Marion Lille

The Elgin valley had a busy weekend with the Open Gardens, so I don’t expect my experience at Iona the past Saturday to be representative of their tasting experience in general. They were third on our list of farms to visit, and the quality of the experience did not quite match up to what we experienced at other Elgin farms.

Their tasting room is still very new and quite sparse, but I like the idea of having one long table, where different tasting groups all sit together and discuss the wines. The wines left a bit to be desired, though. Their Sauvignon Blanc was very good, but I’ve come to expect that from Elgin Sauvignons and Iona’s does not exactly stand out among the competition. The Chardonnay was quite heavy (not really my style), and reeked of sulfur, which was a bit worrying. The reds were good, but nothing special. It’s also a pity their Syrah was not available for tasting. In their defense, they are currently on their fourth winemaker in five years, so it must be difficult to maintain consistent quality.

I was very disappointed to be charged a R20 tasting fee, the only farm in the area I’ve ever had to pay.

We have a coffee shop close to us that serve Môreson’s Miss Molly MCC. One Saturday afternoon we rocked up and they’re about to close. Unable to get our fix of the Miss Molly, we decide to drive to the estate in Franschhoek to buy a case (we love it that much!). While we’re there, we decide we might as well taste some of their other wines. The Miss Molly range was not available for tasting, but the Môreson range was. They have about four other Cap Classiques, which I enjoyed immensely. They have the usual Chardonnay/Pinot blend, as well as an interesting Pinotage/Chenin blend, available both as a regular Brut and as a Rosé.

Their pride and joy, however, is their Chardonnay, which impressed even me, a self-confessed member of the ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) Club. They also have a delicious Pinotage (another varietal I’m normally not fond of).

The tasting room staff impressed me immensely. Our host, JP, was friendly, funny, knowledgeable and entertaining. I find that the tasting assistant can make or break the tasting, regardless of the quality of the wines on offer. Môreson seems to have gotten everything just right: good quality wines (at value-for-money prices) and great tasting room staff. I’ll be back for more soon!

Living in Stellenbosch, you get used to impersonal tasting experiences which you always have to pay for. Visiting the Elgin Valley is a nice change in scenery. Highlands Road Estate was probably the highlight of our visit. Mary was a fantastic host with fantastic wine knowledge and a wicked sense of humour. The wines at this estate is also top notch, particularly the Sauvignon Blanc and the Pinot Noir. I’ll definitely be back for more!

I decided to visit this farm since I heard they had the best-looking tasting room around. The tasting room and restaurant shares the same modern, clean, impressive space, making for a nice busy atmosphere. We sat down for a tasting and was informed that you can choose any 6 wines for a R30 tasting fee, which is a bit steep in my opinion. Our tasting assistant simply poured the wines without giving any information about them. However, when I asked a question, she answered knowledgeably. It’s just a pity you have to actively elicit this knowledge. Tasting rooms are great opportunities to educate the broader public about wine and I feel they are missing out on this opportunity by not giving as much information as possible up front.

The wines themselves were pretty decent, I just struggled to justify the slightly high asking prices. I guess they have to recoup the money that went into the fancy building somehow.

This cellar was on our way when we visited the Namaqualand, so we decided to stop here and taste a few of their wines. I started with the Sauvignon blanc, which was very sharp and grassy – not really my style. The barrel-fermented Viognier was quite good, if a little sweet for my taste. I tried the Shiraz next. Wonderful, complex nose, but it had a nasty bitter after-taste, so I decided to skip the rest of the reds and go straight for the dessert wines. The red muscadel was ok, but I much preferred the white. At R28 a bottle, it’s a real bargain.

The tasting assistant was friendly, but did not offer much information about the wines. Altogether a pretty pleasant experience. The wines are nothing special, but at those prices you can hardly expect show-stoppers.

Always up for something different, I decided to do the Tri-Nations Triple Tasting at Dombeya. We tasted the two Haskell wines, as well as a New Zealand Shiraz. Our host, Werner, made the experience very special with his enthusiasm and wine knowledge. Their cellar door experience is so far ahead of most estates in this area and I’ll definitely be back for more.

And the food at the Long Table Restaurant is not to be missed either!

The tasting room is quite small, but with a clean, modern look. Our tasting assistant was friendly and clearly knew the wines well. I really enjoyed their Riesling – they bottle two different lables: The drier, Stellenbosch-grown Riesling, as well as the slightly sweeter, more fruity Sutherland Riesling. The two styles vary considerably, but both are excellent! I’m planning another visit soon.

This must be the best-looking tasting room I’ve ever seen. A renovated Cape Dutch building with a thoroughly modern interior. Unfortunately all the tables were full, so we had to stand at the bar, which would have been a lot more comfortable if they thought to get some bar stools. The tasting assistant was friendly and knowledgeable and their wine was superb, though. And well priced. I would definitely visit this farm again.

