Thursday, November 04, 2021

MENU visits the Karoo and the Garden Route 6. From Calitzdorp to the Swartberg Pass

Onward up and over the Swartberg Pass to Prince Albert

Leaving the Baylys’ farm at Groenfontein, we continued up the unpaved road crossing dry river beds which become torrents when it rains almost every winter, and into verdant valleys growing flowering onions. We passed the privately owned Swartberg Game Reserve and spotted some very unusual antelopes, Red Lechwe (Kobus leche), normally found in northern Botswana and not usually seen south of the Okavango

Lots of brightly coloured vygies (mesembryanthemums) along the road

The Swartberg (black mountains) are magnificent and Lynne had no idea that we were to go right over them at this point

You can see the waterfalls in the kloofs and the verdant pastures below, and a road going up ....

There are great views of the long range of the Swartberg (Black mountains) and they do look black

Then the road began climbing and, at a cross road, we discovered a charmingly (sic) named restaurant
called Kobus se Gat (tr. Kobus' Hole), which friends had told us about. We were hungry, so stopped for some lunch

It is also a convention/wedding venue

The man himself, Kobus, who is a great friendly bear of a man
He was extremely helpful, giving us directions and good travel information about the trip

We sat on the sunny terrace and waited for our food to arrive

A play area for children and more magnificent views. The air was like champagne

A cheeky sparrow who had just had a bath in some water, waiting for crumbs

Now dried off

It has a short menu: full Breakfasts, and various filled Roosterkoek braai bread (yeasty bread toasted on an open fire) and hamburgers, we ordered two and a couple of beers. They came full loaded with all the necessary accompaniments, and crispy chips and are covered in a creamy mushroom sauce (no sauce for John). It was one of the best hamburgers we have had in a long time, good beef, well seasoned, great flavour

"Perhaps," Lynne thought, "as we have already climbed so high,
we just go around those mountains and through the pass behind this one?" HA!

Succulents grow very well up here

Then it was time to venture up the Swartberg pass. Built by Thomas Bain in 1880s, it’s a major feat of road engineering
A rather narrow dirt road (just enough space for 2 cars to pass)

Leucadendrons - "Leucadendron is a genus of about 80 species of flowering plants in the family Proteaceae,
endemic to South Africa, where they are a prominent part of the fynbos ecoregion and vegetation type" (Wikipedia)

Many kissed by mountain fires, they need fire to drop their seeds and regrow

"Are we nearly there?" she said, when she spotted where we'd had lunch below
The other road via Oudtshoorn to the coast

Farmland below, lots of fields of onions

and the road went on and upward and the views became spectacular

Higher and higher we went. Not yet at the top!  We kept stopping to take photos and admire the views

And here you can see the huge uplift of the mountains

Geology eroded by water slowly over the centuries

A wild African daisy

You could see almost up into the whole of Africa (OK, poetic licence, but we were very high)

The trip played havoc with Lynne's vertigo and had her shaking with fear if her eye caught the drop while we were moving
She was praying that we wouldn’t meet another car on a narrow bend, which luckily we didn’t
The passenger side of the car was mostly on the side of the drop

How high can you go?  This far?

And onward went the road, up and up, winding up to the top of the mountain till we stopped to examine this sign

This was the last car before we reached the summit for which we were very thankful
There was not much traffic that day

It was good when we stopped to take photos, especially right at the top, when we could really see the spectacular views
but she was not brave enough to look while travelling.  And the proper summit was even higher up

Up and over! Heading down at last

The gorge, where the road travels down towards Prince Albert, which is at the bottom

On the other side, going down, we saw signs of fantastic ancient tectonic movement in the mountains and gorges,
huge uplifts and fractures

Ancient fractures

Now we know we are in the Karoo, lots of tall aloes 

and next to the small river, some Arums

This towering rock formation was breathtaking

and the river picks up speed alongside the road

Gaia in all her glory reminding us how insignificant we are

Nearly at the bottom, where we found people frolicking in the river

and so, on to Prince Albert (click here)  

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Wednesday, November 03, 2021

In MENU This Week – Lanzerac Pinotage turns 60, Glen Carlou Lunch, Karoo Odyssey Part One, Calitzdorp



Three thousand Kilometres driven, 1500 exposures in cameras and two weeks of escape from the locked down world we have inhabited since early 2020. The Lanzerac celebration was the day before we left, so publishing the story had to wait until after our return. Our last road trip was a circumnavigation of the UK in 2019 and a trip in our own country was overdue. John’s mother and grandmother came from the Camdeboo region of the Karoo and Lynne had never been there, so it became a round trip through the Karoo, down to Addo National Park, along the Garden Route and then to Robertson before coming home. This week’s stories cover our time in Calitzdorp. We enjoyed it very much; we hope that you will too. Please click on the headlines and photographs below to see what we did

Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of Lanzerac Pinotage

What a way to break a long fast. We were among the 50 individuals who were sent an invitation to be part of the story of South African Pinotage and to celebrate its 60th anniversary. We have been in a very long drought as far as stories to cover are concerned and this was a very good way to get back into the flow. Covid has changed things so much in the industry. The invitation read: "Let’s celebrate the 60th Anniversary of a courageous beginning. A collaboration between two historic estates, which led to the establishment of an enduring South African icon. Lanzerac and Bellevue Estates are celebrating and want you to join us."  Read on…

Lunch and tasting at Glen Carlou

Invitations to visit wine farms have rightly been few and far between because of Covid, but we do hope things will improve, now that many people have been vaccinated and farms have learned to put the necessary protocols in place to protect their staff and visitors. We were very happy to accept an invitation to visit Glen Carlou wine estate to taste their wines and enjoy a lovely lunch on the terrace last Sunday. The farm is situated in Klapmuts, on the Simondium Road, and has superb views over the valley to Agter Paarl. The winemaker is Johnny Canitz and the chef is Johan Stander. Read on…

MENU visits the Karoo and the Garden Route 1. Calitzdorp - De Krans and 365 on St Helena

Oh what a joy to be on the road again. We left home at 9h15 and headed off to Calitzdorp via the N1 and Route 62. Traffic in town and all the way to the R300 was hectic; so many trucks and so many fools. Then things thinned out and by the time we got to the du Toit's Kloof tunnel, it was just as we like it. The sun was out as we came through at the other end into one of the most spectacular valleys in Africa. Huge mountains either side; magnificent stone buttresses of such strength and age. Read on…

MENU visits the Karoo and the Garden Route 2. Calitzdorp - Axe Hill


Day 2 of the trip. The bird life here has been very varied. There is a pepper tree outside our cottage and two beautiful male Olive Thrushes visited us this morning, a pair of small doves was contemplating a nest, John photographed a barn swallow and we have seen lots of swifts in the late afternoon, scooping insects in the warm thermals. Today was all about wine and port in Calitzdorp. Knowing this, we had a very good breakfast. Mike Neebe at Axe Hill, whom we have known since we sold his first port in our shop Main Ingredient, had invited us to visit and taste with him. Read on…

MENU visits the Karoo and the Garden Route 3. Calitzdorp - Lunch at Bakhuis

We finally left Axe Hill at a quarter to two and headed for Die Bakhuis, a restaurant down Wesoewer Road, off the R62, in which Mike Neebe has an interest. We really needed food fast to fill the void and they make good Pizzas, Hamburgers and Trinchado. We ate on their small terrace, watching so many birds flitting about the trees and splashing in some escaped leiwater below; definitely stop there if you are a twitcher. Then we ventured into town to find an ATM as our next accommodation only takes cash. Read on…

MENU visits the Karoo and the Garden Route 4. Calitzdorp - Boplaas


Our next appointment was at Boplaas. Margaux Nel, who was away at the seaside with her family that weekend, had arranged a special tasting for us with the Tasting room manager, Annerie. She asked what we wanted to taste and we said, "Just bring us what you think we would like to taste". And she did. Another essential to visit when you visit Calitzdorp. They have a good wine selection, very good ports and brandy, gin and whisky. There are vintage wines that you can taste (not often available at wineries, so rather special) and Muscadels. It was another super tasting. They spoil you in Calitzdorp. Read on…

MENU visits the Karoo and the Garden Route 5. Calitzdorp - Peter Bayly Wines

Day 3 of the Trip. Time is going rather fast! It was a lovely clear warm day when we left our accommodation. It was going to be a day of exciting (!) travel. We had so enjoyed our time in hospitable Calitzdorp. Before we left town, we bought the Sunday Times and filled up with petrol. Then it was off into the kloofs to visit Peter and Yvonne Bayly to taste their wines and ports. Read on…

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MENU visits the Karoo and the Garden Route 5. Calitzdorp - Peter Bayly Wines

 

Day 3 of the Trip. 

Time is going rather fast! It was a lovely clear warm day when we left our accommodation. It was going to be a day of exciting (!) travel. We had so enjoyed our time in hospitable Calitzdorp. Before we left town, we bought the Sunday Times and filled up with petrol. Then it was off into the kloofs to visit Peter and Yvonne Bayly to taste their wines and ports 

A sleepy Sunday morning, looking back at Calitzdorp

Looking across the valley to Axe Hill winery

There are some lovely, solid looking old properties on the road

As you climb around the hills you catch sight of the reservoir

and small workers' cottages nestled into the hill

The trip took us through dry Karoo past the large dam which is now filling and is about 1/3 full after a very long drought

They have had some rain, but you can still see how far down the water is after their very long drought

Making a day of it by the dam. There were fishermen on the dam and,
an unusual sight for us this far from the coast, a small tree with 5 or 6 cormorants waiting to fish

