into slavery at the Cape (her mother a slave from West Africa, her white father most likely a servant of the Dutch East India Company), Ansela lived at the notorious Slave Lodge and worked in the Company’s Garden until her manumission in 1695, when Laurens Campher brought her home to Muratie, along with their three children
A triumph of persistence and patience, this Bordeaux-style red blend
celebrates the coming-together of this early Cape family"
The Martin Melck Cabernet Reserve 2016 has violets, cassis and incense wood. It is so enjoyable. Lovely gentle berry fruit, lots of soft chalky tannins, and lots of aging potential; a food wine now and one to put away in your cellar. The wine’s tasting notes tell of Martin Melck: "Martin Melck owned Muratie from 1763 to 1781. A mercenary from Prussia who acquired immense wealth at the Cape, primarily through marriage, he was also a devout Lutheran who felt so aggrieved that members of his faith were forbidden to form a congregation that he built a ‘schuilkerk’ (hidden church) in the barn alongside his own home in Cape Town. His greatest hope was that Lutherans would one day be able to worship openly – and indeed this came to pass one year before his death. His greatest love, though, was for his daughter, Anna Catherina, for whom he bought Muratie." The Martin Melck house is now a national monument and still stands in Strand Street in Cape Town
The wine we often drink with lunch is the Laurens Campher, a unique and delicious, rich and complex Cape white blend of Chenin Blanc (54%) with smaller amounts of Sauvignon Blanc (30%), Verdelho (12%), and Viognier (4%). Tasting notes: "Laurens Campher was a young German soldier who started farming at Muratie in 1685. This blend is a labour of love, much like Laurens’ love for Ansela van de Caab. Their love was ultimately rewarding, bringing about the birth of their three children, her freedom and the development of a farm that was only officially granted to Campher in 1699 but is still going strong over three centuries later"
The farm has lovely views across to Table Mountain
The new venue, Muratie Canvas, can be hired for events and can be made smaller if required
Lunch was a good selection of dishes, served family style so that we could serve ourselves
This was a play on Coronation chicken
Roasted onions, broccoli and baby beetroot
Tomatoes and roasted peppers with cream cheese and herb pesto
Sliced ham with a mustard sauce
Bread, paté, cheeses, olives and relishes
Spiced Couscous with butternut
and all the wines were served with lunch
A small cheese platter
Kim Melck is in charge of the kitchen
Kim Melck and Cheri van Staden, owner of 2iC Events, which operates the Muratie Canvas venue
Known as the fish tank in the family, Rijk says that Cheri is in charge of the hothouse
and, if it doesn't work, he is going into growing cannabis in it!
The Muratie wine selection with lunch
We sat at the end of the long table
The new Grenache, Mr May (see back label below)
All the wines have their histories on their back labels
Tasting Room manager, Laurence White
The 2008 Ronnie Melck has a drawing of him on the label
The end of a lovely day and Rijk and Hattingh chat to a guest in front of the vineyards
and the magnificent mountain behind the farm. Thank you again, all at Muratie
All content © John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus
