Drinking in Durbanville

Hey,

Well, it's been a week since I've sent out an email about the farms I've visited. I went wine tasting with an old buddy of mine on Monday, where we visited a few farms around Stellies, and I petted a Cheetah ;) There's a good chance I'll revisit those farms in the future, so I'll email about them then. On Friday, it was time to visit Durbanville, a trip I had been postponing for a while now. Next week I'm planning on visiting some more farms in Stellenbosch (the group of farms on the way to Franschhoek) on Tuesday, and I'll probably visit some more Stellies farms on Thursday or Friday as well. I must admit that I was amazed at the variety of Sauvignon Blanc I found along Durbanville - and if you are a fan of bold and strappy granny smith apple, gooseberry, fig, asparagus and all the other green flavours, then this is a route I highly recommend you take.

I got up bright and early on Friday to prepare myself for a long day (and night) and the first farm I decided to visit was Meerendal. The Sauv Blanc here was mostly flavours of green pepper and crisp green apples - very strapping, quick dry finish. They have a yummy wooded Chenin (better than their previous one in my books), I just love that toasty smell and the fruit came out nicely (pear, a bit of lime and citrus). The Chardonnay was a lighter-style wooded white, very creamy with buttered toast, lanolin, butterscotch - and a subtle peach and citrus (granadilla/guava). The dry rose, made from Pinotage, reminded me of freshly picked strawberries when they still have that slight smell of soil and fertilizer. A kind of Rose I could enjoy on a warm summer's day while I'm soaking up some sunshine. The Pinotage reminded me of banana's when they are getting black and almost sickeningly sweet and vanilla, fresh leather, cedar and a ripe plum were all other smells that leapt to mind - not a shy wine! The shiraz was a floral wine (violet's by their description), but also had some dark spices (cloves and black pepper) - different, but not really my taste. The Merlot was pretty straight forward - dark plums and truffles (which is a kind of mushroom smell). The Cab Sauv was also in the characteristic woodland style - cedar, cigar box, dried fynbos, with the dark berry goodness you normally associate with Cab Sauv. The Cab/Merlot blend really brought out the complexity these varietals have to offer, with black currant, a dark plum, cedar, mocha, and cinnamon all coming out. My final wine here was definitely the highlight of the farm - the Meerendal natural sweet chenin, which had everything I look for in a sweet wine - namely fresh fruit smells - apricots and peachs, as well as some raisons and saltanas - reasonably expensive at R90 a bottle, but I can come up with those reasons to make it worthwhile.

From Meerendal, I went through to Diemersdal. It looks like I picked a bad time though, because the person who served me spoke really broken English and struggled to understand what I was saying (which even included the names of the wines). Still, there are 5 different Sauv Blanc's here (although not all of them are for tasting) and many of them have won awards, so keep your eye out for them when shopping for wine and you won't be disappointed. The first was filled with figs and gooseberries, and seems to be quite consistent from year to year, and at R39 a bottle it is superb value for money. The Single Vineyard Sauv Blanc had the same familiar characterisitics, except it had many hints of other green flavours (making it more complex) and it was also more intense and full-bodied than the first wine. The last Sauv Blanc I tasted here was the 8 Rows Sauv Blanc, which was remarkably different - asparagus, grass, fig, green peppers, and granny smith apples - it also had a subtle hint of a fresh herbs (I was thinking thyme). The Chardonnay single vineyard is slightly wooded which gave it a slight butterscotch flavour, but mostly pineapple and peach. The Chardonnay Reserve was more floral, with orange peel and a hint of minerality and a tasty bit of butterscotch - certainly a different style of Chardonnay. Of the Reds, I found the Matys blend of Pinotage backed with Shiraz and Merlot to be an excellent bargain at R29 a bottle. It's a very social red wine with banana, black currant, white pepper and candy floss - an everyday drinking wine perfect for those on a budget who still want a good quality wine. From there I tasted the Merlot (coffee, prune, and brown spices), the Pinotage (mocha, animal hide, fresh leather, earthy), the Shiraz (black pepper, mocha, cloves, violets) and the Cab Sauv (black, blue & rasp-berry, black currant, cedar, dried pine needles, black pepper). Of the single varietal reds, the Cab Sauv (R56) was probably the most complex and flavourful of the reds, great for drinking at that regular family meal. The final wine I had was their flagship wine - the Private Collection (R75), which is a bordeaux blend of Cab Sauv, Cab Franc and Merlot, with one of my favorite red wine characteristics (milk chocolate) mixed with dried fruit (almost a dried peach), black currant, fresh plum and light red berries. This is a wine I would buy if I wanted something to go with a very good meal, but I didn't want to pay a huge amount for it. Only these last two wines and the Reserve Chardonnay are worth keeping for some time, the rest of them are perfectly ready to drink now (so what are you waiting for, go on and buy a bottle and start drinking!)

