From the Table Bay Hotel, we took off for Stellenbosch home to many of the wineries. On the outskirt of this town, lies the famous Die Bergkelder- Fleur du Cap founded in 1967.
The one and a half hours drive, gave us a glimpse of what the vineyards look like. As you drive along, there are rows of neatly cultivated vineyards spread out in large hectres of land. Agriculture is huge in South Africa and the wine industry which makes up a sizeable percentage of the Agriculture sector employs about 35,000 people.
On arrival at Bergkelder-Fleur de Cap makers of the popular Amarula wines, we met Colin Bridger, the brand home manager who took us on a tour of the facility. Very knowledgeable in what he does, from him we learnt that that
the cape was founded in 1652 by the Dutch as a refreshment station for ships bringing spices from the east. Whilst there, they started growing grapes and from growing grapes,wine production started. This company we found out has been producing wine for over 350 years.
Our tour took us to the wine cellars where wines are stored in wooden barrels for maturation for between 4-8 months for white wines (Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc) and 12-14 months for red wines (Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage, Chiroz and Merlot).
We also experienced the bottling process with machines churning out over 12,000 bottles per hour. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get to see the grapes as it was past harvest time. It is instructive to note that they were instrumental
to persuading grape growers in the late 70s to introduce the classic noble varietals to their vineyards such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.
For the wine tasting, we got our first major lesson from the company’s public relations officer, Nadia Ferreira. Wine as we gathered, had to be paired with the right kind of food for it to be enjoyed. But the first step to knowing what to drink is to choose food first. For some of us, beside chocolates, some of the foods for tasting were unfamiliar. But we got a simple lesson from Colin, ‘Pair red wine with red meat and white wine with white meat (chicken, fish)’. So when next you are served Suya or bush meat, it won’t be difficult picking out the
Pinotage. Flu de Cap is currently distributing in Africa, London, Singapore etc.
Having learnt the difference between a Pinotage and a Sauvignon Blanc, we were better equipped when we got to the next winery, J.C. Le Roux the leading producer of sparkling wines in the Cape lands. Known for vintage
wines and state of the art bottling machine, J.C. Le Roux produces 12 different kinds of wines, including its flagship carbonated wines (Leda Maine) for which it is famous. Ranked 12th internationally, it is one of the biggest in South Africa standing on a 36 hectres of farm space.
Very unique to J.C Le Roux is the elegantly furnished tasting room called, the Pink Room.
It was a pretty room that lets in light and air, making the tasting very refreshing with the beautiful ambience. It was designed with the September 22, 2013 / 5 female gender in mind and we were told by Liandra Kotze that many girls come there to host small parties such as birthdays or bachelorette parties. We wished we had this back
home, it would have been a great place to host Patrick and Stella the love bird on the tour team whose wedding is just ahead.
Our visit here was capped with lunch. As usual, not all the listed items on the menu are familiar. But many of us are used to chicken salad and so we ordered smiling at the Chef who took our orders. Alas! When our order arrived, chicken salad was not as we knew it.
We were hungry and had to eat, as our host had gone through so much to make our afternoon enjoyable. The next time I looked in the direction of my colleague, Oscar, nothing was left on his plate and that drew laughter even as he defended himself, ‘wetin I go do? I dey hungry’. The food not withstanding, we had a good time and as we headed for Boschendal Wines, we were hopeful that we would make a better choice at dinner.
The chilly spring cold had started to blow when we got to Boschendal. As we made a dash for the reception room, one could see Guinea fowls running freely across the field.
We were told later, that Guinea fowl which is a special delicacy in Nigeria, is seen here as wild birds. So they run around freely in the field. If I lived here, I thought to myself, my budget on white meat will be very low.
We were received by Goncalo Faria Regional Director, Africa and Middle East. Like all other wineries, getting their products into the Nigeria market is very important. For a long time, Nigeria and other African countries have relied on wines from France and Spain.
But the South African wines are catching on in every market, especially Nigeria that provides a huge market for about any product.
Boschendal like others is set to introduce its red wine come October. Their oldest wine is since 1978. A tour of the cellars, reveal more modern tanks. Wine tanks here are suspended unlike others that are down. This innovative development has made Boschendal a model for others to copy.
The facility tour was followed by wine tasting.
We had samples of their delicious white wine as well as red wine. Having become a pro at nosing and swirling the wine, one could tell a light wine from a full body wine.
Done with the tasting, we were driven to the Boschendal Manor house where dinner was to be served. We were pleasantly surprised to be welcomed into this house that is 201 years old and still standing! The story of the Boschendal Manor House will be told in a subsequent edition. We got a full dose of history class from Rowena Petersen as she brought to the present, the Victorian lifestyle of the early occupants of the Manor House. The excitement made dinner a very relaxed one, wine flowed and conversation continued into the night.
When dinner was through we were reluctant to leave but grateful to the chef and the Boschendal family who had graciously hosted us. The taste of the beautiful Rose, the Blanc de noir will always be remembered.
The weather temperature had dipped when we came out to make our journey back to Stellenbosch and to Kleine Zalze our home for the nest three days.
Tour - Jemi Ekunkunbor Goes Nosing, Swirling Wines in Cape Lands
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