I really like how they serve you all the wine at the same time in separate glasses. It makes it easy to compare the different wines you’ve chosen to taste. Having said that, the quality of the wine left a lot to be desired. The Ivory was quite good, but the others were somewhat disappointing. They have an interesting wine, the Cabernet Sauvignon Blanc, which is a blanc de noir. After tasting it I realised why white wine is not often made with Cabernet Sauvignon grapes: it really does not work.

I’m a big Riesling fan, but few wine estates make this varietal. I ordered a glass of Hartenberg Riesling at a restaurant once, and that prompted my visit to the estate. I got to taste both their 2007 and 2008 Riesling. The 2007 was harvested about a month later than they did in 2008, with the result being a slightly sweeter (but still nowhere near semi-sweet) wine. The 2008 was drier, which I preferred, even though it lost some of the complexity that you got from the 2007.
Their reds were equally good. They really know how to make a good Shiraz. Their Shiraz was not your typical, heavily-spicy wine. It was a bit lighter with a more fruity character than what you’d expect from a Shiraz.
So overall a very pleasant experience. The tasting assistant was friendly and knowledgeable, and they don’t even charge a tasting fee!

I’ve been threatening to do a tasting at Dombeya for a long time, but never got around to making an appointment (tastings are by appointment only). I am really glad I finally did, because this was quite a special experience. Our tasting was conducted by their winemaker, Rianie Strydom, so we were able to learn intimate details of how the wines were made that you would not have gotten otherwise.
And her wines certainly did not disappoint. The reds were all rather special. I particularly enjoyed their Samara, a bordeaux-style blend. But the real surprise for me was the Merlot. I normally do not like this varietal (I find it quite dull and lackluster in general), but theirs was so delicious I even bought a bottle.

I’ve never had a bad tasting experience at Delheim. Our host, Simon, was friendly and knowledgeable. The tasting fee is R20 for six wines, but he let us taste some extra wines free in order to compare, for instance, their normal Pinotage with their Pinotage Reserve, as well as comparing different vintages of the same wine.

This estate’s wine just never disappoints. Their budget label wines are extremely good value for money. I particularly enjoyed their Shiraz/Mourvedre blend. It’s rich and spicy without being too heavy. Their Gamay Noir is an interesting varietal. It’s an unwooded red wine that can be served chilled and will be perfect for summer.
Their vineyard selection is top quality for not a lot of money. I particularly enjoyed the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon.
Their flagship Family Selection wines are knock-outs. Quite pricey, but absolutely fantastic. The other day I opened a bottle of the Family Selection Shiraz and was genuinely sad when the bottle was finished. Excellent wine!

Their tasting room is really small, which might be a problem for bigger groups, but the three of us were the only people there, so it didn’t matter. Our tasting assistant was very friendly and was clearly passionate about the wines. We spent quite some time there chatting to her while tasting their very well-priced wines. I was particularly impressed by the Petit Verdot, not a varietal found on its own very often. Unfortunately their Methode Cap Classique was not available for tasting, but I bought two bottles anyway, having heard good things about it. And I was not disappointed.

I’ve always wanted to come to Chamonix for a tasting, and this weekend I fnally did. They had six wines available for tasting, of which you could choose five. Unfortunately their Pinot Noir Reserve was not one of them. But their wines really impressed me. Their Sauvignon Blanc Reserve is a very special white wine and I also quite liked the Pinotage. But the real surprise for me was the Chamonix Rouge. It has a wonderful nose and lovely fruity taste without being sweet. And it only cost R30 a bottle! That wine is a little gem.
They also have a wide variety of distilled products available for tasting. We tried the pear schnapps (VERY strong!) and the pamplemousse, which was a very nice ending to our tasting.

I’m sad to say, but I was vey disappointed by this cellar. They let me down in every imaginable way.
Firstly, the tasting. There were three tasting assistants and the place was not busy, yet they refuse to come away from behind the counter to serve you at the tables, so you keep having to go back to the counter to have your next pouring. If you don’t want to serve people at the tables, why do you have them? Also, R30 to taste five wines is a bit steep.
Secondly, the wines. I guess I could have justified the tasting fee if the wines were any good. None of their Cap Classiques stood out. They all tasted bland and watery. I really expected more from a cellar that specializes in Cap Classique. I made the mistake of tasting all four and could then only choose one other wine to taste. Unfortunately I chose the Tranquille, which is basically a cap classique that did not undergo the second fermentation and thus do not have bubbles. It was sweet and tasteless.
I’m not going back there again.