Stop number 3 was Altydgedacht. With a range of interesting wines, this is a must-stop for anyone wine tasting in Durbanville. I started with the Sauvignon Blanc, which was filled with green apples, fig leaf and green pepper. Dry, crisp and perfect for a scorching summer day. The Reserve Sauvignon Blanc was similar, a bit cleaner with the pepper and fig being stronger. Next on the list was a very slightly wooded, bush-vine chenin blanc, filled with tropical/citrus fruit - pineapple, guava and sweet melon and the wood was hardly noticable. They have a rarely found varietal - Gewurztraminer - which is a grape of German origin. A lovely dry white wine, the smell of a Gewurz is unmistakable - a sweet fresh smell of lime, litchi and rose petals. The Chardonnay had a smell that reminded me of baked sugar cookies, pineapple and peach. Next up was Chatelaine - a semi-sweet white blend of Gewurz and Weisser Reisling. It was filled with all the smells and tastes I found in the Gewurz with some slightly added minerality and flintiness to it. Where the single varietal promised a sweeter wine than it tasted, this wine promised a lot and delivered it. The Rose is made from Cab Franc and a splash of Barbera (for colour) is very interesting, a slightly meaty nose with fresh strawberries and a lovely dry finish - a good wine for lounging around on a couch during the warm summer days.

The Reds at Altydgedacht were all very enjoyable. I started with the Merlot, which I suspected was a bit oxidised when I tasted it (it was a bit flat), and they were kind enough to open up a fresh bottle without hesistation. The fresh bottle immediately confirmed what I had suspected, with the smells and flavours leaping out the glass (where before I had to search for them) - mint, dark chocolate and black currant were the three things that sprung to mind when I smelt this wine - which made it very, very close to the style of merlot which is my personal favorite amongst reds. While it might be a wine that only a few would truly appreciate, those who love mints will love this wine. I then tasted the Pinotage, which reminded me of an early green banana, with black currant, candy floss and milk chocolate. The Shiraz was delicious, with coffee, prunes, fresh meat, black pepper and cloves - and the spiciness really came through the moment the wine hit my tongue - perfect to go with some wild meat or maybe some liver/kidney. The Cab Sauv reminded me of fresh leather - almost like when a car has just been upholstered - with fresh dark berry flavours like mulberry and black currant. The final wine was the Barbera - a family of grape that comes from Italy. I struggled a while on the smell I was getting until the attendee suggested stewed fruit, and she was spot on - a stewed apple with hint's of cherry and light red berries is exactly what I found in this wine.

