Johannesburg - Numerous press releases drop into my inbox daily, some memorable, some not particularly.
But when I received a mail about a chef in Franschhoek, Jean Pierre Smith, who nurtured his yeast for his artisanal sourdough bread, I was quite sure it was the soft-spoken chef previously connected to Junipa’s café and bistro in Bryanston.
It turns out that JP left Junipa’s a while back, to work his magic in the kitchens of David Copperfield – the American illusionist described by Forbes magazine as the most commercially successful magician in history, supermodel Claudia Schiffer’s former squeeze, the man whose famous sleight of hand bought him 11 islands in the Bahamas. And then some.
Last week, over a languid lunch on Vrede en Lust wine estate with the farm’s managing partner, Etienne Buys and JP, the chef told me that there was nothing magical or lucky about Copperfield’s success – the illusionist is an exceptionally hard worker, plying his trade in Vegas with two gruelling shows a day.
For 11 islands in paradise, I too might be tempted to make the Statue of Liberty disappear, levitate over the Grand Canyon or walk through the Great Wall of China. In my dreams.
While it was a thrill working in the Bahamas, JP got homesick, so he returned to the Franschhoek estate’s bistro after his stint overseas – to the place where it all started for him.
This time though, being its patron chef, Lust Bistro and Bakery is his own baby.
Why this obsession with bread and yeast? JP says his love of science and his passion for baking led him to cultivate his own wild yeast mother culture. Unlike mass-produced yeast, his yeast is alive and nurtured.
Having completed his industrial psychology degree, JP travelled to the UK and South Korea, but returned to enrol at the Stellenbosch Institute of Culinary Arts. His sourdough breads are a labour of love, taking at least three days to make.
Lust Bistro & Bakery specialises in artisanal breads, baked in the wood-fired brick oven. They serve breakfast, lunch and tea, a Sunday buffet menu and a daily chalkboard offering. JP’s not only a kneady man – his Chalmar beef burger on herbed ciabatta with butternut-apricot chutney and winelands blue-brie; slow-roasted pork belly with black bean salsa; and crispy duck breast with noodles are specialities.
And while cheese and charcuterie platters showcase cold meats and cheeses from the valley, the passionfruit, carrot and dark chocolate cakes invite indulgence.
As a wine tourism destination, Franschhoek has possibly oversold its French Huguenot heritage, but its links to France are undeniable; as much as Constantia, the country’s oldest wine-growing route, and Stellenbosch, our second oldest town, have historic Dutch and British ties.
The Franschhoek valley was originally settled in 1688 by predominantly French Huguenot refugees who were granted land by the Batavian government in a valley called Olifantshoek (“Elephants’ corner”), named after the herds of elephants that roamed the area.
The name changed to le Coin Français (“French Corner”), later to Franschhoek (Dutch for “French Corner”), with the settlers giving their farms French names such as La Motte, Provence, Chamonix and Dieu Donné.
Many of the surnames in the area are French in origin, for example Du Toit, Marais, Du Plessis, Labuschagne, Olivier and Joubert – which are pronounced in the French style as “Du Twa”, “La Bushay” and so forth.
Vrede en Lust, meaning “peace and delight” rather than anything especially lusty, was one of those pioneering farms, founded by Jacques de Savoye and his wife, Marie-Madeleine le Clercq, who had fled Flanders (now in Belgium).
Having arrived at the Cape, the couple settled on the land in the foothills of the Napoleonsberg (later the Simonsberg).
After countless ownership changes over subsequent years, Etienne’s brother, Dana Buys, a software magnate, bought the farm in 1996, with the aim of turning Vrede en Lust into a notable producer of wine.
Today, besides their acclaimed wines, the farm incorporates Lust bistro, accommodation in their Jonkmanshuis and manor house, and a hugely popular wedding and conference venue.
Vrede en Lust is a 55-hectare farm with 36ha under vines, with another recently purchased Ricton farm 2km down the road, and Casey’s Ridge, a 90ha former apple orchard in Elgin, which is in the Kogelberg Biosphere (the first Unesco-proclaimed biosphere in southern Africa).
The Vrede en Lust winery sources grapes from the two vineyards in the Simonsberg-Paarl ward, as well as from Casey’s Ridge in much cooler Elgin.
Etienne, who traded in the world of business for life on this beautiful estate, manages farming and viticultural aspects while Susan Erasmus and Ansonè Stoffberg take care of winemaking.
Their wine range comprises four selections: Tier 1, with the Jess, Sarah and Red Lady blends which are made for early enjoyment and offer great value for the quality; Tier 2, which includes the top varietal wines and Casey’s Ridge Elgin sauvignon blanc, the White Mischief (a partially wooded five-variety blend), Mocholate malbec, syrah, the wooded Marguerite chardonnay and the viognier; Tier 3, the flagship Bordeaux red blend Boet Erasmus (named after the brothers’ grandfather, who was a prominent rugby figure and the long-term vice-president of the International Rugby Board), a wooded single vineyard chenin blanc and the Barrique (a wooded sémillon-sauvignon blanc blend); as well as the Artisan range made for Wine Club members and only in limited quantities.
They’ve raked in awards in recent years, with both their 2012 Kogelberg chenin blanc and their 2012 viognier achieving golds at last year’s Michelangelo awards, while the 2009 Boet Erasmus won gold at the 2011 awards.
If you’re going to the Cape, make Vrede en Lust a must-stop on your itinerary. More than just their wine, the owners and staff are friendly, professional and hospitable – and you might just fall in love with Lust.
On Vrede en Lust wine estate, Franschhoek
Tel: 021 874 1611, visit www.vnl.co.za or e-mail [email protected]
Saturday Star