The tasting room at Glen Carlou is absolutely beautiful. You can enjoy your wine tasting on the balcony while taking in the breathtaking view. Our tasting assistant was well informed and they have a very good selection of wines available for tasting. We paid a bit extra to taste their two flagships, the Stone Quarts Chardonnay and the Gravel Quarry Cabernet Sauvignon, but might as well not have bothered. Their classic range Chardonnay was much nicer and I simply did not like the Gravel Quarry. It had a metallic nose and the taste was quite strange. I was assured that it was not a bad bottle and that it was supposed to taste like that.
But apart from that, their wines were of very high quality. I particularly like the value-for-money Tortoise Hill range. You’d be hard pressed to find better wines for that price elsewhere. So altogether a very pleasant tasting experience.

When we arrived at the cellar, the door to the tasting room was closed, so we went up to the office to find out if we could do a tasting. So not a great first impression. We were told that the tasting assistant was not at work that day, but someone else offered to take us to the tasting room. The tasting room itself also left much to be desired, which is basically one corner of the cellar with a few chairs and tables.
However, the girl who assisted us was very friendly, informative and clearly knew the wines very well. We did not taste their budget label (Fish Hoek), but almost everything else was up for tasting, except the Pinot Noir, which was sold out. We started the tasting with the Noon Gun (white blend) and Longitude (red blend), which were very good value for money. I was really impressed with their Cape Blend, the Dragon Tree, and their Pinotage, a variety that I normally dislike. Their whites are also very good, with the Two Roads blend really standing out. The highlight was their flagship, the Mary le Bow, at R220 a bottle.
Despite the unimpressive start, I thoroughly enjoyed the tasting and left with a couple bottles of the Dragon Tree and one bottle each of the Pinotage and Mary le Bow. Their wine never ceases to impress and now Flagstone is my favourite cellar.

First off, let me make it clear that I absolutely LOVE this estate’s wines. Unfortunately the tasting experience at the cellar is not always what you might expect from such a prestigious estate.

We once went as a large group and was seated at a big table in the cellar. The tasting room is well equipped to handle larger groups. Our tasting assistant was a very pleasant young man who displayed good wine knowledge. He did not simply repeat the tasting notes on the price list and readily answered all our questions.
I was sufficiently impressed and recommended the farm to some visitors recently. I accompanied them for a tasting, which was utterly lacking. Our tasting assistant did not seem to know much about the wine apart from what was already printed in the tasting notes and she took far too long between pourings.
So a very mixed experience then, but still worth the trip to taste their very special wines. The Estate at R300 a bottle was my favourite. I even preferred it over the 1694, which cost an eye-watering R1200 a bottle. Truly a very special wine, but outside most budgets. I settled on the 2004 Shiraz at R160 a bottle.

First impressions really do matter, and the interior at the L’Avenir tasting room made a very positive one. It is clear that some thought and effort has been put into making the place visually appealing.
The tasting assistants are always friendly and helpful and all their wines are available for tasting for a small fee.
Unfortunately none of their wines really stood out for me, but the overall tasting experience is most definitely overwhelmingly positive.

Having been at Kanonkop a number of times, it is difficult to write a concise review, as the experience was different each time. The tasting room is normally very busy during tourist season and the tasting assistants are less attentive, preferring to focus on overseas tourists rather than on locals.
If you happen to visit on a quiet day the experience is a lot more positive. The tasting assistant showed good wine knowledge as well as enthusiasm for the farm’s wines, which is always a positive thing. And it is easy to get enthusiastic about Kanonkop wines. As usual, their Pinotage is peerless. I am not a big fan of the local grape, but Abrie has definitely mastered the art of getting the most out of it. Their Cabernet Sauvignon has never been exceptional to me, but it’s a decent example. Luckily I was also able to taste the new vintage Paul Sauer, and it is clear to see why it nets them so many awards.

One of my most memorable wine-tasting experiences has been at Deetlefs Estate. We arrived there a bit early (the tasting room was still closed) and accidentally set off the alarm. After many apologies about being there so early and insisting we will wait until opening time, the owner, Kobus Deetlefs, kindly offered to accompany us to the tasting room.
They have a very wide variety of wines to suit all tastes and budgets, and a good number of those were available for tasting. Kobus shared his expertise with us, making the whole tasting experience much richer than what you get at most Stellenbosch farms, where you are normally assisted by a disinterested student.
Most of their budget Stone Cross range was up for tasting, as well as a number of the Deetlefs range. Unfortunately only one of their premium range Deetlefs Familie wines was up for tasting. A fine Bordeaux-style red, but unfortunately at R300+ a bottle it was a bit outside our budget.
Eventually we bought a couple bottles of their Pinotage, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay plus a bottle of their excellent Hanepoot (my guilty pleasure). Kobus was even kind enough to throw in a free bottle of Pinotage. Definitely well worth the drive to Rawsonville.