Helderberg's Heights

As promised, here's your special deluxe, extra padded (and filled with flavour text) edition of wine tasting notes. This time I managed to get to 8 farms in the Helderberg (which will be the topic of today's email) and 2 farms in Stellenbosch Berg (which were an added bonus).

The first farm I stopped at bright and early in the morning was Uva Mira. High up in Helderberg, Uva Mira claims that it's high vantage point not only gives it an excellent view of the valley below and a high altitude tasting experience, but also an advantage in white wines as the climate is cooler. If you enjoy a bold, crisp Sauv Blanc then you will not be disappointed here - with an overwhelming note of green pepper and a hint of fig leaves, this Sauv Blanc was made to showcase the varietal. Unfortunately their Chardonnay was sold out 8'( Onto the reds, the Merlot driven blend (with Cab Sauv) was a perfect wine to age, with a nose of Pine cones and dried bark, and a palate of mocha and dark chocolate, this wine is perfect to go with that Belgium chocolate you've been saving (or eating). The next red blend on the list is a blend of Cab Sauv/Merlot/Cab Franc/Shiraz and is called the 'Red Blend' (very original, I know). On the palate this is an intense wine filled with red berries (raspberries and cherries) and a hint of mocha, and a dash of fynbos on the nose. The Syrah was surprisingly fruity and had a blend of fresh, pulpy plums and white pepper. A rather small operation, but on the whole, a very beautiful farm to visit with some interesting wines.

Next up was Hidden Valley with a whole host of wines and labels - Four labels to be exact. The Hidden Valley label is their premium range, the Hidden Agenda label is their everyday drinking wine, the Contour 296 is their quaffing wines and the Land's End label is the wines that come from Elim near Cape Agulhas (an area with a strong wind climate). The Land's End Sauv Blanc was very different and had a nose of canned peas/green beans and a freshly peeled granny smith apple, however it had a taste of fig and green pepper and fresh thick green grass (was I the only one who wondered what cows got outta eating grass?), so this really is everything sauv blanc has in one bottle. The Hidden Agenda Chenin was next (with a dab of Viognier), which came across as a smooth, easy drinking wine at first, but had a bit of a high acidity, a pity, since it was a very citrusy chenin, with pineapple, litchi and lime all coming across in the taste and smell. The Cab Franc Contour Rose was next, which would make an excellent pool-side wine, with lovely hints of strawberries, fresh barely-ripe cherries and a strong note of minerality to it. The Contour Red was a blend of Pinotage/ Cab Sauv/ Merlot filled with cloves, cinnamon and a hint of filter coffee, a good mid-afternoon, tea-time wine to go with a light dried fruit cake. The Hidden Agenda Shiraz/Viognier was filled with flavours like turkish delight, liquorice, candied apples and black currant, strawberries and black pepper on the palate, summed up in one word - YUM. The Hidden Valley and Hidden Agenda Shiraz were both very spicy, but the Land's End Shiraz was really something else - the nose was exactly what a bar-one ice-cream smells like - a mixture of vanilla, caramel & milk chocolate, with splashes of treacle and coffee - a wine that will leave you feeling like you've indulged yourself. As for the farm itself, it also has a commanding view of the valley below, a large restaurant perfect for functions, but, unfortunately, I waited for about 5-10 minutes before losing patience and asking one of the Kitchen Staff about wine tasting. If you want good service from this place, I'd advise phoning in advance (although for that Shiraz, I'd dare say it's worth it).

Next up is the famous Ernie Els wines (although it's fame is mostly based on it's excessive prices). The staff here are very friendly and helpful, and I had a good few laughs when I was there. And I'd write more about the wines, except that I can't seem to find my notes on it... Oops. Still, the three wines they had there were the Ernie Els, which is a Bordeux Cab Sauv driven blended with Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cab Franc and Malbec, the Cirrus which is a Rhone style Syrah with a drop of Viognier, and another red blend, the Engelbrecht Els which is a blend of Cab Sauv and Shiraz with a dab of Petit Verdot, Cab Franc, Merlot and Malbec. If & when I find my notes about it, I'll write up more. The view here is extraordinary - really, this is the area to go if you want a clear view of the farmlands that stretchs out for miles.

Just down the road is their sister farm - Guardian Peak, which is still my favorite location for a hot summers day, with a fine mist of water being sprayed into the air to cool all around. I suggest tasting your wines outside of the main room though, as the nearby kitchen can sometimes overwhelm your sense of smell. Two wines were sold out, including their only white (the Sauv Blanc) and the Cab Sauv. The Rose was made from their Cab Sauv with a splash of Grenache thrown in, and smelt of over-ripe cherries and fresh granny-smith & golden delicious apples, a great fruit-salad style wine, great to finish a light meal with. The Merlot smells very earthy like fresh garden soil after a good watering, and the taste was light and fresh, filled with plums, strawberries, raspberries and light cherries. Mmmm good. The Shiraz smelt of fatty meat (great to go with pork/bacon or chicken thighs and drum-sticks) and had a palate of light red berries and a hint of mocha, making it a very feminine shiraz that's perfect to accompany food. The Frontier is an interesting blend of Cab Sauv and Shiraz with a dash of Merlot, and was an incredibly complex wine that will become excellently layered with some years in the bottle. I picked up a whole host of smells and tastes, from jammy plums and prominent red berries, fynbos, black currant, black pepper, cloves to add an extra bit of spiciness. Excellent wine at excellent value (R55 a bottle). The final wine is the SMG (Shiraz/Mouvedre and Grenache) which had a very savoury nose - I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but it was kind of like pasty meat smell (almost mince) - with black pepper and cloves on the nose, and a surprisingly fruity taste, filled with berries ranging from light red to dark berries, although most prominent was probably black berries.

Well, that's part one for today, I'll try get to the rest of the farms later.

To Be Continued ...