Another at Ashton Kelder

Going through the list again, I realised I accidentily left out Ashton Cellars, which was the first farm we visited on the Friday. The tasting room is well-kept and very inviting with some warm artwork along the walls, this is a farm that is quite stylish without becoming snobbish.

Starting with the Pascali Brut (R25), this wine was quite crisp and refreshing this early in the morning with a smell of fresh yeast and a green apple taste in the mouth. This is a sparkling well-suited for use in cocktails and mixers. The Winemakers Choice Sauv Blanc (R25) was good value-for-money. With flavours like asparagus, grass, granny smith apples and green pepper, this wine is well-suited as an easy-drinking summer time wine for sunset evenings by the beach. We tasted the Colombar (R13) hoping to become more familiar with this varietal, and, while shy, we picked up fresh peach, a floral smell (maybe rose petal), guava and granadilla. The Chardonnay Reserve (R19) had the smell of musk, yeast, marzipan and processed lemon (like the sweets). It did leave a pleasing nutty butterscotch aftertaste that lingered in the mouth. I'd say it's worth more than it's price tag, but not by all too much.

The Pinot Noir Limited Release (R35) was really not my style in red wines at all, with prunes and stewed fruits being the most pronounced smells, but also with some dark berries, rotting leaves and fresh leather adding a bit of complexity to it. The Cab Sauv/Merlot (R27,50), however, was a big winner. For its price tag, it completely outdid itself with cedar, dried pinecone and cigar box smells dominating, with black currant, black berries, mulberries giving it an enjoyable fruitiness and a delightful dark chocolate and mocha finish. I'd generally expect to pay at least R50 a bottle for wine like this. The Reserve Shiraz (R50) was quite typical for this area, as it was quite fruity with big bold blueberry jamminess, vanilla, candied apple and white pepper. The final surprise at this farm was the Port (R30) which was a keeper as it had hints of fruitcake, prune, treacle and walnut, making it perfect for warm dessert fruit-cakes served with a helping of custard.

All-in-all, these wines are generally underpriced and so they make good value for money and all of them are ready to drink now - don't expect any miracles though.

Bye,
Val