Wednesday, May 05, 2021

A tour of the De Grendel estate

An invitation to join Douglas Swanson on his Farm Tour of De Grendel wine estate in Durbanville was rapidly accepted

The farm has a vintage safari vehicle known as the Green Monster. The rates are very reasonable and if you are feeling the need of some down time, you can even do it with a picnic basket and be dropped of on the lawn to enjoy it. Tours are Wednesday to Sunday. If you are interested in doing a tour and/or picnic basket contact Douglas at douglas@degrendel.co.za or +27 83 326 9990

The 'Green Monster', a 1987 Toyota Land Cruiser, is well sprung and there are good views from it

On the day that we went, Cape Town was blanketed in thick fog,
so the usually superb view of Table Mountain was a little obscured, but the fog did burn off as the morning wore on

You start at the Tasting Room where you can sit and enjoy the views here, while sipping De Grendel wines
or enjoying a meal at the restaurant under the experienced hands of Chef Ian Bergh

Off we go
Douglas gave us a very good history of the estate and the de Villiers Graaff family
as we travelled around the property

Through the vineyards, which had just finished their harvest
Later, in the tasting room, you can do a wine tasting
The tour will give you some understanding of how the terroir affects the wines

Lots of information about the vines on these signs

De Grendel has a zero carbon policy and keeps the farm clean and tidy

A view of the buildings which house the wine cellar, tasting room and restaurant 

A small chapel on the farm

which is used by the de Villiers Graaff family and the estate staff

The founder of the estate and subsequent de Villiers Graaff family members are buried here 

Douglas knows that we are interested in birds and wanted to point out their resident Fish Eagles which have a nest here
We were lucky enough to see one sitting on its favourite branch

And then we saw the large nest in the fork of a tree which, apparently, has been in use for several generations

Sir David Graaff, 1st Baronet, originally bought the land for Arabian horses which he imported in 1889 from Argentina
and moved to De Grendel. There are still a few horses on the farm, but these are rescued horses
 from a charity which organised riding for the disabled but lost its land

The manor house can be seen in the distance
The family prefers to keep it private

There are many different areas on the estate
This is where they grow blueberries under cloth

Bee hives for harvesting honey

and they have a bank of solar panels which produces 5.6 megawatts of power

Water tanks for the farm. A necessity in the Cape after our awful recent drought
Global warming is a fact here, not a rumour

The water can be pumped around the farm

We had no idea that it was lambing season and it was a delight to see the young lambs
Apparently they have two lambings, now in autumn and again in Spring. Twins for this mother

Feeding time, a classic picture

And then we entered the area where the antelopes are kept
These are very handsome Red hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus caama)

A view of work going on in the autumnal vineyards on the Tygerberg Hill

A small herd of magnificent Eland (Taurotragus oryx), the world's largest antelope

Don’t mess with me!




Two by two

Apparently, they have become used to the vehicle
and don’t flee when Douglas drives through the reserve, so good photography is possible
John has so many great photos, but we can’t put them all here

The farm used to have a large dairy herd, but is now down to just a few animals
which provide milk for the farm’s employees

Suddenly we spotted a male and a female dikkop and their chick in the scrub by the side of the track. Not often seen. So well hidden and standing stock still. The chick is well-camouflaged and is just beyond its parents. Look for the eye. The spotted thick-knee (Burhinus capensis), also known as the spotted dikkop or Cape thick-knee, is a wader in the family Burhinidae. It is native to central and southern Africa

The mist was lifting and we could begin to see the peak of Lion’s Head appearing, the mountain behind our house

The award-winning De Grendel Koetshuis Sauvignon Blanc is named for these stables built by Sir David Graaff in 1891
This was previously the entry to the farm. They have been turned into accommodation for visiting guests

It is thought that the name de Grendel, which is Dutch, meaning a latch or bolt, was given because the Tygerberg hill behind was easier to travel over  for the incoming country farm ox-wagons entering the Cape from the hinterland. They didn’t want to take the sandy roads on either side of the hill, where they might get stuck

We arrived back after a very informative and interesting tour, which took about an hour

Into the tasting room to taste some of de Grendel’s fine wines,
made by renowned cellarmaster Charles Hopkins and his team

We were especially keen to taste the newly released Koetshuis Sauvignon Blanc because we had recently bought a case. It is one of the few wines we will buy without first tasting it, knowing that the quality is always excellent. And it is a very fine example of a crisp and layered Sauvignon Blanc with a soupcon of Semillon. From vineyards in Lutzville and Darling, plus a small batch of Semillon from De Grendel. It has classic fig leaf aromas and a whiff of smoke. Flavours of green winter melon, crisp greengage, capsicum and roundness from the Semillon, it calls for food. They have it on special at the moment for Club Members and as it often sells out quickly, we recommend you go soon to taste and buy

The tasting sheet, with options and prices

Cap Classique Brut 2017 was a lovely way to begin our tasting. Brioche on the nose, then fresh citrus and Granny Smith apple. A classic blend of 68% Chardonnay and 32% Pinot Noir, there is a good prickle on the mousse. First, zesty green apple top notes, then a slight sweetness from the red raspberry fruit of the Pinot. This has won many awards

The maiden Cap Classique Proposal Hill Cap Classique Brut Rosé 2016 is made from 100% Pinot Noir
It has a lovely perfume, is biscuity on the nose and palate with good red berry flavours and a nice mousse,
with pomegranate appearing on the end