From there, I moved onto Bloemendal, where the emphasis seems to be placed on the restaurant, which is very stylish. Unfortunately, this doesn't help the tasting room all that much because it's surrounded by the smell of food. In light of that, I will try match the wines to food where I can, just in case you decide to eat there. If you do, they offer a sherry on arrival, which is known to go well with soup (so keep it for that). Starting with the Sauv Blanc, with Green Pepper, Gooseberry and Asparagus, this wine would best be matched with the salads, especially if it has olive oil and/or with vinegar. The next wine I went on to was the slightly wooded Semillon, which had golden delicious apple, pear, some minerality and a lemon zest to it. This wine I'd have along with the creamy seafood potjie (if you already finished your sherry), but it also goes well with the leg of pork or chicken pie. Unfortunately they didn't have their Bloesand Rooi Rose ready for selling, so I won't be able to comment on it, other than to say I enjoyed it the last time I visited the farm. They had 3 red wines, the Shiraz which smells of roasted beef, black pepper and herbs - perfect to complement the bobotie, or the curry. The Merlot was also meaty, with mushrooms, plum and light red berries as well. The Merlot would go well with the spit roast lamb, and the brown rice with lentils and mushrooms. The final red, the Cab Sauv was your stereotypical example, cedar, loads of black currant and dark berries (mulberry, blue berry and dark plum). Best with the chicken pie, but it could also go well with the lamb, although I'd actually probably skip drinking this one with the food (unless they have an older vintage lying around). Unfortunately, it'll probably become a bit too bitter or dry with the food. I ended off with the Natural Sweet (R40) made from Chenin, which would go well with the desert, but I'd highly recommend trying it with the apple pudding specifically, as I think the honey, dried apricots and saltanas I picked up in the wine will make an awesome match with it, but it could go well with the trifle as well. Overall, the wines here were very easy-going wines, nothing overly-complex - the sweet wine was probably the best value-for-money, but the reds were also decently priced. They also have a Brut sparkling wine which wasn't available for tasting, maybe somebody can comment on that who has tasted the wine already. I was stupid enough to try the Mouvedre (their house red wine) which came straight out of a ?plastic? container and it was awful. I wish I could say that I was being snooty about it, but I was actually hoping it would be good (as I love Mouvedre). Still makes me shudder...

From there, I went on to Nitida, and after getting hopelessly confused by their entrance and trying to find their tasting room (I went to three different parking lots before finding the right one), I was interrupted by a man on top of steel tank truck. It looked like they were having problems, so they weren't really able to serve me. I took my photo's, a price list, and, after waiting about 5 minutes, decided it would be a better idea to move on and come back later - which I did. It wasn't such a great idea though, as when I did get back nobody was there. I guess I should've taken a few bottles and done a private tasting at home, but I wasn't feeling so nasty. Afterall, farms do get busy, especially around harvesting season. I'll pop round again in a few months (once I get work and can only afford to stop at the odd farm here and there).

After that rather disappointing stop, I went around the corner to go visit Hillcrest. I've heard their name being dropped several times when talking about sweet wines and being a fan of it myself, I was looking forward to stopping here. This is another farm that seems to have a preference to their restaurant customers, but with the added bonus of tasting some olives, I sure wasn't about to start complaining. At least they were smart enough to put their tasting room away from their kitchen, and put some friendly service behind the counter. This was the first time that I've meet someone who knew about me from somewhere else, so it was great to start feeling like a celeb! I started with the Sauv Blanc... eerg...more Sauv Blanc... and picked up the usual host of flavours - greenpepper, grass and asparagus with some green apple and maybe even a hint of celery on the palate. Another very bold, strappy and decently priced (R50) Sauv Blanc.The unwooded Chardonnay was very fruity with the typical peach/pear, guava/grandilla type of flavours, not my prefered style, but definitely something different to get if you like brash wines, but want something different from a Sauv (Unwooded Chardonnay - the other white wine). The wooded Chardonnay was much closer to my style, with thick creamy buttered toast, pineapple and lemon creams - a good balance between the wood and the fruit. The first red I had was the red blend called the Robbenzicht, which is a merlot driven blend with a support cast of Cab Sauv. Another wine with stewed fruit, blueberry jam, coffee, and fynbos - a bit of a strange wine, but at R35 a bottle, I'd get a bottle to cook with (a drop in a dark cake or malva pudding - although it would be highly experimental). Cab Sauv was next on the list (and next in my mouth), and the stewed fruit came straight from this without any doubt, with some of the woodland smells. The last red wine was the Cab Sauv blended with Merlot (R70), and, surprise surprise, more stewed fruit and black currant jamminess. Not being to heavy or too light, this would fall under the category of a good food wine and probably what I would pick to go with some of the new meaty dishes here (steak, chops or chicken pie). The final wine was the famed Hillcrest Noble Late Harvest made from Chardonnay, which is very much my style of sweet wine, with fresh peach and apricot, and some dried apple smells coming through - full-bodied and 100% delightful - worth keeping for a few years, if you can resist opening it up.

