Deliverence in Durbanville

Durbanville may not be as famous as say Stellies but it sure does offer a few interesting alternatives....take D'Aria for example. They are a new winery, having only launched their own label in 2005, a Sauvignon Blanc as expected. They have also just completed their new impressive modern cellar and tasting venue. The tasting venue is straight out of Deliverence with a lake side wooden deck surrounded by woodland forest...there is even a DANGER/GEWAAR sign warning you not to swim in the swamp.

But do not fear as the tasting room experience is a pretty good one. For R60 you can buy a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and cheese platter for two. Not bad value at all. On the day of our visit we were lucky to have the place to ourselves and got great service from our host Isabel. She certainly was friendly and had more than enough knowledge of the wines on offer to answer most questions the average wine drinker could threw her way. She also did a great job of handling a rowdy buss load of revellers that manged to spoil the peace.

Being a new winery they don't have a huge range of wines, I sometimes think this is better, the mantra bigger is better doesn't always hold true when it comes to wine. The range consits of a Sauvignon Blanc, Rose, Merlot and a Merlot/Cab Blend. The Sauvignon Blanc, as you would expect was great. I can't think of many Sauvies from Durbanville that I wouldn't recommend, and now you can add the D Aria to the list. The premium Sauvi, The Songbird 2008, is a lovely wine with just the right amount of fruit to acid. The Rose and Reds are all drinkable, but being a young winery I think these are still a work in progress. So if you are looking for somewhere a little different with a great deck to enjoy fine chilled Sauvignon Blanc this summer, then D' Aria is a great choice.

Vive La France

Red, white and blues... Must have something to do with the French. In a way yes. But no, it was the theme for the Durbanville Boutique Wine Growers annual festival. The theme of White and Red Wine with a touch of Blues music went down a treat.

Eureka Farm played host to over 200 people, the event was over subscribed, once again proving in matters of passion size doesn't really matter. It is not often that you could say an evening was faultless, but this evening came pretty damn close. From the relaxed, casual yet very stylish decor, too the delightful food and wine pairings, it just seemed like the longer the night went the better things got. The menu read something like this: mussels in beurre blanc, tempura prawns, carpaccio with wild mushrooms, Parmesan and rocket, petit burgers with caramelised onions, Moroccan lamb couscous and the highlight for me venison pie. That's enough to make your mouth water and we haven't even got to the wines or desserts yet...

There were so many good wines to choose from and as you would expect Sauvignon Blanc was the star of the show. Those that caught the eye were the Klein Rooseboom with its sexy glass closure and the Galleon Sauvignon Blanc. Welbeloond Sauvignon Blanc produced by the friendly Andrew Mellish, pictured, and Nomade Sauvignon Blanc produced by Riaan Oostuizen were the standout whites, the former very fruity and the latter more zip and tang. No Rennies needed for any of these wines. From the Reds my personal favourites were the Mirari 2006 from Westerdale that is drinking beautifully, a youthful Merlot from Klein Roseboom that will improve with bottle age and the Hermit on the Hill Pinot Noir. All in all a wonderful evening, proving once again, local is lekker.

Teen Die Berg

Next stop was Avondrood Winery. Here Albertus and Minett van Rensburg and their friendly pack of Great Danes welcome you to their secluded farm. Albertus is a bit of a terroir-rist as he firmly believes that his vineyards on the rocky slopes "hoeg teen" the Boland Mountains produce wines of distinct character. You could call it location in a bottle. Hard to argue, when he has walked away with so many awards at the annual National Terroir Competition.


The stand out wines for me were the 2008/2009 Sauvignon Blanc and the 2007 Viognier. This corner of he Bredekloof is hardly regarded as prime Sauvignon Blanc territory, but Avondrood is proving that with the right site selection you can produce unique and distinctive wines. The 2008 is at its peak, showing a perfect balance between beautiful tropical fruit and the slightest hint of green flavours from bottle age, all of this backed up with fine acidity. The 2009 on the other hand is a fruit bomb. Granadilla, guava and gooseberries. Wines of this quality sell for twice the price, at R40 per bottle its a steal. The 2007 Viognier was all fruit, spice and floral. A great food wine, and will be a perfect match for delicately spiced food.


Avondrood also has their own mountain cabin with majestic views over the winelands and distant mountains. As Albertus would say in typical Boland fashion "Dis Teen Die Berg!"

Lovely Lorraine and The Love of My Life

From Jason's Hill we made our way to Lorraine Private Cellar. The De Wets have been farming these lands since 1875, and current custodian Johan, pictured left, is rightly proud of his families long standing tradition of producing fine handcrafted wines. The farm can be found at the end of a long and winding dusty road, off the well trodden tourist tracts, but certainly worth the effort. The farm is steeped in history and the De Wets have gone a long way to preserve their heritage. Original concrete tanks, out buildings and a traditional brookie lace home all add to the charm and allure. Johan makes a handful of wines in his small cellar, each wine from the very best vineyard blocks, the balance going to the local co-op. My personal favorites were the 2007 Cape Harmony, Love of My Life Rose' and the Sauvignon Blanc 2009. The Cape Harmony is a 3 way blend of Pinotage, Cab and Merlot. It has only just been bottled, having spent 18 months in a mixture of French and American Oak. This wine will only get better, some bottle age will add to its complexity and should be at its peak in a couple of years. The Love of My Life is a 100% Pinotage Rose' that Johan made for his wife and should be popular with the ladies and a perfect match for sushi. The Sauvignon Blanc 2009 is a bold fruity wine with loads of zip and tang, this is a perfect match for any al fresco occasion.

