What a contrast! After Saturday's blistering heat, we woke to wonderful
soaking rain in our valley on Sunday. We had bacon and eggs and hot cross buns to soak up
the intended wine, tied up, packed and set off to return the keys in Robertson,
all by 10 o'clock
We then headed for the Festival
market at Viljoensdrift and, by the time we got there, the rain had stopped, so we
could wander around and not get wet
We met viticulturist Martin Bruwer
on the Quando table, with his wife Estelle and winemaker brother Fanus and, of
course, had to taste the wine, of which we are rather fond
Next to them were Lourens and Lizelle
van der Westhuizen on the Arendsig table. Beside making their own wine, Lourens
makes for and consults to several local wine farms: Esona, Jan Harmsgat,
Mimosa, Star Hill. They had a very good day on Saturday, with several events
during the day, including a picnic and tasting on the side of the river on
their farm
Jan Harmsgat had their wine and
some cartons of their Pomegranate juice from their large orchards. We tasted it
and it is very good, fresh and not too sweet. It does not taste earthy and dark, as if it has beetroot juice added to it,
as some of the other brands do. Lynne could not resist buying a box. It lasts
up to 2 weeks in the fridge, apparently. If unopened, for a year
Tasting some olives, oil and
new wines
Lots to taste. You could buy a
glass for R20
You know it's a real market when you can buy freshly picked country vegetables;
things to eat there or take home
Things for children and a neck
wine holder made of leather
Jumping castles for bouncing and ponies to
ride
Scarves for sale, 3 for R100
Warm popcorn and chilly kids at
the play corner
Real leather bags for sale
And two Rottweilers, who
brought their human from Cape Town. Well, someone has to like them, they look a
little scary; these were very well-behaved and friendly
Good looking cakes
Ashton cellars and Lynne, their
representative, whom we'd met on Saturday at the cellar
Now we are talking. We so
enjoyed tasting the wines from DeWetshof. 3 excellent chardonnays and a
Cabernet Sauvignon were on offer
Wishing it would warm up on the
Rietvallei table
and tasting and chatting on the
Bon Courage table
A tiny warm wriggly Muppet!
Fanus Bruwer of Quando wines
Estelle Bruwer
Suddenly it was time for lunch
and the sun came out. So off we went to Van Loveren, where the entrance to the tasting room frames the palm avenue and the view toward the Langeberg mountains,
to see their beautiful
gardens
and see what they could offer for lunch
Tables outside the restaurant,
which had rather loud live music
So we found a table a little
way away, under the trees
We ordered a bottle of the
Christina 2016 Chardonnay and were so impressed we had another with lunch. It
was a lazy lunch and took us a good 3½ hours. It is crisp and elegant, lightly
wooded and full of buttery citrus flavours. The poor driver had a few sips and watched
The Mexican burger, topped with
guacamole and served with a killer chilli sauce; nice and spicy. We were served
crisp chips instead of the potato wedges on the menu, but didn't mind at all
The mushroom burger comes
topped with cheese, mushrooms and served with a creamy mushroom sauce. Heaven (but not for John!)
The pizzas are huge with very
thin bases. This was the Margarita, topped with capers and anchovies, pesto and
olives
The Springbok Carpaccio and
rocket topped pizza. Both were enjoyed and some went home in a box for later
Huge colourful koi at our last
stop, the Graham Beck winery
The reflecting pool with a
little wind on it. At the end, one of the many sculptures bought by Graham Beck;
a rider. Another looking like a lily pad is in the centre of the pool.
A display of huge champagne
bottles showing the riddling technique
The tasting counter. Bubbles at
the ready
The line up of Riedel tasting
glasses. All these MCC bubblies are worth tasting and buying. Winemaker Pieter
(Bubbles) Ferreira really does know how to make the best, in the traditional
French champagne style. The nearest glass contains the top MCC: Cuvée Clive,
now tasted in the new style champagne glass, which you can buy in the shop
Time to go home and find out
that the Cape Town Cycle Tour had been cancelled due to extreme winds and a
terrible fire in Hout Bay. Glad that we had such a relaxing time with no wind
