Tag Archives: Tasting Room

Grande Provence adds tasty Tapas Treats to its Tasting Room!

Grande Provence Tasting Room Whale CottageI was invited to try the new Tapas Menu at Grande Provence yesterday, a day after it was introduced in the attractive industrial steel-decorated Tasting Room on the wine estate in Franschhoek.  While The Restaurant at Grande Provence may be perceived to be on the expensive side, the Tapas Menu is excellent value for money, and in a class of its own, compared to very average offerings generally available.
The Tasting Room was buzzing at the counter made of steel, with its funky bar stools for which the seats are made to resemble tractor seats, very comfortable and stable seating.  A group of about twenty filled the Tasting Room, having arrived with the Franschhoek Wine Tram, it being their fifth stop of winetasting.  They are fetched from the Wine Tram railway line stop and taken to the Tasting Room by trailer linked to a tractor.  The driver told me that Grande Provence Wine Tram guests Whale Cottagethey are very busy due to the Wine Tram on weekends.
I sat at the only table in the far corner of the Tasting Room, and Chef Zayne Grobler (deputy to Executive Chef Darren Badenhorst who was out of town for the weekend) came to greet me, and talked me through the new Tapas menu.  There is a big board on the right hand wall as one enters, listing the Tapas items and the prices, and a mobile one, which was brought to the table.  As Chef Zayne and I went through the menu,  we noticed some spelling errors, Continue reading →

Rupert & Rothschild Vignerons quietly opens its new Tasting Room!

Rupert & R Tasting desk Whale CottageI have visited almost every winery in Franschhoek, but never Rupert & Rothschild, its tastings having been by appointment only in the past ten years since we have operated Whale Cottage Franschhoek.  It was a set of Facebook photographs of Hein Koegelenberg, brother-in-law of co-owner Johann Rupert, that attracted attention to the new Tasting Room, which opened on 1 July.

The farm Fredericksburg was owned by a French Huguenot, and was established in 1690, and taken over by the late Dr Anton Rupert and the late Baron Edmond Rothschild in 1997 when they established their partnership.  The owners shared a commitment to preservation and conservation.  Grapes are harvested by hand, and the berries are hand-sorted after destemming, to generate the best quality juice.  Intervention during the wine-making process is kept to a minimum.

I popped in yesterday, and found a very elegant yet informal and friendly Tasting Room, with a beautiful setting overlooking the Simonsberg mountain and the vineyards of the wine farm.  From the R45 between Klapmuts and Simondium one cannot see any buildings on the wine estate, being set back far from the road.  The Tasting Room door is locked from inside, so one of the staff must go to the door to press a button to unlock it, which is not clear when one arrives, and appears unfriendly if the staff do not get to the glass door quickly enough.  One enters close to the Tasting Desk, seating about 20 tasters on both sides of the desk Continue reading →

Whalehaven has whale of a new Tasting Room, pairs with chocolate and jams!

Whalehaven Tasting Room Whale Cottage PortfolioI have driven past the Whalehaven Winery on numerous occasions when visiting Hermanus, and it did not attract me into the building, having looked clinical and functional in all its time, being well located at the entrance to the Hermanus Wine Route.  Recently the owners of Whalehaven Winery renovated and enlarged the Tasting Room, creating a welcoming space in which to showcase its wines.

Italian-born Alberto Bottega is the patriarch of Bottega Family Wine, which consists of Whalehaven in Hermanus and Idiom Fine Wine on Sir Lowry’s Pass. He is charming, and explained that his daughter Sylvana is in charge of Marketing since they bought the winery eleven years ago, but that she is based in Johannesburg as the CEO of the Southern Africa Luxury Association. Alberto pops in at the boutique winery regularly, to Whalehaven Alberto Botega Whale Cottage Porfoliocheck that all is in order.  The winemaker is Reino Thiart, while Naomi Herbst is the Tasting Room Manager.

The Whalehaven range currently consists of Sauvignon Blanc 2013, Viognier Chardonnay 2012, Chardonnay 2011, Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2010, Pinot Noir 2010, Merlot 2010, Cabernet Franc Continue reading →

Vrede en Lust showcases its white wine portfolio, luscious lunch at Lust Bistro & Bakery!

V&L Entrance Whale Cottage PortfolioYesterday we were invited to a first media event at Vrede en Lust at the outskirts of Franschhoek, with the specific purpose to expose the wine estate’s ten white wines, making up about one-third of its production, given that Vrede en Lust is perceived as a predominantly red wine producing wine farm.

The origin of Vrede en Lust dates back to 1688, owned by French Huguenot Jacques de Savoye, who planted 10000 vines in 1691.  The Buys family bought the farm in 1996, modernising it by building on its 320 year heritage. Former Nederburg winemaker Günter Brözel helped them build the cellar, and acts as a consultant when needed.  About 36 ha of the 55 ha farm is planted to vines.  They have recently bought Ricton close by, with a capacity of 60 ha.  In addition, they own Casey’s Ridge in the Kogelberg Biosphere in Elgin, with 54 ha of vineyards.  Vrede en Lust produces 30000 9 litre cases of wines per year, made from 800 tonnes of grapes.  Of their production, 68% is sold via their Tasting Room and at shows, while 15% is exported.  They have 1200 Wine Club members.

We met in the tasting room, having to do the tasting inside due to the unexpected rain and cooler weather. We were welcomed by Etienne Buys, brother of farm owner Dana Buys, who has taken over the management and viticulture of V&L Etienne Buys Whale Cottage PortfolioVrede en Lust, so that Dana can spend more time with his first love, being IT.

Charming winemaker Susan Erasmus, expecting her second child in May and previously at Neethlingshof (and having done harvests at Groot Constantia, Zevenwacht, and St Emilion), was a confident presenter of her white wine ‘babies‘, although she used technical terminology at times, where some of us got lost.  Interesting was observing the tastings continue in the Tasting Room, Continue reading →