It’s back to wine touring today!
Close to our lodging in Franschhoek is the ‘Helderberg’ side of the Stellenboch wine region, our target for the day. It’s another early start with Taryn picking us up at the Avondrood a little after 9:00.
Our first stop is at the Keermont Vinyards, a wine estate set in the picturesque Blaauwklippen Valley, between the Helderberg and Stellenbosch Mountain ranges. Driving up the canyon to the wine farm we see evidence of major wind damage. A storm with sheering winds had come through just days before we were there. The owners and staff were picking up tree limbs and trimming broken bushes. Our host was the sales manager Nicole, originally from Washington DC, now (in her words) ‘living the good life’. The tasting is in Keermont’s barrel room. It was a nice, laid-back experience with excellent wine, all sourced from estate-grown grapes.
A short drive up the Blaauwklippen Valley was our next stop, the De Trafford Winery. De Trafford was hit by the same storm and many massive trees are down. David Trafford has owned the property since 1992 on land once deemed unsuitable for farming. The vineyards are scattered along this very hilly site with a broad range of conditions and exposure. The cellar manager was our host for the tasting. They have a wide range of varietals, all of which consistently garner 90+ ratings. The Syrah we tasted really stood out. David’s wife Rita is an amazing artist who creates all the labels for their wines. Mary bought an beautiful hand painted scarf she made.
For lunch, we moved further up the Blaauwklippen Valley to Waterford Estate. Their on-site restaurant, the ‘Salt Café’, had a small but excellent menu. We finished with a tasting of ‘JEM’, their flagship red blend named after the estate owner. It’s considered among the best wine South Africa produces and voted among the top 1% in the world.
Even though it’s not a boutique winery, we HAD to stop at the Ernie Els Wine Estate. Our tasting was on an outside deck overlooking the valley and vineyards. They have a pitching green you can hit to from the tasting deck. A hole-in-one gets you a bottle of wine. We gave it a ‘go’! Even Taryn got into the act, and she had never golfed before. Good fun.
Our final stop of the day is at the Grangehurst Winery on the slopes of Helderberg Mountain with great views of Cape Point and Table Mountain. The estate is named after the owner’s childhood homes in the UK. Grangehurst produces reds wines and rose. The wine tasting is accompanied by olives, dried fruit, cheese and crackers. A nice way to finish the day.
Stuffed to the gills, we passed on dinner for the evening.