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Lianda Beyers-Cronje, world traveller,
passionate wine lover
and wine columnist on
Nosy Rosy.
Parlez-vous Vino?
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August
is hot, baby!
If you
love wine and you love the arts, August is your month.
Everything - including the weather - we hope, will be heating up
during the first week of August when we are celebrating the13th
Hermanus Wine and Food Fair, Elgin to Elim and the 9th
annual Kalfiefees.
A wine
fest with flair
Nominated as one of the ten best wine shows in the country, wine
lovers will have the chance to taste the wines of more than 80
producers from Elgin to Elim, all under one roof, from 7, 8 and 9
August at Paul du Toit’s sensational food and wine fest.
The
official opening evening, a gala charity event, will be held in aid
of the Hermanus Botanical Society, on Friday 7 August. Splash out at
this glittering cocktail evening brimming with live entertainment,
delicious snacks, as much wine as you like, a silent wine auction of
the Overberg’s finest and the chance to have a chat with your
favourite winemaker – and it is all for a good cause! The funds
raised this year will be used to preserve the wetland area for
endangered frogs at the Fernkloof Nature Reserve.
The
Overberg region is raking in accolades for its fine wines and this
festival will give you the chance to purchase these special wines at
very special prices. Delectable nibbles such as choc salami, pestos,
olive tapenades, Turkish Delight and other ”snackaroos” will be
available for purchase at the wine tent.
Entry
to the Wine and Beer Lounge in the gourmet courtyard, is free of
charge and will offer patrons the chance to chill with a glass of
local wine or beer while enjoying delicious meals prepared at
special festival rates by the participating restaurants. On the menu
are scrumptious fare such as abalone stew, sushi, mussels and frites,
schwarmas and lamb kebabs as well as some irresistible sweet things
from Wicked Treats and Seasons.
Piano
Ben, the Marimba Band and others will provide live entertainment
that will ease you into the swing of things.
Also on
the cards this year is a special Kiddie zone where your little ones
will be able to get their faces painted, their hands dirty and their
minds boggled by a trick artist and some clowns while finding a
healthy outlet for any extra energy on the jumping castle – all
under safe supervision while you have a well deserved breather.
A first
at the fest this year is the opening of a new adventure centre. In
addition to the chance to scale a 20m climbing wall at the festival,
adventurers will also be able to participate in a mountain bike
race.
The
Hermanus Wine and Food Fair will be open from 11:00 to 19:00 on
Saturday and from 11:00 to 16:00 on Sunday. The ticket includes a
beautiful crystal wine glass. A day ticket will cost R95 and a
weekend pass (two day) ticket will cost R150. The weekend pass
includes a lucky draw to a case of wine.
Call
Cathy or Rozanne on 028 316 3988 for more information or visit the
website at
www.hermanuswineandfood.co.za.
Honours
for Hermanuspietersfontein
Hermanuspietersfontein scored a double recently with its red wines.
Not only did Swartskaap 2007 became the first Cabernet Franc to
receive the SA Terroir Award two years running but, not to be
outdone, Kleinboet 2006 was awarded 4½stars
by Wine magazine and is now rated one of the top five red blends in
the country.
The
unique position of the vineyards and the cool sea breezes of the BWI
Champion farm in the Sondagskloof near Stanford, create the ideal
conditions for the making of premium wines like these two delectable
reds.
Swartskaap, the only single cultivar red amongst all this cellar’s
blends, is a Cabernet Franc matured for 16 months in small French
oak. It offers perfect European minerality and aromas of toast, plum
and spice. The wine is preceded by its popularity and reputation and
is consistently sold out within months of release. Hurry to stock
up. That is what I will be doing! Chatting to Gerhard Scholtz at the
market last Saturday he told me that they recently opened a bottle
of Swartskaap 2005 and was enchanted by the way the wine has
matured!
The
pert and precocious Kleinboet is matured for 21 months, also in
small French oak. This is an elegant wine with integrated aromas of
blackcurrant, black olive, lavender and cashew. Kleinboet is
available at the cellar at R86 per bottle.
Hip Hip
Hurray for Hemel-en-Aarde!
Hot,
hot news is that the different Wine Wards in the beautiful
Hemel-en-Aarde valley will henceforth only be known under the
term Hemel-en-Aarde, putting an end to a bitter feud that for
a long time blocked the way to comprehensive marketing strategies
for this unique wine valley.
Following the recent approval by the Wine and Spirit Board of the
name Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge for the third wine ward in the
Hermanus area of the Walker Bay Wine District, the way was clear for
producers in the three wards to unite under the name Hemel-en-Aarde
and form a new Winegrowers’ Association (out of the two-year old
Hermanus Winegrowers’ Association) to further advance the
Hemel-en-Aarde area’s reputation for small production,
cool-climate wines of exceptional quality.
The
three wards represented by the Hemel-en-Aarde Winegrowers’
Association consist of:
Hemel-en-Aarde Valley:
Southern Right, Hamilton Russell Vineyards,
Ashbourne, Bouchard Finlayson, Vrede, La Vierge.
Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley:
Sumaridge, Newton Johnson, Lelienfontein, Pearly Gates, Soutend,
Tokara-Siberia Vineyards, Hemel-en-Aarde Country Retreat, Déjà Vu,
Heemelzicht, Klein Hemel.
Hemel-en Aarde Ridge:
Ataraxia, Babylon Farm Vineyards, Creation, Mount
Babylon, Jacob’s Vineyards, Domaine des Dieux.
Great
news is that the Hemel-en-Aarde Winegrowers’ Association recently
registered “The Hermanus Wine Route” with the South African
Wine Route Forum, making this the youngest wine route in the
country. The exciting new wine route which will also include a few
wineries falling outside the Hemel-en-Aarde region, is expected to
launch soon to pave the way for wine tourism in an area that is
renowned for its fynbos, whales,sea views and mountain walks.
Two new
stars in Creation’s firmament
Creation Wines is about to launch their maiden Chardonnay (2008) and
Pinot Noir (2008) at the Hermanus Wine and Food Fair from 7 to 9
August at the Hemel-en-Aarde Village.
Carolyn
Martin, co-owner and marketing manager of Creation says the estate
is proud to build on the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley’s reputation for the
finest Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with these two terroir-expressive
wines boasting the exuberant flavours of the New World, beautifully
balanced with the finesse and sophistication of the Old.
A mere
3 000 bottles of each variety were produced and at the time of
writing a third of the Pinot has already been sold en primeur.
Be sure
to visit Creation’s stall at the Wine and Food fest to taste these
exquisite new wines! I can’t wait for the experience!
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