One reason we decided to spend a few days in Hermanus is its proximity to the Hemel-en-Aarde wine region. The name means ‘heaven and earth’ in Afrikaans. According to an early missionary the valley was named “because so high are the hills around the valley they seem to touch the sky and you cannot see anything but heaven and earth”. It’s quite a place and is especially recognized for its Pinot Noirs.
We hired a driver from a local tour agency, ‘Authentick Travel’, to transport us for the day. We lucked out with John as our driver – a local who really knows the area. On our way to the valley, he drove us up to the Hermanus lookout to view the town and bay for great pictures and a nice overview of the history of the area.
This needed to be a short day for us as we have an early morning flight tomorrow to Zimbabwe so we only booked three wine farms for visits. This is a target rich environment, sadly we can only do so many tastings.
First stop for the day is at Hermanus Pieters Fontein (HPF) at the entrance to the valley. The name Hermanuspietersfontein pays tribute to the history of the area – Hermanus Pieters, a teacher from Holland arrived in Cape Town in 1815 and trekked by ox-wagon to Caledon where he taught children in their mother tongue to spare them from being taught in English. In the 1820s, during the summer months, he began herding his sheep and cattle south along what is now known as the Hemel-en-Aarde valley. He later became the postmaster of what was a permanent settlement called Hermanuspietersfontein, later shortened to Hermanus. He was paid by locals in sheep, hence the winery’s theme. These people have a great sense of humor, and it is shown in the wine labels and names.
Next in the Hemel-en-Aarde valley is Bouchard Finlayson, one of the wineries we’ve been most exited to visit. They specialize in award-winning Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. We enjoyed our tasting outside in the courtyard and ordered a Charcuterie platter for two as accompaniment. OK, maybe two families with teenage sons. Holy cow! We ate what we could and divided the remainder so we could share it with John and take some home. Great wine, great food, awesome location.
Further up along the Hemel-en-Aarde ridge in a striking setting is Ataraxia, a small winery that produces four wines; Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Serenity, a red blend. Their tasting room is unique as it is built as a chapel in the architectural style of the Overberg region. The wines live up to the hype.
Our driver, John, heard us talking about how much we enjoyed Sauvignon Blanc and suggested we stop at the Bartho Eksteen Wine Farm. Brilliant suggestion John!. It was a small place but outstanding wines. Mr. Eksteen is recognized as the ‘expert’ on Sav production in SA. Quite a character too!
We asked John drop us off at ‘The Brewery’ for dinner. It’s our last day in Hermanus and we have a very early wake up call in the morning. Poppers, wings and pizza – South African style. A good way to end this portion of the trip.
Back to pack and early to bed.