Harvest Happiness

From the craziness of a hugely busy Stellenbosch University RAG and orientation week to another kind of hive of activity, with the first few traffic jams behind the red tractors and trailers sighing under the weight of freshly picked grapes always being the tell-tale sign that the harvest is about to burst onto the Stellenbosch scene. The wine farms are a hustle and bustle of harvesting activities – with many working around the clock to get the picking done and the processing started. It is all this that makes Stellenbosch and the wider winelands area such a special place to visit in February and March.

A visit to some of our favourite wineries, including Rustenburg, Thelema, Kleinood, Dornier  and Tokara is always a pleasure, but there is a special magic to visiting a winery during harvest time. Most tasting room assistants will be able to share some insight into both the technical process, but also the stresses and pressures the cellarmasters go through during the harvest, but Jordan winefarm offers a great cellartour that provides you with a front-row seat from which to observe the harvest process – “whether it is thundering tons of grapes coming in, mists of red wine during pump-overs or breath-taking trapeze shows by our winemakers, too lazy to use the stairs so they climb the press and rail walkways to get to the tank they need”. Tours at Jordan will take place every Wednesday from the 16th February at 10:30am and spaces are limited, so ensure you book as soon as possible!.

Simonsig was one of the first wine estates in the Stellenbosch region to start their harvest, and had particularly big celebrations as it began to pick the grapes for its iconic Kaapse Vonkel, South Africa’s first Méthode Cap Classique, which celebrates its 40th birthday this year. Simonsig cellarmaster Johan Malan is really pleased with the quality of the grapes this year, especially after the smaller and challenging 2010 harvest - “The 2011 harvest started a few days later than last year but we expect the yield to be bigger and better this year,” shares Johan.

There is plenty of opportunity to join in the welcoming, celebrating and blessing of the harvest this year, with many wine farms and wine growers associations in the greater Western Cape hosting special events, including:

• Moreson is having a Blessing of the Harvest feast on the 5th and 6th February, and anyone is welcome to come and learn how to make wine the old-fashioned way. For more info see www.moreson.co.za/blessing-of-the-harvest
• The Robertsons Hands on Harvest Festival is taking place from the 25th to the 27th February. Now in its third year, the festival gives you chance to participate in a range of activities from grape picking, sorting and stomping to must tasting and tractor rides around the vineyards. Even Klipdrift is participating this year and visitors stand a chance of "harvesting" their own 50ml bottle of Klipdrift brandy. For more info go to www.handsonharvest.com
• The Spier Harvest festival on the 26th February where the lawns around Eight, Spier’s ‘farm-to-table’ restaurant, will be transformed into a wine wonderland. Go to www.spier.co.za for more info.
• The Wellington Wine Festival from the 19th to the 21st March, see www.harvestfestival.co.za for the full programme and other details.
• The Durbanville Feast of the Grape on the 21^st of March. For more info see www.durbanvillewine.co.za
• And finally the Franschoek Oesfees on the 26^th March, which is very special in that it takes the form of a heartfelt ‘thank-you’ to the valley’s farm-workers, to celebrate their hard work and bless the year’s harvest. Complementary admission is extended to the workers of all Franschhoek Valley farms, but limited tickets are also available to the general public. For more info see www.solms-delta.co.za/events/oesfees

With so much on offer for you during the harvest you shouldn’t need any excuse to book yourself a weekend in the winelands. Just think about it… you can start your Saturday with a hearty breakfast in the shady Oude Leeskamer Guest House courtyard, then meander through a couple of winefarms for a tasting, cellartour and maybe a leisurely picnic in the sun, then back to the Oude Leeskamer right in the historical heart of Stellenbosch for a mid-afternoon nap, only to resurface in the early evening for a stroll around town to sample more great food and wine! 

So happy harvest to all of you, and here are a couple of quotes about the beauty of great wine that I hope will make you chortle…

"Penicillin cures, but wine makes people happy." Alexander Fleming (1881-1955), the Scottish bacteriologist credited with discovering Penicillin in 1928.

"Wine is the most civilized thing in the world." Ernest Hemingway.

"Compromises are for relationships, not wine."  Sir Robert Scott Caywood

"Beer is made by men, wine by God!" Martin Luther

"Wine makes daily living easier, less hurried, with fewer tensions and more tolerance." Benjamin Franklin

[at his first sip of champagne] "Come quickly! I am tasting stars!" Dom Perignon

"I cook with wine; sometimes I even add it to the food." W. C. Fields

"Nothing makes the future look so rosy as to contemplate it through a glass of Chambertin." Napoleon

"My only regret in life is that I did not drink more Champagne." John Maynard Keynes

“When it comes to wine, I tell people to throw away the vintage charts and invest in a corkscrew. The best way to learn about wine is the drinking.” Alexis Lichine