We went on to taste the 2020 Viognier, and it is the best viognier we have tasted anywhere in a long time
 Honey, apricot and peaches on the nose and on the palate richness and depth with peaches, apricots and crisp citrus,
the sweetness is more of a perception from the ripeness of the fruit flavours. R/s is 4.2



The Rosé is made from 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Pinotage,
a summery rosé, lovely fruit, light at first then depth of fruit from the Pinotage

The Op die Berg Pinot Noir from Cederberg has been given some carbonic maceration,
so it has inherited some Beaujolais character

The 2018 Shiraz has dark fruit, black pepper and spice. Blackberries, cassis richness on the palate
It’s very enthusiastic and a lovely winter quaffing wine, as its flavours remain, with spice on the end
Both US and French oak make this a special wine

And we finished on the best wine of all, the flagship 2016 Rubaiyat; a Bordeaux style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. The wine has supple, dive-in fruit, complex enough not to want to examine each grape variety, as they have melded into a classic. Silky soft with good chalky tannins on the end. It is drinking so well now but can still be cellared for years. BUY!

Thank you Douglas, and all at de Grendel too, for a great experience

Wednesday, April 28, 2021

Just a Walk in the Park - a visit to Kirstenbosch

Autumn is fast disappearing; we lit our first fire this week and April has been as dry as dust, the driest April since we bought our house in 2004. But rain is at last on the way. So, taking advantage of a walk in the park before the weather changes was on the agenda and the National Botanical Garden at Kirstenbosch, our local jewel, was the obvious place to go on Pensioners Free Tuesday. It is always a delight to walk there, especially as it changes so much with the seasons. Many beds are being replanted now that lock down's end has enabled many of the garden workers to return

A group of enthusiastic young pupils there for the day
 Cape Town school children have been exposed to nature in this way from a very early age
and they are given lectures on different aspects of the gardens

Lovely to see them playing on open ground

There are many trees in the gardens which are older than 100 years and this oak is one of them

A Dietes Bicolour iris, one of our indigenous irises

A lovely sculpture at the Otter Pond, where Cape Otters have been spotted fishing for crabs

and we spotted a crab under the water

Tibouchina Elegans, aka Glory Tree made a beautiful showing next to the pond

There are Tree aloes that are remarkably tall

The label on the tree

And a note to the history. When Jan van Riebeeck needed to keep the Khoikhoi out of the early settlement,
he planted a hedge of indigenous wild almonds
A part of the hedge is still there in Kirstenbosch, nearly 360 years later

This time we headed for the bottom of the Tree Canopy Walk, finding new vistas and pathways we have not seen before
and avoiding a long, hot climb up hill. Old bones do not make good climbing appliances

You are up in the canopy with great views of nature, birds, trees and plants and the mountain and the city below

This bit of the mountain is called, appropriately, Castle Rock, as it looks like a castle’s ramparts
You can walk up to the top of the gardens and then follow a contour path taking you up to the top of Table Mountain
A little easier than climbing up the front of the mountain from the City
And no, we have never done it. The Cable car works well for us!

You meet the nicest people up there

The plaque which gives information about the founder of the Kirstenbosch Garden

Professor Pearson's grave below the North African Cedar
which was given to him by his colleagues from the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew
The HW Pearson Building at UCT was damaged in the recent Table Mountain fire

"Choose the best cycad picture said John"
But Lynne can’t choose as she thinks they are all so magnificent

Our most ancient of plants. Many of these are hundreds of years old
and cycads were here when dinosaurs roamed the earth

Supposed to be ancestors of conifers, not palms

When you climb down from the Cycad forest you come to The Dell, where a natural spring flows between rocks
and causes a lovely cool micro climate even on the hottest day. You can take off your shoes and paddle down the hill

One of Lynne’s favourite flowering plants, Streptocarpus
She grew three colours in a low plant pot on her coffee table in London which never stopped flowering
But she cannot keep one alive in Cape Town where they grow profusely in the wild

A small waterfall in The Dell

A blue dragonfly on a leaf

More magnificent trees as you walk downhill

Kirstenbosch is very disabled friendly and there are lovely easy walkways for wheelchairs
as well as a perfumed walk for those whose sight is not good,
where you can touch all the plants and smell the different aromas

Aloe flowering season is upon us

You can see why the Strelitzia is also known as the Bird of Paradise plant

Ready to take flight

The residue of our awful April fire on Table Mountain could still be seen as smoke in the air
It had been extinguished, but small root fires were still smouldering

Time for lunch and, thankfully, there were several tables free at Fynkos,
the Kirstenbosch Tea Room near the entrance gate, and there was also plentiful parking 

Walking gives one a great thirst and this was a good quencher

Lolly chose the vegetarian option of a health sandwich accompanied by very good crisp chips

Lynne had the local smoked trout and cream cheese sandwich with capers
(and red onions which she asked to be removed) and the same chips
If you order a plate of these glorious twice or thrice cooked chips it will cost you R54
The sandwiches are R108 and come with the chips, or salad

John had the biggest burger ever and it came with onion rings, some salad and those chips
He had his without the bun

The bill

and who should be at the next table but Bruce Jack, who has always made excellent wine
We found and bought his wines in several UK supermarkets in 2019
We are currently really enjoying his Shiraz at home. He has some wines on special at the moment
 https://bruce-jack.obtainwine.com/ 

A quick tour of the Garden Centre which sells a good selection of plants and other gardening items

A very good selection of seeds too, and a good bookshop next door
You do not have to enter the Gardens to visit the shops

A texture shot of a fluffy leafed plant

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