Robertson "Hands on Harvest" Festival
Last weekend Robertson celebrated its fifth annual Hands on Harvest festival when wineries across the valley throw open their farm gates and cellar doors to welcome guests for hands on wine experience. If you've always fancied yourself as a farmer or a wine maker, this is the festival for you; it's an opportunity to get out into the field and the cellar, learn more about how the stuff is made and get stuck in... without the commitment of leaving your day job! There are multiple wine related activities across the area. Here are our favourites...
Excelsior invited guests to get down and dirty making wine the old fashioned way. Starting early before the searing heat of the day, guests were armed with secateurs and taken into the vineyards to learn more about growing grapes for wine and picking them. They 'stomped' their grapes and used a traditional barrel press to extract the juice from some fermented grapes before bottling it. Guests had a tour of the vineyards where they learnt more about the importance of the soil and the Excelsior philosophy of respectful farming, followed by a tour of the cellar to see how wine is made today. On Saturday evening Excelsior hosted its annual charity concert with Riana Nel as the star attraction - even if you don't speak Afrikaans, it's well worth joining one of these concerts for the cultural experience and an evening picnic on the springy lawns of the beautiful Cape Revival manor.
(Ed: This photo reminds me of the expression rosyntjietone, the cunning nickname which men from Caledon in a previous era had for their more prosperous & educated critics from the wine districts, in response to being called "Kale Donners" - read Laurie Green's Beyond the City Lights for more on that)
Weltevrede, which means 'well satisfied', lived up to its name and enchanted visitors with beautiful surroundings and the opportunity to 'make' your own bubbly. A series of photos, put to music, set the mood followed by an overview of the wine making process given by Philip Jonker, owner and cellar master. Visitors were given a bottle of Weltevrede MCC which had finished its second fermentation in the picturesque underground cellar. The sediment had been frozen in the bottle and the task was to 'disgorge' it (without allowing the precious bubbly to escape!), add the 'dosage', cork and label the bottle. The end result looked professional...well almost!
Not surprisingly wine tastings are two-a-penny in the Robertson area and, once you've been to a few, it can be hard to distinguish one from another. Not so the tasting at De Wetshof. Held in the atmospheric underground maturation cellar and led by owner Johan de Wet, this is a wine tasting with a difference. The focus is on Chardonnay, De Wetshof's speciality, and even if it's not your favourite varietal you will nevertheless enjoy the exploration - and at the end of it you might even decide to revise ABC (anything but Chardonnay) to stand for Always Buy Chardonnay! Johan clearly knows his onions and takes you on an old world, new world journey of Chardonnay, comparing William Fevre Chablis 2011 with delicious De Wetshof wines, Bon Vallon Chardonnay and Limestone Hill to demonstrate the impact of 'terroir' on Chardonnay and the range of this varietal.
The fantastic weather over the weekend made it perfect for leisurely outdoor meals. Arendsig got it right with their Sunday lunchtime harvest feast next to the river hosted by winemaker Lourens van der Westhuizen . The mood was informal yet stylish; guests wore white and played boules, relaxed on the lush lawns and took gentle boat trips on the river. Axel, the chef from local favourite Mo & Rose, invited guests to choose meat for him to cook them on the fire and enjoy with a glass of Arendsig fine wines.
The focus for the Hands on Harvest at Van Loveren is on interesting food and wine pairings. They offer wine with chocolate, cheese, charcuterie or nougat pairings. You can have a master wine tasting with the Van Loveren wine maker Malcolm Human who will lead you on a tour of the cellar to show you how it's done and share a taste of some 'nursery' wines, which are still developing. They even have a non alcoholic tasting for the driver!
Robertson isn't just known for its fantastic wines, it's also home to Klipdrift, the iconic South African brand (y). Over the Hands on Harvest festival Klipdrift gets involved by inviting visitors 'home' for a tour of the distillery to learn more about the process of distilling brandy from wine, the blending processes and the maturation cellar where they keep vats for up to 21 years. You can also have a guided tasting of Klipdrift Export, Premium and Gold either 'met soush' which is a savoury tasting with grilled meats or with sweet treats like brandy truffles and traditional syrupy koeksisters.
Here's an adjustable map showing you how to get from Cape Town to Robertson - it's an easy 2 hour drive.
Author: Emily Blott
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