Stephan Steyn

a really very friendly staff and wines that tasted so well and value wise you can only win here!

So i came back here for another visit….. this time the other side of the establishment, the tasting being very informal, i picked my 5 wines, it was brought to me and thats….. so thats upsetting, i want to know what Shiraz or what chardonnay is in my glass please! yes we are students….. but a wine student as well…. i think i deserve a bit more, after all it’s my future i’m tasting in the glass!
so a bit of a happy note, the setting is beautiful and open… great for a sunny day and family to picnic.

So we made a stop here and it was very pleasant indeed, we let the new manager make the choices of 5 wines, and i was impressed with them, the Sauvignon blanc was crispy and pleasant, so a good example of its kind then. as for the reds they went down well, the Pinot Noir and the Cabernet Sauvignon as well as the Shiraz… wines that can be kept for a while yet will be pleased now.
so an experienced enjoyed
thanks guys

So this little place, some big wines…. all the wines spending over 15 months in wood except for the Cape rose blend which is very refreshing and goes down very well on a warm or hot day! the other wines are very well structured and balance. the Pinotage being great with a dash of Cab due to the old history… find out by taking a visit to the farm! the other blends Nikela, Cab/Merlot blend and the flagship Grangehurst wine, spent 33 months in the barrel and time in their did amazing things to it! these wines made with love and will last so much longer still!

they should have two price list, one for local South Africans and another for Over seas people… cause we locals are not really going to pay over 450 Rand for a bottle of red, though it is good, but not worth so much! the other wines were indeed all good and tasty and well made but yet again…. we are only students and locals… can’t treat us like we have gold bank accounts either…. so the main highlight was the art Gallery… if only i had 10 grand to buy that one picture! and a few other paintings and one sculpture…. anyone want to help out a fellow student in need of decoration??

so we had an appointment at 10am here, we rocked up at 10:05am being students again! welcomed by our host… Sorry I can’t remember her name but i know she was very attractive! lets see if she reads this haha
well the setting is beautiful and also being a perfect day for tasting it all went well.. did a quick cellar tour which was wow…. the barrel room being vast and looked great!! heading onto the tasting side of things.. we had the Nadine Chardonnay first… at first it was lovely smooth and elegant… so the Classique next, still a good wine, for 98 rand now, i can still pay for that! it was ready to drink but can keep a little longer, the Baron Edmund being a big wine did impress as well, went down so well especially at 10:30 in the morning and good wines to start a day do well.. we had a rather interesting Argentinian wine also belonging to the Rothschild’s, this wine great lots of yummy characters and firm tannins. we went back to the Nadine Chardonnay and boy it was even better than moments ago… opening up more and being really yummy! So naturally when it was time to go, all three of us bought 2 bottles of the Nadine chardonnay!! so i think the sales for the chardonnay’s did very well that morning!

So we traveled all the way from Stellenbosch to go taste some “big gun” wines and we were a little disappointed! though the Porcupine ridge range was good, we wanted big guns and we didn’t get any!! according to the Brochure you have to be on their mailing list to be considered!! don’t we “mere mortals” (thats how my friend put it) get a chance to taste some yummy stuff and if possible get an opportunity to buy some! yes OK being a student we usually flat broke but i wasn’t that day!
the host didn’t seem to be so interested in the wines as he just poured, told us what wine it was and left… that we can read off a bottle. so hopefully next time… we get something better!

so we made a stop here as part of our “Day In Franschoek” trip and stopping here was great, welcomed by informed staff, taken to a nice airy tasting room surrounded by extensive history of the area!!
onto the wines…. well the first two we tried the “Vastrap” and “lekkervijn” both took me back to the childhood years of being a little kid when i used to love eating though’s ice cream sticks…what do you call them now, they frozen icicles in the plastic thingy and they had some nice sweet flavors!! the others were great wit hall having very interesting noses and palates. rather different wines should i say! then the “Cape Jazz” sparkling, low in alcohol and very refreshing so yes a jazzy wine to have!!!
The restaurant is really cool!! imagine sitting on thick glass and under you see the grounds, excavations etc! so this farm i give a thumbs up!! very enjoyable!

currently at the vineyard for the open day and looking great so far with the Chardonnay in the hand!! wines only getting better! lets hope i got all the wines right for the varietal tasting!

