History and wine in Robertson

Published Oct 31, 2014

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Cape Town - I love the Robertson Valley and it was a thrill to see it in a different way – on a golf cart belonging to Excelsior Manor Guesthouse with Kyla the Jack Russell riding shotgun and Border collie Mango loping alongside.

I felt like a kid again as we zipped through the vineyards, past a scented flowering satsuma orchard and up the steep hill, before parking and walking through the fynbos to the viewpoint.

Excelsior Wine Estate is in the middle of the Robertson valley, so we had a gorgeous 360 degree panoramic view of the Langeberg and Riviersonderend mountain ranges.

Freddie de Wet and son Peter own the farm and Carin Visser is co-owner of the four-star guest house. One of the reasons I love this valley? The farms are owned by families, not corporates, and the De Wets have farmed on Excelsior since 1859. They are invested, connected, real and unpretentious.

The family made a fortune in the early 20th century when ostrich feathers were all the rage and a single ostrich plume could buy you passage from Cape Town to London. Ostrich breeders displayed their affluence in “feather palaces”, of which Excelsior Manor was one.

Built in the Cape Revival style, it has the characteristic elegance of the Victorian era, embellished with Cape Dutch gables and furnished with ornate furniture. There are high ceilings, large bedrooms with elegant, free-standing baths en-suite and comfy stoeps back and front. There’s not a TV in sight – all the better to unwind and admire the gardens and views, especially from the large, secluded pool deck.

World War I and the car caused the feather boom to come crashing down and the De Wet’s shifted their focus to breeding horses and cultivating vines. Excelsior may ring a bell for punters as rooms are named after their famous horses, including Durban July winners Gondolier and Dancing Duel.

The manor house is set a little away from the cellar, Graze the deli, and a tasting room, a wooden cabin built out over a dam. I’d spent time on the tasting room veranda before, enjoying the wine and the views, but Graze is a new and welcome addition with a great atmosphere and delicious “roosterbrood” sandwiches and uber-rich cheesecake.

The guest house food was also to my liking: simple, straightforward, well prepared and presented. Dinners included delightful salads, hearty mains such as leg of lamb with a lovely pepper sauce or fantastically tender pork roast enjoyed with a fine Excelsior merlot. A memorable dessert comprised green figs with melktert, a thick, yellow, almost solid custard, which was delicious.

My breakfast placemat was a map of the valley, so I could eat and plan my day. But I also had help from Freddie de Wet who directed me to some interesting little wineries.

Kleinhoekkloof is worth it just for the scenic drive. I also visited Arendsig, a boutique winery across the Breede River where wine is made without too much fuss, according to Lourens van der Westhuizen.

“I’m a lazy winemaker,” he said, though I doubted that as he shared his passion and exclusive wines from grapes carefully planted and selected on a variety of farms – though I preferred the 2012 shiraz and cabernet sauvignon from his own terroir. Esona was next and it turned out Lourens made their wines, quite different from his own, as well.

What’s fun about tasting Excelsior’s own award-winning vintages is that you can taste, then try your hand at blending in the tasting rooms.

Choose your own proportions of cabernet, merlot and shiraz, then cork, seal and label your own blend.

I was happy to watch while enjoying the double gold medal winning sauvignon blanc, or the unusual sweet, soft chardonnay/ viognier blend, understanding that winemaker Johan Stemmet knew best.

Well known wineries in the valley include Van Loveren, Arabella, De Wetshof, Weltevrede and Bon Courage.

Springfield makes superb wines, Viljoensdrift offers relaxing boat cruises and the Klipdrift Distillery is worth a visit.

l Call 023 615 1980 or visit www.excelsior.co.za

Sunday Tribune

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