Moving along, the next stop was Durbanville Hills. This is an incredibly beautiful farm, with a commanding view of the valley and bustling town below. If I wanted to go somewhere to get away from it all, this would be the place as you watch all the cars racing around like ants below you. They also have a huge range of wines, but expect to pay a whole lot if you want to taste them all (R80 for the whole range - *ouch*). They have 3 Sauv Blancs available for tasting - the first - heavy grass and gooseberries, the Rhinofields, granny smith apples and gooseberry, and the Biesjes was more green pepper and slightly nutty (kinda almond). They are well-rated, and their cost reflects this. I find it tough to spend R80 on a bottle of Sauv Blanc. They have 2 Chardonnays, the first had the smell of toast just leaping out the glass with a subtle and soft citrus smell to it - almost like the smell that citrus fruit leaves behind on your hands when you've peeled an orange or nartjie - a definite lemon zest (almost like lemon creams) smell. The Rhinofields Chardonnay, however, is possibly my favorite white wine ever. It is 100% what I look for in a perfect Chardonnay - which is not to say that it's the most well-made or complex Chardonnay I've ever tasted, but while Napolean might have died with a Vin de Constance on his lips, I would like to have a glass of this wine on my death-bed. Just the smell of it brings butterflys to my stomach, like when someone really smoking hot loops there arm around yours (with a sly grin on their face). This is an intensely full-bodied Chardonnay that looks like liquid gold (ok, it might be my imagination at work a bit here) with butterscotch, vanilla, dried fruit (maybe peach, could be apricot) and what I can only describe as coconut (maybe almond/hazel nut?) and a finish that will last hours. It may be R70 a bottle, but I'd gladly pay that and I wouldn't dare have it with food or even share it with others for that matter. Unfortunately, this is one time that I can't even try to be objective about the wine.

From there, I moved onto the reds. There were 3 Merlots, the first reminded me of salami - slightly fatty and spicy - almost like coriander, slightly herbaceous, mushrooms and a whole range of berries, mostly lighter berries, but also that slight bite of a black berry on the taste. The Rhinofields Merlot was filled with mint, eucalyptus and coffee, so I imagine it's received quite some heavy treatment from the barrel. The Luipardsberg Merlot was second off-wine I tasted of the day. My gut told me it was corked, since I noticed a smell of damp cardboard, but at R180 a bottle, I was a little more reluctant to ask them to open another bottle without being pretty sure my gut was right. Both ladies behind the counter smelled and tasted it and thought it was fine (and they've been working there for years, so I would've shrugged my shoulders at this point, and put it down as a strange wine). They did, however, take it round the back to someone who had been working there for 10+ years who also immediately picked up by the smell that it was funny, also admitting that it was corked. A new bottle and glass later, and my opinion changed entirely about this wine, as it suddenly became the definition of a well-made full-bodied Merlot, with a slight hint of mint and dark chocolate being balanced with a backbone of dark cherries, dark plum, black and blue-berries. With a low alcohol and soft tannins, this is a wine that I'd lay down for a good few years and open up for a really special meal - which is about the only way I'd justify spending that much on a bottle. The Cab Sauv (R55) was delicious and made me think of eating a roast beef, it was jammy, almost like a black currant paste, with a floral nose, a hint of aniseed and seductive dark chocolate on the palate - a real steal at that price. The Pinotage (R55) was a mixture of banana, turkish delight, mocha and a hint of milk chocolate... yum! The Shiraz was also quite typical, with dark berries, vanilla (love that american oak), white pepper and brown spices with a slight off-meat, slightly-moldy mushroom smell. The Bastion Cab Sauv/Shiraz (R55) was a complex blend that was quite dominated by the Cab, but had a nice surprisingly soft undertone of the Shiraz - dark berries, dry woodland smell with vanilla and black currant sweetening up the mix. Not many wine makers would consider mixing these two varietals together, but this wine maker had the vision to spot a good blend here. The last wine here was the Caapmans Cab Sauv/Merlot blend - again, the dried woodland smells from the Cab Sauv came through, but this time it was backed by black currant, and that lovely mint and eucalyptus I picked up earlier in the Rhinofield's Merlot. I wouldn't consider it worth the R180 price-tag, especially since there are much better value-for-money wines here, but I'd be happy if someone bought me a bottle.

