On the 14th of July, says the Editor, you'd best be in Franschhoek! | The Month July 2012


"The Franschhoek Wine Valley is inextricably linked with the pursuit of freedom as the destination where the French Huguenots sought refuge from persecution. Aside from the European legacy, the thematic link with freedom is also evident in a local context with the Drakenstein Prison (formerly Victor Verster), from which Nelson Mandela was released, just outside Franschhoek. Bastille seeks to marry the collective leitmotif of freedom, drawing from both French and South African stories of emancipation from oppression, at the heart of both. It promises to be ‘A Celebration of Freedom’.” - Siegfried Schaefer, 2009


Historically, Bastille Day commemorates the 1790 Fête de la Fédération, to celebrate the storming of the Bastille on the 14th of July, 1789. The storming was a violent act of unification which brought people together with a simple but passionate desire for freedom; the people of Franschhoek are well-known for similar passion on the day!

This year’s festival will include a number of refinements to a programme renowned for its food and wine
marquee, the largest and longest running boules competition of its kind, The Waiters’ Race, the Franschhoek minstrel parade, fencing, barrel-rolling, a farmers’ market, craft market stalls, musicians, children’s activities, the Marche de Franschhoek – with an array of French and French inspired food and lifestyle products – and many extra’s on offer in the local restaurants and businesses over the weekend.

The most notable refinements include a VIP marquee that will offer, amongst other things, access to bona-fide French winemakers from the Rhône-Alpes Region in France, their fabulous wines and a platter of French-inspired fare and a change in venue for the main Food and Wine Marquee – which will now take up the space between the village’s Dutch Reformed Church and the Town Hall, bringing it right into the centre of town.

For those in search of a little quieter time, The Screening Room at Le Quartier Français will screen French movies throughout the weekend and many of the accommodation establishments and restaurants will offer special menus prepared exclusively for the festival.     

If you had any thoughts that Franschhoek might take it ‘easy’ with this year’s festival – think again, bringing people closer together and throwing a whole lot of Frenchmen into the mix can only mean one thing: the PARTY to end all parties. You have been warned… and despite rumours to the contrary, festival goers will be forgiven for wearing berets.

Tickets to the VIP marquee cost R395pp with access to the Food and Wine  Marquee and a tasting of the French wines and French-inspired food included; tickets to the Food and Wine Marquee are R150pp and includes a tasting glass and a complimentary booklet of tasting coupons. Tickets are available through www.webtickets.co.za, but numbers are limited and once the venues are full, no further patrons will be admitted.

For more information visit www.franschhoekbastille.co.za, follow them on Twitter at #fhkbastille or contact the Franschhoek Wine Valley offices on 021 876 2861.

The Editor enjoys a Feast of Shiraz at Hartenberg | The Month June 2012

At the most recent Syrah du Monde competition in France, Hartenberg Estate’s The Stork Shiraz took the honours as the world’s best Shiraz. No wonder the folks at Hartenberg are on top of the world and what better time than now to host their fabulous Feast of Shiraz and Charcuterie, where some of the finest flagship local Syrahs from leading cellars are paired with superb artisanal fare?

Aware that some may read through the pages of this particular mag after the 2nd of June festival date, and unable to report on the festival itself for the purposes of this edition, I sought out Hartenberg’s legendary winemaker, Carl Schultz, to chat about the state of South African Shiraz.

Carl was the top of his graduating class at Elsenberg in the late ‘90s and joined Hartenberg as winemaker in 1994 before being appointed Estate Director a couple of years later. He was invited to join the Cape Winemakers Guild in ’96 and such was his reputation that he was soon asked to serve as the Guild’s
Chairman. It’s a reputation that has continued to grow yet the  widely travelled and extremely knowledgeable, Carl comes across as a humble man who loves wine as much as he does life and who never seems to tire of sharing his passion for all things vinous - particularly Shiraz.

After dealing with my introductory questions about the nature of the 2012 harvest and the likely quality of the resultant wines – both of which Carl is positive about, thanks to the exceptional fruit quality this year, despite the slightly lower-than-average yield – Carl turned his attention to five bottles of Shiraz from a number of producers on show at the Festival. I commented that he hadn’t included anything from Hartenberg (hoping he’d see past my veiled comment and reach for a hidden bottle of The Stork – which he didn’t) and asked about the wisdom of hosting a festival in which ‘the competition’ was given a chance to compete for Hartenberg’s client-base.

