Local is very lekker in heart of city

CAPE TOWN-140211-Signal Hill Winery in Heritage Square-Owner Jean-Vincent shows off his wine and wine barrel room-Reporter:Bianca Coleman Photo:Kenneth Klemens.

CAPE TOWN-140211-Signal Hill Winery in Heritage Square-Owner Jean-Vincent shows off his wine and wine barrel room-Reporter:Bianca Coleman Photo:Kenneth Klemens.

Published Mar 7, 2014

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Cape Town - This week I ate food freshly harvested, and drank wine grown from grapes within a kilometre of where I live.

This is not remarkable if you are in the country or have your own garden. But I live in a flat in the heart of the Cape Town City Bowl, with only a stupid little windswept balcony, which has proven itself a hostile environment even for weeds.

It’s not impossible, but I’m sure not that many people have their own winery.

Signal Hill Winery produces about 2 000 bottles annually in a space hardly bigger than the average livingroom, and in fact a lot smaller than some. It’s quite an amazing feat, which resurrects inner-city farming and the old-fashioned way of making wine.

The winery is owned and run by Jean Vincent Ridon, who is a winemaker and viticulturist. He is helped by resident cellar master Laurence Buthelezi, who became a full partner last year. Read all about Signal Hill Winery’s and Cape vineyards’ history on its website.

Ridon “call me JV” loves to chat, though, and we spent a very pleasant couple of hours drinking 2007 and 2008 Clos d’Oranje syrah. “Clos” means “closed” in French, and indicates a walled or fenced vineyard.

The syrah grapes come from a small vineyard at the foot of Table Mountain, previously two residential plots. They are harvested by hand, sorted on a table at the winery in Heritage Square, and the juice extracted in a manual press.

There are three stainless steel tanks, a corking machine and a few barrels. That’s it.

Surrounding all this is a shop selling wine from other estates – local and French – at cellar-door prices. Grab a bottle and sit outside, indulge in a jar of imported paté, order in from HQ next door or the newly opened Chef’s Warehouse – the tapas platter for two is ridiculously good.

Ridon, coming from a restaurant background, insists on eating and drinking wine at the same time.

“Wine is something we share. The self-proclaimed elite forget the spirit of wine.”

Bearing out Ridon’s theory that good food and good wine together are the ideal ice breaker, we soon moved out of “interview” territory, and notes were abandoned.

Later, we piled into his 1973 plastic Citroen, with its whopping 600cc engine, and tootled up to the organic, unirrigated vineyard to check on the grapes and see when they might be ready to harvest. The verdict was within the next two weeks.

Ridon usually ropes in friends and clients to help with the picking, so if you fancy being a part of this process, give him a call. - Weekend Argus

 

If You Go...

Signal Hill Winery makes wines from vineyards in Oranjezicht, Camps Bay and Kalk Bay.

l Signal Hill Winery and Wine Embassy, Heritage Square, 100 Shortmarket Street, Cape Town; 021 424 5820, e-mail [email protected], or go to winery.synthasite.com.

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