Cape Town - The best thing about driving in the Cape as opposed to the Highveld is that the roads are relatively pothole-free and you can switch into cruise mode and enjoy the scenery without having to veer left and right every five minutes, like Jody Scheckter on the F1 track in Monaco.
Speaking of people in the fast lane, I met Laurence and Anne Marie Graff a couple of times in France during the Grand Prix and our paths crossed again recently, over lunch in Hout Bay. He had just got his hands on to the late Cape Town artist Vladimir Tretchikoff’s Chinese Lady.
Hearing that I’m a bit of a rough diamond too when it comes to painting, he invited me out to Delaire Graff, his private wine estate and hotel in Stellenbosch, to take a closer look at this famous lady – and to see his local art collection, not to mention taste a few award-winning wines.
This cutting-edge estate nestles on the slopes of the Helshoogte Pass and needs little introduction as it has been the talk of the town since it opened in 2011, becoming a beacon of style, sophistication and creative innovation, in a jazzed-up neighbourhood.
Graham Beck’s winery and art gallery and Johann Rupert’s L’Ormarin share these same granite and clay Simonsberg slopes.
Taking a leaf out of his South African contemporaries’ books, before selecting his vines, the best jeweller in the world chose the best estate manager in the country: Johan Laubscher, who hails from a rugby, wine and business background.
Delaire means “Place in the Sky” and as you wind your way up the mountain, past Keith Kirsten’s indigenous beds exploding in colour along the driveway and the strategically placed life-sized sculptures of Dylan Lewis leopards and an array of sculpted warriors on sentry duty, you feel as if you might be arriving at the pearly gates, if not the Graff equivalent.
Your bags and car are whipped away within minutes, not by St Peter but by personal butlers, who are as polished as the huge brass handles on the wooden doors. The first thing that strikes you as you enter the reception is the space and light and flow of the architecture – wide passages, wall-to-ceiling glass panels and water features adorned with huge African art pieces and Deborah Bell sculptures.
We didn’t have much time to wallow in the spacious luxury of the suites with their heated plunge pools and bird’s eye views stretching as far as the Banhoek Valley, before Laubscher whisked us away on his golf cart for a sunset tour of this sublime property. First stop was a picnic site at the top of Botmanskloof, a ridge named after the Boat Man, who would walk up the steep hill every day, armed with his telescope to see if there were any boats in Table Bay under Dutch rule. Delaire’s award-winning wine is named after this landmark.
To be invited to taste the entire wine collection in the company of the winemaker himself is a privilege, if not a bit like casting pearls before swine, given that I am not a big drinker myself. But I do have a sharp palate and there was no varietal I wanted to spit out rather than to swallow, to my detriment!
When it comes to sampling homegrown “sunshine cuisine” in sunshine, under a canopy of pin oaks and white umbrellas, life doesn’t get much better for me
I will never forget the day my girlfriend, Deborah, ran down Chapman’s Peak, frothing at the mouth. She was fuming because someone was building a hotel in a nature reserve, on her favourite patch of mountain… That was then – but since first setting foot at Tintswalo, she has become the property’s biggest fan, introducing a host of admirers, including the most discerning, Sol Kerzner, and designer Jenni Button – both of whom live nearby, yet were oblivious of the hotel’s disguised presence.
The owners have several other sought-after properties in Gauteng, but finding this location was a touch of divine inspiration.
There are only six suites and a presidential suite, yet every room is themed and, with their proximity to the Atlantic waves rolling in and dolphins and whales surfacing, every room is “presidential”.
Given that this boutique hotel is surrounded by provincial granite fynbos at its glorious best, the eco-friendly requirements and restrictions are strict.
Every possible step has been taken to ensure the entire structure can be dismantled in a day and blends into the environment.
Even a swimming pool, beyond a plunge pool on deck, was disallowed by the council, until permission was given last year for a private rock pool hewn into the mountain slopes.
To arrive at this mesmerising property, you have to pass through the Chapman’s Peak tollgate, drive along this country’s best marine drive and park in open parking at the summit of this hidden valley.
An SUV emerges out of the bush to drive you safari-style down through the protea thickets to the main entrance tucked neatly into a grove of yellowwood trees.
The hotel hugs the Atlantic shore, dramatically facing the Sentinel, Hout Bay harbour and beach. For “location, location, location”, this takes some beating, on a wind-free day at sunset or on a stormy one with the waves crashing around you.
Most of the dining – be it breakfast, lunch or supper – is presented al fresco on the deck, which makes one feel one is on board the Queen Mary, with Neptune in tow.
The husband and wife management team, Melissa and Reino, have been at Tintswalo since it opened, so they are passionate about every square centimetre and go out of their way to point out passing marine traffic and to make you feel at home, yet pampered.
It is customary for guests to be given a pebble from the adjacent beaches to toss into the sea, to ensure your return, imitating what the owners did when they first set eyes on this sublime location.
Saturday Star