In the long list of illustrious owners of historic Lanzerac Wine Estate, on the outskirts of Stellenbosch, Mrs Elizabeth Katherina English stands out.
In 1914 Mrs English, who was known to be "a woman of great personality and enterprise" returned to South Africa from the UK after the death of her husband, and bought what was then Schoongezicht farm.
The official line is that she changed the name to Lanzerac because there was another Schoongezicht in the area, but the legend, which I prefer, is that the gutsy Mrs English gave the farm the slightly tweaked name of her true love, General Charles Lanrezac, a French general who commanded the French Fifth Army at the outbreak of World War 1.
In just seven short years Mrs English made alterations to the manor house and outbuilding and bottled the first Lanzerac wine from grapes grown on her land.
The winery has named two of its flagship Heritage wines Le General and Mrs English Chardonnay "to commemorate this partnership". I'd call it a tender love story.Mrs English's stony-faced portrait dominates the tasting room. Each time I lifted my glass while tasting wines matched to handmade chocolates under the guidance of Barend Barnard, GM of the winery recently, there was Mrs English. I think she'd be pleased to know that her beloved farm just outside Stellenbosch went on to be the first winery in the world to produce the unique South African variety Pinotage, plus a large range of award-winning wines.I wasn't so sure, though, how she'd feel about the extensive renovations after a fire that destroyed the core of the hotel last year. The hotel reopened this month in a different guise and now boasts four restaurants.
The Manor Kitchen is a large 200-seater. There are also the popular Lanzerac Deli, unaffected by the fire, at the entrance to the estate; the Craven Lounge, a new gentleman's bar named after the rugby legend, a regular visitor to the estate; and a tapas-style bar, Taphuis.Stephen Fraser, an affable and unflappable executive chef, a Welshman, seemed to be taking this vast undertaking in his stride, whipping up a three-course dinner for us in a kitchen that resembled a building site.
His cauliflower starter featured a mound of florets served with beetroot gnocchi, slices of soft Karoo Williston cheese, plenty of rocket and orange cream over the top. It was very crunchy and tasty but a little dry, and could have done with way more than a drizzle of orange cream.
Mains was a menu staple that many restaurants just don't get right, but Fraser's interpretation hit the high notes. I particularly enjoyed the crunchy barley risotto served with the citrus-cured pork belly with poached pear, leeks and crispy sage.
For dessert, the coffee parfait was a little on the mediocre side but perhaps it was due to the limited kitchen resources. The highlight was a selection of Lanzerac's best wines as recommended by sommelier Tinashe Mukosi, which included the famous pinotage and of course, the Mrs English chardonnay from the Lanzerac Heritage range. I think she'd approve...