Lovely rolling hills. The road is well maintained and graded for most of the way

Following the river feeding the dam, you travel through verdant valleys, through high kloofs and over several, now dry, fords which are there for when the river is in full flood. There are a few art and ceramic galleries and accommodation on the way. Your can do a round trip as the road forks and comes out back at Calitzdorp. We were to take the other fork on the way to Prince Albert over the Swartberg pass. Well worth a visit. The car still looks reasonably shiny. Soon, this would change

and the entrance to Peter Bayly wines. They are in the picturesque Groenfontein Valley,
which is now a separate new wine ward.  Do call in for a tasting if you are passing, they are very welcoming

Very smart gates that have gone up since our last visit, which was a few years back

Warmly welcomed by Yvonne and Peter and their two lovely dogs, chickens and a handsome chanticleer, we admired the wisteria in full bloom, green vines in the closely guarded vineyard. Peter with wine thief at the ready

and decanting his tawny from the barrel for us to taste

Vine stokkies of Alvarinho just waiting to be planted. They have waited a while to get these

Shady parking under the pepper trees

They have to make their own electricity as they are so far away from the grid, so they have a generator and solar panels
And a lovely dog enjoying the sunshine

The huge tree was lost during a horrible storm which also took out the wisteria arbour,
but the wisteria survived and will soon be back on a new structure

The vineyards have to be surrounded by electric fences as the baboons can decimate the crop

Peter Bayly wines to buy and taste

and sat out on the cool shady stoep for the tasting with Peter and Yvonne. We began with the classic 2018 Chenin Blanc,
which is dry and linear, full of pear, quince and citrus, very French in style and delicious. Perfect for a warm morning

Two vintages of the Peter Bayly III. The 2016 was given 92 points by Tim Atkin. Its a blend of Touriga Naçional, Tinta Barocca, & Souzão. Incense wood, elegant with black cherry, plums and mulberry richness. Layers of berry fruit and good soft tannins. The new 2017 is similar but the fruit arrives first then vanilla oak (old French barrels) and is full of cherries and red berries. Soft and silky on the palate, with soft chalky tannins. It opens up with cranberry, Morello cherries, mulberries and has long, long flavours

Enjoying the chat and the wine. We are old friends; we had lots to chat about;
we had our tables next to each other at the Biscuit Mill when we sold our goods there

The 2012 Peter Bayly 2012 Cape Vintage port style wine made from Touriga Naçional, Tinta Barocca and Souzão, the Douro’s quintessential Port varietals. It is a 4 star Platter wine and has also come in the top 10 in the Port Producers competition and was given 91 points by Tim Atkin. Slightly smoky on the intriguing nose, aromas of blackberries, plum, Christmas spices and a hint of herbs, leather and liquorice. It soft as silk on the complex palate with lovely fruit and other flavours in layers as it announces itself: "I am here!" Black cherry, dark plums, brambles, hints of black pepper & spice, dark savoury notes with liquorice on the end.  Delicious, no faults, more please... Peter uses artisanal winemaking techniques; including natural fermentation, foot-treading, basket pressing and maturation in seasoned large casks for eighteen months prior to hand bottling unfiltered and unfined

The 2014 is about to be released and lives up to its predecessor, made from the same grape varietals. Spicy, rich and full of dark berry fruit with a hint of wood on the nose. Silky on the palate, sweet dark berry fruit with cherry, ripe blackberries and some raspberry. Drinking well now but also worth stashing away for a while

And to come, the 2016 Cape Vintage. Dark in the glass with good legs, it has herbal hints, then spice, dark fruit lots of elegance on the nose, its classy. Beautiful cherry berry fruit both red and black; long, delicious port flavours with depth and some sunshine in the glass. Lynne scored this 98/100 and predicts it will win awards when it is released

The 2010 Tawny, not yet released and still in barrel, is superb. Brown rim, dark in the middle. A vintage nose, a hint of smoke and lovely maturity on the palate, with brandied cherries; it sings with lovely sweet bruléed cherry, mulberry and raspberry fruit, salted caramel, quite wonderful

One of our favourites is the White Port, a blend of the 2008 through to 2016 vintages, produced from 100% Calitzdorp Chenin Blanc. It is is quite amber in colour. Its Thornton's creamy toffee on the nose, with nuts, lemon lime and blossom. Peach, apricot, marmalade and bruléed toffee on the palate, with long flavours, some salty minerality on the end, lasting with the typical dry end. Just excellent on its own, but also amazing as a cool refreshing cocktail with tonic, which might just get the young market drinking port again. Fingers crossed; they do not know what they are missing

Cloth pigs for sale

A Scottish pig, brought to Calitzdorp in a suitcase. Peter has this featured on his label as, when he said he was going to make wine, someone said "and Pigs might fly!" So they do on his label, he makes excellent wines and ports

A happy chap

and then we were off; a short trip in kilometres, less than 100, but not in time, over the Swartberg Pass to Prince Albert


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