The final stop was at De Grendel - a wine farm recently featured on the cover of Wine Mag. This is another farm with an awe-inspiring view, spreading out over the bay and into Table Mountain. They stay open until quite late on a Friday so that people can stay and watch the day turn to night with a bottle of good wine at the table and some friends to share it with. This is definitely on my list of to-do activities - especially since I can't, for the life of me, find the price list I thought I took from De Grendel. Well, no Durbanville farm would be complete without a Sauvignon Blanc to start off with, and with gooseberry and green pepper, you won't go wrong with this Sauv Blanc. Unfortunately they didn't have any of their Koetshuis Sauv Blanc for tasting (they're hording them all for themselves - the bastards), but I've heard good things about it and would be very happy if someone had a bottle to share... nudge nudge... wink wink... say no more... The Winifred was next, a mostly-wooded white blend of Chardonnay, Viognier and Semillon, this wine has been mouth-smackingly marvellous every time I've tasted it, and the perfect wine to bring to the dinner table - I can also personally vouch for using it in cooking with extraordinary results (as part of my white sauce in a pasta). Well-layered with peach and butterscotch giving it a smooth, full-mouth feel, as well as nartjie and orange peel to give it a bit of zest and liveliness. The Rose is a mixture of pinotage, cab sauv and cab franc, and it was a bit floral (although it could be the watermelon smell they were describing) with delicious hints of clean, freshly cut strawberries. They have 3 Reds here, beginning with their first ever Pinot Noir and with light red berries, dark cherries, prunes and fruitcake and another word that I can't read (bloody scribbled notes... mumble, mumble... need a new book...), so obviously quite a complex little package (Pinot Noir always comes in little packages). For some reason, I always picture vast green fields of Pinot Noir vines running up and down hills, and some laborers with a farmer standing outside the cellar with a box no bigger than a breadbox (and definitely smaller than a house), half-filled with grape berries, and a shocked and stunned look on his face (like a bunny facing the headlights of a tank) asking - "Is that all?" Next in my mouth was the Merlot, which is a well-balanced, medium-bodied wine. This wine got my vote (and definitely seems to be improving year-after-year) as it had milk chocolate, ripe cherry, strawberries, raspberries and fresh, juicy plum. This would go well with a well-cooked duck, or maybe a good turkey - although given a year or two to lay down , it would go splendidly with lamb. The Shiraz was the last of the wines to taste today, but I wasn't disappointed - another great food wine. Fresh meat, white pepper and cinnamon came out in the smell and all the dark spices came out in the taste - black pepper and cloves - this is a wine perfect for taking to a good ol SA braai. It's a real pity this farm doesn't have a restaurant, as so many of its wines go well with food, but with it being so close, I'm inclined to take a picnic basket of food with me.

Well, it seems that I'm at the end of the list for today. I've been lucky enough to have some decent time to write it out this weekend. I hope everyone had a great Valentines day!

Keep well and do try to enjoy life (after all, you only live it once!)
Val.