So i came by here again, and still it is an impressive place with lovely gardens to walk through, the place may seem a weeny bit commercialized but the wines still impress, me loving the Lord Neethling Cabernet franc 2003 especially with its complex fruity palate and balance! All the other wines still pleased very well.
Our host did do a good job being so friendly and informative so thanks for that, the tasting center has changed a bit since i was last their which was in May 2008, the new look definitely goes well making it feel more formal!

By far one of the best tasting experience I’ve had in a long time… i was immediately welcomed by my host as i walked in, very friendly and well informed of all the wines…
The venue itself is definitely a great one! loved the big table right in the middle of the place…
too the wines, starting of with the whites as usual, the Atkinson Ridge Sauvignon blanc was impressive, loved the asparagus showing off well. The two Chardonnay’s on being fermented using natural yeast did go down very well, but both were very complex in terms of aroma and on the palate, definitely my type of Chardonnay! Though the Kamili Chardonnay/Viognier blend was very impressive, the Viognier does so well to any wine it goes into!!
then onto the reds…. well i first went for the Amani “I am one” which I’ve been looking for for a very long time and so i found it again and boy did it impress, the palate was so complex and well integrated with so many characters it was hard to say which one was most prominent then it was followed with a great velvety texture on the palate!
All the Shiraz tasted did go down very well indeed, with the 2005 Forest Myers Shiraz being a good one or the ladies and the 2006 going down better with the men…It’s not a sexist thing, it’s just science!!
the Pendana Shiraz 2006 was indeed a great one for my taste buds!
Amani is definitely a place to see again! so i am planning on coming back!
loved it!

So the last stop of the day was Noble Hills and yes it was a great day to end off, the gardens being impressive, the venue being ideal and a lovely ambiance around you.. the tasting venue was impressive, simple but different and elegant with a very friendly host from the USA.
heading onto the wines, well we tasted 5 and i wish i could have bought all 5 but in the end i did buy the Merlot 2006, which was impressive by the way!
oh and i did have a quick taste of the garlic olive oil and it did please!!!!

So back i came, but this time for some tasting and not a vino varsity challenge again… the walk from the park was a pleasant one going past the gardens and watching people have picnics and lunches outside, the tasting venue was indeed pleasant and felt very open… great for a few people to go and have some fun.
heading onto the wines, well all the wines we tasted were of good quality and well priced, they were wines for a good hot Stellenbosch afternoon.. on the whites the Chardonnay did impress with the good wooded character, the pumphouse shiraz 2007 was the good red for the day..
will someday make a trip back here again.. or maybe for the next vino varsity challenge later this year…

so we stopped here first…. and straight for the bubble, pity they didn’t have any more of the kaapse vonkel 2005 to taste but the 2008 and was still good enough.
the staff were open and easy enough to talk to and inform people of the wines, heading on to the venue, well thats easy, its a great place to go wine tasting, lovely views all around by the restaurant and and a great setting all around! cant really find anything bad to say though… perhaps they should pull out more 2005 Kaapse Vonkel

so the first impression was great, a beautiful building and scenery surrounding the tasting venue.. the design of the tasting room is very funky, cosy and spacious for people with a big outside area for bigger groups to sit and have a good time.
the wines were good, and were of a easy drinking style and had good characters to them which impressed, the Grand Vin Chenin blanc 2008 was a good example
perhaps the staff could make students feel more welcome…. was a small let down indeed for some good wines and a great venue, they are after all the future wine drinkers!