Show Time

Spring not only heralds new life but also the dawn of the season for wine competitions, festivals and auctions. The winelands literally comes alive. This weekend I will be heading off to two festivals. On Friday night it is the Durbanville Boutique Wine Growers Associations (DBWGA)White Red and Blues Festival. Good food, good wine and fine blues music. Boutique Wineries are close to my heart and this is an occasion I just can't miss. The DBWGA is a relatively new organization, that brings the boutique wine growers/makers/vignerons of Durbanville together. Each one has a story to tell that is more interesting than the next, but what really makes their wines special is the love, passion, and hard work that goes into each bottle. The popularity and scarcity of the wines produced by this band of winemakers is evident in the fact the the event is completely booked out!

Ander Kant Die Berg: Episode 1

No matter how many times I drive through the Du Toits Kloof Mountains on the great N1 North Road I can't but help feeling lekker! It must be one of the most beautiful stretches of mountain road anywhere, let alone in South Africa. Jagged peaks, cascading waterfalls, twisting bends, sheer rock faces pointing to the heavens....like having Marlyn Monroe sitting next too you. But, I had a job to do and my first stop was Jason's Hill Winery.

Like most wineries in the area, Jason's Hill is blessed with beautiful vistas, surrounded by mountains in every direction. The farm is not all that big with around 100 hectares under vine. Most of their crop is sold off to the local co op, but like any smart farmer they keep the best grapes for themselves and make wine under their own label. The winemaker is Ivy Du Toit, pictured left, and if ever dynamite came in a small package then Ivy is it. On the day of our visit she was handling the tastings, sales, dispatch, information....where she gets the time to make the wine I don't know. But make wine she does, and damn good wine too. Her family is the 5th generation of Du Toits to farm this land, the words lacking commitment and lazy are not in their vocabulary. They also have a wonderful Bistro above their tasting room, from here the views are out of this world, the wines superb and the food homely and comforting. But I had come to taste wine and not food.

I started off by tasting the 2008 Jasonette, a pink sparkler. I am a fan of pink bubbly, and have been the butt of many jokes for this, too me it is a great way to kick off any occasion. The Jasonette isn't going to have the great Champagne houses shaking in their boots, but what it will do is bring a smile to face your face. Fruity and fun without being candy sweet. Next was the 2009 Sauvignon Blanc. The first thing I noticed about this wine was its beautiful colour, crystal clear like river water. With loads of fruit, guava, apple, and a nice racy acidic finish, this was a wine I really enjoyed. From here I moved onto the reds. I started off with the house blend, a 2007 Classic Red. It is a three way blend of Petit Verdot, Pinotage and Grenache. As easy drinking reds go this is one of the better ones around. Very smooth, certainly not chunky and rustic but rather velvety. The back label reads: delightfully uncomplicated and demands merely to be enjoyed. Agreed. Next was the 2007 Grenache. Now Grenache normally works best in blends and one hardly expects to find good Grenache this side of the mountain. But to my surprise I took quiet a liking to it. Again very smooth. It must be a Ivys female touch that brings such elegance to their wines. The wine showed hints of spiciness and fruit, just enough acidity and delicate oaking. A well balanced wine. My final wine was the 2002 Pinotage Limited Release, showing all the usual pinotage flavours of banana and strawberry. Again this was a wine that showed restraint, elegance and Ivys hallmark velvet smooth finish.

All in all another good day at the office....

Ander kant die berg

Behind the Boerewors wine curtain, or beyond the Du Toits Kloof lies a whole other wine world. Being a fan of Robertson and McGregor in particular I never miss an opportunity to spend a wine weekend in the Valley of Roses and Race Horses. The Robertson Valley may not have the status of Stellenbosch, but the boere on the wrong side of the mountain know how to through a party. Think wackywine weekend and the Mcgregor Wine Festival....yes the McGregor Wine Festival! It must be the smallest festival around, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in charm and character.

What can be better than local wine matched with the local food enjoyed in local NG Kerk. Every year the tiny village of McGregor puts on her best dress and shows off the wines of a handful of producers matched with food from the area. McGregor being the friendly village it is, all is welcome, even well behaved dogs. Maybe the organisers were hoping dogs would make better wine judges with their acute sense of smell. This year the weather played along, the sunny day providing the perfect opportunity to sit around and enjoy the summer weather with a glass in hand. I especially enjoyed the wines of John Hargreaves, his Rusty Red Range never fails to surprise and deliver. Rumour has it that John's back garden is the smallest registered wine farm in the country. For value, McGregory Winery is hard to beat, their Colambard is lip smackingly good. Why we South Africans don't drink more Colambard or Chenin Blanc I don't know.

For true country hospitality, friendly locals, wine and country kos, visit Wacky McGregor.