Wine route: Down to earth

26 October 2014 - 02:01 By Joanne Gibson
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It's hard to beat the Breedekloof for beauty as well as best-value wines, writes Joanne Gibson

As its name suggests, the Breedekloof is the mountainous end of the otherwise mostly wide and flat Breede River Valley. But what to make of the name Slanghoek Valley, our home for the weekend?

Perhaps there are lots of snakes (we didn't see any, at least not any real ones). Perhaps it's simply the way the valley "snakes" northwards for 10km, starting roughly where that koppie with white writing advertises the Goudini Spa, and finishing where the road intersects with the R43, looping back to Wellington via Bain's Kloof Pass.

Either way, the name doesn't do justice to this almost alpine landscape of mountains towering over the green valley floor, a patchwork of vineyards and horse-studded pasture fringed by beautiful fynbos. Yet you only properly appreciate its magnificence on your trip home, when you emerge through the Huguenot tunnel or descend from the Du Toitskloof Pass and suddenly find that the Paarl and Stellenbosch winelands seem terribly overdeveloped.

We stayed in the self-catering, four-sleeper "woonstel" at Slanghoek Mountain Resort - at R1540 a night not so much a "flat" as a semi-detached cottage, fairly rustic with its thick whitewashed walls and small windows, but well equipped with two comfortable bedrooms, a large lounge (complete with flat-screen Samsung) and loo with separate shower. We pretty much "lived" in the kitchen, though, with its old hearth converted into an indoor braai, a godsend when the weather closed in. And next time (for certainly there will be a next time) our kids insist that we should "camp" in one of the safari tents, though secretly Dad and I are plotting a romantic escape to the resort's more luxurious Platbos Log Cabins, perched over the dam on the other side of the valley.

The resort brings back memories of my childhood holidays. There's plenty of space to play safely and roam freely, without disturbing grumpy grown-ups, as well as two swimming pools and surely one of the world's most spectacular putt-putt courses, built into the rocks with a few really challenging as well as seriously vertiginous holes. Other activities include fishing and horse-riding, but the last thing I expected was an art gallery in the main house, featuring works by artists who have settled in the Breedekloof, or who at least draw their inspiration from its spectacular scenery, friendly people and - yes - award-winning wines.

Our day of tasting began at Goudini Wines, on the other side of Rawsonville, after breakfast at their cosy new bistro. In between wine sales by the caseload, manager Neels Boonzaaier told me that the name Goudini comes from the original Khoisan description of the valley, G'gou dani, meaning "place of bitter honey". But there's nothing remotely bitter about the floral, concentrated Gevonden Hanepoot - liquid gold from the oldest vineyard block in South Africa, planted in 1882 on the sixth-generation De Wet-Boonzaaier family farm (R140 per 375ml, exceptional value for a numbered collector's item).

Boonzaaier is also proud of Goudini's new reserve range, named Mirabilis in honour of Africa's oldest tree, the extraordinary Welwitschia mirabilis that grows in the Namib Desert. The red Mirabilis primus-capio 2011 is a Bordeaux-style blend of cabernet, merlot and malbec (R85), while the white Mirabilis regus-filia 2011 is a buttery barrel-fermented chardonnay (R120). But for easy summer drinking you can't beat the Goudini Unwooded Chardonnay 2014 (R35). You also shouldn't leave without Kobie Boonzaaier's Natural Herb Salt.

"Not another wine farm," moaned the eight-year-old as we pulled up outside the uniWines tasting room at historic Daschbosch (granted by Governor Rijk Tulbagh in 1754). But his tune changed after we were blindfolded and led into a darkened room dotted with toy spiders and snakes for the so-called Fear Factor tasting, which aims to show how different tastes and textures (cheese, biltong, soy-soaked spaghetti, jelly babies) affect one's impression of a given wine (the white Meander 2014 at R30 a bottle in our case; grape juice for our wine-farm converts).

Then sales manager Johan Lotz took me through the various ranges, from the "lifestyle" Ankerman and "ethical" Palesa labels (the latter including the only Fairtrade grappa in the world at R150 a bottle) to the Daschbosch flagships, complete bargains at R100 for the reds, R90 for the white. My favourite? The Rhône-style Plicatilis 2012, a velvety blend of shiraz, mourvèdre and viognier named after the Fan Aloe endemic to these mountains.

After a quick bite at the oak-shaded Dam Fine Café, with its fun petting zoo, our next stop was Jason's Hill where fifth-generation winemaker Ivy du Toit has raked in awards ever since being named Diner's Club Young Winemaker of the Year in 2003. Next time I'll set aside some "me time" at her sister Lize's spa; this time I had to settle for the feel-good factor of her award-winning Shiraz 2012 (R55) and recently released Sauvignon Blanc 2014 (R45).

While Du Toit belongs to a new generation of boutique producers in an area traditionally known for bulk wine and brandy, seventh-generation Opstal winemaker Attie Louw says his great-grandfather paved the way decades ago, bravely deciding to go it alone rather than joining the local co-operative in the difficult post-war years. The Carl Everson Chenin Blanc 2013 is a fitting tribute to him, not cheap at R125 a bottle but exceptional value nonetheless for one of SA's best chenins. And at R240 for six, the fruity and versatile Sixpence blends, named in honour of Daniel "Sixpence" Smiles who tended sheep at Opstal before vines were planted, are a steal.

Our day ended at sixth-generation Bergsig, where the Lategan family offers bird watching (R20pp, including water/grape juice) as well as wholesome bistro fare. I was after their dry, aromatic and award-winning Weisser Riesling 2013 (R49) and keen to try the flagship Icarus 2011, an unusual and opulent blend of cabernet with touriga nacional, a traditional Port variety (R125). With more of their land under conservation than cultivation, this is "wine that doesn't cost the earth" in all senses. - © Joanne Gibson

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