So it is quite a nice ride going to Delheim passing Muratie… and definitely a lovely scenery surrounding Delheim…. Friendly staff a nice cool, relaxing place to be indeed the tasting venue does however have an old bar type ambience to it… though the staff are well informed of their wines, i don’t really want to wait 10 minutes between every wine i have, yes it may be a Saturday which us usually busier, but today it wasn’t that bad at all…
the wines did make up for it with all of the whites being very fresh and easy drinking, good for the SA climate.. as for the reds the Vera Cruz Shiraz 2005 did stand out rather well!
a pleasant experience indeed

So now i’ve finally been to Tokara, an amazing sight to start off with, first thing you have to notice when parking the car….. the Views are stunning, all around and the Architecture is very well done indeed when walking up into the Venue which is not over done at all, just very good!
moving onto the wines now, the Zondernaam Sauvignon blanc is a very good one, very refreshing and it went done well with the view in front of me, the other wine which stood out a lot was the Zondernaam Chardonnay, very lemony and zesty, beautifully made as well! onto the reds the Shiraz 2007 was very juicy and easy going.with some typical characters to it!
Tokara is really a lovely place to go and another visit sometimes will be on my list

so i finally got to visit this place, a smooth drive to the tasting venue which is very simple yet refined and a “feel good” place to be, with the host being very friendly and knows the wine!
the wines that were tasted were all great, with the barrel ferment chenin blanc appealing to my palate quite well indeed and a chardonnay that seems to be a good example of a wooded chardonnay..
will make another stop here someday to go and try the restaurant!
had a great stop here

the place gave me a big wow when driving through, first notice for me went to the amazing panoramic views all around! as for the tasting venue itself, seems to look more and better than a hotel!
the money was indeed well spent, nothing was too lavishing or over done, it was fancy and pleasant to sit and enjoy some good wines in the lounge, the hostess was informative and a delight to have, as for the wines, well the Sauvignon Blanc was indeed refreshing and elegant to drink, not the best in the world, but will certainly go well on a hot summers day! over to the reds, the Shiraz 2009 was indeed juicy and fruity and an easy wine to drink.. price wise the wines are worth it perhaps?

so this was the next vineyard stop, never knew this place existed so it was a surprise when driving up and finding this massive tasting/cellar area which looked lovely! the inside of the venue was very different to all others I’ve seen having a classic touch to it. the wines
The wines were all up to good standard, with a very interesting notice of a Zebra’s behind on the label, the wine proved well indeed! though the 2006 Shiraz/Cab Sav/Merlot stood out the most for me!
A beautiful vineyard indeed

So if you’re coming here be sure to keep right when turning off the road, you don’t want to end up in someones front yard hey! but nevertheless it is a lovely road to drive through the vineyards and up to the tasting center.
upon walking into the tasting area, it is seriously great looking with a modern Fresh look to everything with the funky artistic labels to the art work on the walls, went upstairs and was welcomed by an amazing view over the vineyards!
the wines that followed were all great, the viognier stood out a lot for me as well as some reds that will not be released in a good while still!!
had such a great time with the wine-flies
thank you Arra

some lovely wines appeared to me when tasting here and all of them are of good quality! we went here on a great sunny day which it all the more worthwhile! the tasting venue was quite an attractive sight yet very simplistic!

yet went to the vineyards again! the place is surrounded by so much history and splendor!! this time did the whole cellar tour as well and wow they have a very modern cellar all gravity fed with the cellar into and on the side of the hill with beautiful views in all directions!

Seriously friendly staff and very informative… a lovely place to go visit! the wines being of very good value for what you are drinking. This place has some very nice history to go with it in relation to the lady who used to pick wild flowers and sell them!!

Seriously insane views from the patio and tasting center, very friendly and knowledgeable staff taking us through the tasting, with the Hidden valley Bordeaux blend being amazing and the hidden valley Pinotage just as good…
the Lands End Sauvignon Blanc was really good too.
will plan a visit back here again sometimes to try out the restaurant as the food their looked great!