Carl’s forthright answer says a lot about his belief in the quality of the Estate’s offering and that of the better Shiraz producers in the country – he’s proud of South African Shiraz, believes in its inherent value and acknowledges the massive variety the grape displays once the winemakers’ have done their thing. As South African wines go, both the domestic and international markets have proven that it’s a varietal wine of choice and sales are consistently on the up. Hartenberg’s Shiraz Festival is about celebrating the significance of Shiraz, and Carl is particularly happy to be in the kind of position that allows him to show off the best of the best, and not just the Estate. Adding Charcuterie and some artisanal fare to the mix turns it into a true festival and a day of celebration for visiting families, the Estate staff and Carl himself.

Tasting through the five Shiraz wines on offer it was immediately evident that Carl’s intimate knowledge of the products of a large number of producers has allowed him to fully refine and carefully justify his own approach to producing Hartenberg’s offering. Yet he does this without ever doing anything less than comfortably highlighting the best aspects of ‘the competition’. Descriptors such as fruit-driven; savoury; elegant; almost austere; French Oak; American Oak; longevity; bright; Forest-floor and caramel all made their way into my notebook – though not all for the same wine! Shiraz truly offers something for everyone and I found myself easily matching each wine to a different occasion and would happily have bought a bottle of each had they been on offer.

I said as much and got a naughty grin from Carl, “See you on the second then!” he beamed before we raised our glasses again in salute of the success of Shiraz.

Visit www.hartenbergestate.com for more on the Bottelary estate or see our What’s On? Pages for more on the Hartenberg Shiraz and Charcuterie Festival.

Cobie van Oort tells us why we should plan to attend the 8th Winter Wine Festival | The Month May 2012

With the kind of cold weather we’re sure to experience in May, wine lovers will no doubt begin to turn their thoughts to hearty winter dishes paired with rich wines, to be enjoyed beside a roaring fire.  It’s early days yet, but be sure to plan get to the 8th Winter Wine Festival at High Street Shopping Village in Durbanville from the 21st to the 23rd of June.

The festival offers visitors an opportunity to taste a wide range of Ports, brandies, dessert wines, Muscadels, Jerepigos and a selection of red and white wines and a chance to stock up ahead of the coldest part of the year.

Two of the interesting sweeter wines that will be on show at this year’s festival are Perdeberg’s Weisser Riesling - a natural sweet wine which is perfect with cheese or even instead of a dessert,  and Solms-Delta’s ‘Gemoedsrus’ which is a complex, fortified Port-like sweet wine that brings to mind brandy-spiked
Christmas cake!

Elize Walters, the PR and Marketing Manager of Propergation Estates, which presents the Festival, says that “for the first time we are including wines from Chile and Italy as well as creating a market atmosphere with our food exhibitors.  Visitors are encouraged to relax and linger at the festival; and with the regular wine theatre presentations, live music and food courts, we hope they will!”

With nearly 30 wineries and 20 food stalls pulling out all the stops, there’s every reason to linger and to make the High Street Shopping Village home for a few hours. The Durbanville Round Table have been chosen as the beneficiaries of monies raised via the festival, so you’ll have the added benefit of knowing that you’re there for a good cause.

On-site sales are encouraged and storage will be available from where purchases can easily be transferred to the parking areas.

Ticket prices are R80pp if bought on-line and R90pp at the door.  Pensioners’ and groups of more than 10 pay R70pp. Tickets are available at www.ticketbreak.co.za  from 1st of May or at the door during the festival. For more information visit www.winterwinefestival.co.za

Perdeberg Weisser Riesling Natural Sweet, R80 per bottle at the cellar
This low alcohol Riesling is a ‘sticky’ to be sure – with almost 133g of residual sugar! It has a beautiful pale yellow colour with immediately evident whiffs of honeycomb and apricot on the nose and perhaps even a little lime. There’s a fresh acidity to the palate that deals adequately with the sugar, but still allows the wine a sweet finish. Try it with rich cheeses, a sweet pudding or simply on its own!

Solms-Delta Gemoedsrus 2010, R220
This 100% Shiraz, fortified with Shiraz husk spirit, was matured for 15 months in mostly new French oak barrels, to retain the primary fruit aromas. It is a dark wine with hints of almonds on the nose and cocoa on the palate. With a little less than 80g of residual sugar it a decent sweet wine for the weight-conscious, but be warned – at 18.5% alcohol it may skip your hips and go straight for your head!

From the 4th to the 6th of May experience the magic of the Constantia Valley at The Constantia Food and Wine Festival, where more than 40 of the finest wines and delicious food from the region's award winning restaurants will be showcased. Visitors to the Festival will be treated to multi-layered culinary delights, local wines, and live entertainment to showcase Constantia as one of the world’s premier food and wine destinations. Open air kids play area with activities for children of all ages will also be available.