Soak up a wine farm visit like no other

Published Mar 15, 2015

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Oenophile. That’s the fancy word for one devoted to wine, usually but not always as a connoisseur. It’s unlikely to be dropped into casual conversation but it’s good to know. And if you are one, you’ll enjoy the tour of the wine cellar at Babylonstoren.

If you don’t feel you’ve reached this rank, it’s still a fascinating tour which gives visitors insight into the farm’s history as well as its wine growing heritage.

It includes a visit to the new olive oil production plant, winery and barrel cellar, as well as an olive oil and wine tasting along the way. You will see various examples of vine trellising, which I found very interesting.

Not many of these are employed on our local wine farms, but they serve as clever examples of how viticulturists around the world manage different climates and weather conditions to extract the best from their vines.

Another thing which appealed to me on this tour was the abundance of art installations around the wineries and cellars, one of which comprises dozens of ancient farm implements and other bits and pieces found around the farm. These items hang from the ceiling as a reminder of the past, and the farm’s heritage.

There is another installation in the fermentation cellar which honours the slaves who toiled there once upon a time.

Don’t ever think if you’ve been on one cellar tour, you’ve been on all of them; I’ve done quite a few lately and each one has its unique merits.

Normally, you will taste wines along the way during this one, and finish at the Wine Shed tasting room to sample the balance of the portfolio.

Oenophile or not, you will feel you have learned a few things, and probably added a few wines to your new or growing collection.

Thirteen grape varieties, at varying altitudes and in a multitude of terroirs, are grown on the farm.

“My winemaking tries to capture the essence of Babylonstoren in a bottle,” said winemaker Charl Coetzee. “We love honesty, simplicity, diversity and timelessness.”

After the cellar tour, you can have lunch at one of the restaurants. For Babel you’re going to have to book quite far in advance. The house speciality is salad - a red, green, or yellow. Salad, you say? Yes, but salad like none other. Based on the colours, these are the most outrageous salads you’ll ever eat, with incredible ingredients you’d never expect to meet on one plate.

What is even more remarkable is that every one of those ingredients is grown in the gardens of Babylonstoren, although the garden doesn’t entirely supply the restaurant.

And then for dessert they have - wait for it - a salted caramel glazed doughnut with prosciutto and gorgonzola ice cream. It sounds insane but it is spectacular... something you will never forget.

To walk that off, take yourself on a constitutional around the magnificent garden. There are guides available at certain times of the day, but armed with an excellent map you can easily do it on your own. I suggest setting aside the entire afternoon because you won’t want to leave.

I was in the middle of the pumpkin patch trying to work out how to convey the massive size of one of the vegetables in a photograph when a tortoise lurched past. There is a prickly pear maze, a meandering river, a one-eyed purple rooster, and do ask about the albino hedgehogs. Pluck a sweet fresh fig from a tree, but don’t take a basket to harvest. That’s frowned upon.

Babylonstoren has so much to offer, including various monthly workshops, and a wine club.

To become a member all you need to do is buy 12 bottles, after which benefits include free entrance to the farm, discount on wines and accommodation at the farm hotel, free delivery nationwide, and invitations to special launches, social events and tastings.

* Babylonstoren is on the R45, Simondium (between Paarl and Franschhoek). Call 021 863 3852, e-mail [email protected], or see www.babylonstoren.com.

Weekend Argus

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