Wednesday, June 12, 2019

Robertson Wine Valley's Wacky Wine Weekend 3. ExDiem

We asked to visit some of the newer wineries which we had not yet visited and ExDiem was one of them. It is in the beautiful Klaasvoogds valley behind Kranskop and produces olives, olive oil and some wines
The tasting of all three wines, the olives and oil was held in front of the wine cellar
Their price list on the wall
Three strengths of olive oil, and four olives to taste: two green and two black.  The 6 500 olive trees, planted in 2012, are from the following cultivars: Frantoio, Koroneiki, Coratina, Mission, Noccelara, Manzanilla, Leccino, Kalamata, FS-17 and Don Carlo. The Noccelara olive, which Lynne tasted, has a distinct nutty flavour
Tasting the wines
Olives and oil to buy
We tasted three wines: A 2016 Chenin Blanc, a 2016 Chenin Hanepoot Muscat blend and a dark 2015 Pinot Noir
They were made by Lourens van der Westhuizen
Keeping the customers happy
After visiting Ex Diem and on our way to De Wetshof, we has a little time to spare; we had to pass Ashton Winery and sometimes they have bargains at festival time, so we called in and had a quick tasting of some of their wines
Inside the tasting room
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Robertson Wine Valley's Wacky Wine Weekend 2. Kranskop

Our first port of call after checking in to Tanagra was Kranskop Wine estate in Klaasvoogds, near Robertson. We were warmly welcomed by owner/cellarmaster Newald Marais.  He invited us to stay at Kranskop in October last year, when we visited Robertson for the De Wetshof Chardonnay Celebration

This was our port of call for a tasting with Newald and for some lunch

They were selling Roosterkoek and soup

Two flavours of Roosterkoek to choose from: Cheese and apricot jam (very South African!) and Curried Mince, which is what we enjoyed.  Roosterkoek are buns made from bread dough, toasted on an open braai fire, which are then filled and enjoyed warm; essential at most South African braais/barbecues

We tasted the 2018 Chardonnay which is very round and satisfying, from a very good harvest

And  the easy drinking Rosé which is bone dry with lovely fruit. Then the Pinot Noir, almost Elgin in character. Newald Marais is a very experienced wine maker; he was Cellarmaster at Nederburg for many years

They have wonderful mountain views from the farm

We then went down to the cellar ...

... and did some tank and barrel sampling with Newald
Lynne's glass is in an unusual crochet neck holder made by the ladies at the Aged Care facility

Still fermenting, this is the fresh tank sample of the 2019 Sauvignon Blanc, full of figs and green tropical flavours
We predict that it will be very good
The Viognier is also showing well; bone dry with peach and nectarine flavours, not over ripe fruit, and very delicious

A happy winemaker in his element. The 2019 wooded Chardonnay from the barrel is taking on the wood
but is gentle, rich and full of golden fruit, with wood smoke on the end

And this year’s Rosé from 50% Petite Syrah and 50% Viognier; full of raspberries and strawberries but dry and cheeky! Can’t wait

Thank you Newald, again, for a repeat of your impeccable hospitality and friendliness

Posted by MENU at 11:41 pm 0 comments

An overnight at Kranskop


















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Robertson Wine Valley's Wacky Wine Weekend 1. Tanagra

Our hosted accommodation was at Tanagra Wine Farm in McGregor, which was taking part in the festival with its wines, grappa and Eau de Vie. We were warmly welcomed by the owners, Anette and Robert Rosenbach, and taken to The Garden Cottage where we were to stay, which was very comfortable and is perfect for self catering. They have some interesting accommodation, some on the farm and also their Faraway and Hillside Cottages away from the farm, which are magnificent. Check out their website: http://www.tanagra.co.za/
A small kitchen as you enter then the large living/bedroom with a wood burning fire, essential for the very cold nights at this time of year. We saw temperatures drop to 7 degrees at night, but daytime temperatures are much more pleasant and on Friday and Sunday we had 25 degrees and full sunshine. There is also a commodious bathroom with a walk-in shower and plenty of hot water
The kitchen has a hob, and a microwave and is fully supplied with all cooking equipment, crockery and cutlery. And it has its own terrace with braai facilities and loungers. Sadly we didn’t have any time to use these, as we were always rushing off to another farm on our busy schedule, organised for us by Beatrix Galloway, Wine Route Manager at Robertson Wine Valley
We were gifted this bottle of the 2015 Tanagra Cabernet Franc which is our Wine of the Week
These are their other wines with the farm price list. The wines are made by Lourens van der Westhuizen, 
The tasting room was moved for the weekend. Tanagra is a lovely farm. As they say on their website: "Tanagra is a treasure waiting for you, come and find it." It is a Birder Friendly farm and we saw many, many different species and they have many walking, hiking and mountain biking trails. They also have access into the nearby Vrolijkheid Nature Reserve with longer bird-walks and mountain trails.
Robert Rosenbach is the distiller of the spirits and they brought a German 200 litre still with them from Germany when they came to live here. It is a combined pot still (copper) and column still (stainless steel). This combination allows him to distil in a single process, resulting in a purer yield
The Grappas and Eau de Vies are very impressive, and you can taste them all
Arriving to see the tasting room with Anette. Robert is behind the temporary tasting counter in the cellar
Some happy visitors enjoying the day
And sampling the wares
What to taste first?
Thank you both Anette and Robert for a very comfortable stay;
we hope to return one day soon to see you both - and your dogs and cats
All content ©  John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus
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