Cape Town - Sitting at a table in Vrede en Lust’s spacious tasting centre at noon, my eye is drawn to a large framed graph, mounted high on the wall.
“It indicates how much solar power is being generated on the farm right now,” explains Etienne Buys, “and as you can see, it is supplying 100 percent of our needs today.”
The venerable and the contemporary mesh smoothly on this graceful Simondium farm which has been flourishing since its establishment late in the 17th century.
The stately farmstead with its ornate gable was built by Jacob and Maria Marais towards the end of the Cape wine boom in the late 18th century, alongside an older jonkershuis and wine cellar.
In more modern times, soon after the advent of the New South Africa, software entrepreneur Dana Buys reverted to winemaking to realise the exceptional vinous potential of the land, while installing advanced technology.
Today, Dana’s brother and partner, Etienne, plays the most active role on the farm, along with being its viticulturist.
Vrede en Lust aims to serve the local market, with exports staying at about 15 percent of wine production. This is a venue that offers tasting options at minimal prices, restaurant fare that is inviting, and function and overnight accommodation for celebrations large and small.
Etienne Buys and Susan Erasmus took us through a tasting of some of the cellar’s three ranges. Home-grown grapes supply the source of the entry-level rosé and the merlot, but most of the farm’s planting of more than a dozen cultivars in the Kogelberg area of Elgin are now coming onstream with impressive results. Winemaker Susan – cool, calm and confident no matter how her workload expands – is pleased with noteworthy whites and future stars in the Artisan range, simply labelled in the style of hand-written samples.
These limited editions include a 2012 semillon (R69), which has youthful crispness allied with citrus in a medium-bodied match for seafood. The single vineyard Kogelberg 2011 chenin (R99), the only one produced in Elgin to date apparently, is delicious, presenting stone fruit, citrus and hints of honey, with creaminess in the mouth. Elgin elegance is retained in this wooded wine which should continue to improve.
The Artisan Riesling 2013 (R69) is another future winner, fragrant, and combining minerality with citrus in an off-dry charmer. Award-winning Barrique 2011 (R140) combines 63% semillon with sauvignon blanc and is also sourced from Elgin, as is the value-for-money Casey’s Ridge sauvignon blanc 2013 (R65), a cool-climate classic that’s well-balanced and refreshing.
The Elgin reds are just starting to show their mettle, with the medium-bodied Casey’s Ridge syrah 2011 (R99) proving an elegant match for several items on Lust Bistro and Bakery’s menu.
Restaurateur Jean-Pierre Smith is enthusiastic, a perfectionist and a keen baker. His range of artisanal breads, including a sourdough, makes sandwiches a real treat: diners choose their bread, tick their choices of filling ingredients on a card, and are rewarded with serious sarmies that stop conversation with contented munching.
Pizza-topping choices follow a similar pattern, and there is a small a la carte choice which changes daily. My smoked Franschhoek trout salad was a generous portion of quality fish with a fresh and varied selection of salads.
As the last of the lunch visitors left, the bistro team turned to preparing items for a pre-bridal braai for 150, to be followed by the wedding reception on Saturday.
Vrede en Lust is open for tasting and sales every day. - Weekend Argus