Bertus Basson prepared lunch at Oneiric in his outdoor kitchen

 Oneiric; (adj) "what dreams are made of"

Shan Pascall welcomed us with a glass of Oneiric Sauvignon blanc

The table laid for the guests in the wine cellar

Food preparation in progress

Bertus Basson in his travelling kitchen

Canapé: Pulled pork, Bread and olive tapas

Cathy Grimes watches Bertus at work in his outdoor kitchen

"TK" - Thomas Kelly made sure we were well looked after

Bertus explained the menu to the guests

We ate family style and everyone helped themselves from central platters
1st Course: Organic asparagus, nasturtium, Iabneh and beetroot / Oneiric Sauvignon Blanc 2010

2nd Course: Southern buttermilk Barbel with cream polenta and sweet corn / Oneiric Chardonnay 2010

3rd Course: Reenendale grass-fed Entrecote with organic
roots, warm barley and hammock salad / Oneiric Shiraz 2009 / Oneiric Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

4th Course: Elgin Apple sorbet with raisin puree, vanilla spoom and crumble / Oneiric Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Cheese: Ash Camembert / Oneiric Cousin Jack 2009

A beautiful arrangement of Elgin roses

Faces of Oneiric:
Jen Pascall 

Matt Pascall

Shan Pascall

Blaize Pascall

Shan with Bertus Basson

Bertus

 Jen Pascall's hand painted buttons and tiles

The Oneiric tasting room

 The winery

 © John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2013

Almenkerk, modern architecture and environmental respect

A view to die for, over the Elgin Valley, with the beautifully designed modern winery in the foreground

Clean, modern lines of Derick Henstra's architecture, natural stone and immaculate lawns with indigenous gardens





The tasting room

The spotless tank cellar, with the cheese platters they were serving for the Gardens weekends

Joris van Almenkerk talking to clients

Barrels full of Almenkerk red wine next to the white wine tanks

Joris talks to clients

Joris with his wife, Natalie Opstaele in the tasting room

and with the lovely valley behind them

Another magnificent view from above the winery

© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2013

Rainy day picnic lunch at Grande Provence, Franschhoek

We were invited to sample the picnic at Grand Provence. Sadly, it was on a very stormy day which developed later into a full blown disaster in many areas of the Cape

So, cleverly, they arranged for us to have our picnic in the private dining area of The Jonkershuis

A view from the courtyard

A huge open ceiling in the now restored historic building with very clever bottle chandeliers and soft furnishings

Our alternative ‘picnic’ prepared for us by chef Darren Badenhorst, set up for us in front of a very welcome roaring fire

Beautiful views from every window

The excitement is always opening the basket and finding the treats that have been provided

They were: a loaf of fresh bread, an Angelot cheese, some chorizo and, in the 4 small pots: candied olives, cream cheese, a good basil pesto and a cream cheese and candied olive spread, a bottle of Grand Provence’s very crisp and dry Sauvignon Blanc, bottles of still and sparkling water and two slices of French chocolate cake.  This basket costs R420 for two.  A basket for 2 adults and two children costs R620. Picnic baskets are available only by booking 24 hours in advance. Phone: 021 876 8600

We set the picnic up for the photographs

and then sat down to enjoy it.

Wonderful sculptures on the lawn of Grand Provence...

...and there is an art gallery to visit

and the tasting room and the restaurant

As we left at 2.30 the storm arrived. We managed to get home without any problem. Franschhoek was not so lucky.

© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2013