If you’ve recently had a drink at
the Oude Leeskamer bar, you would have noticed our brand new wine list. With
more than 140 wine farms in our immediate vicinity, deciding what wines to
feature took a fair amount of time (and some very “difficult” work of taste-testing a
few very excellent wines), but we are very happy with the
end product – if you’re in the area, why not stop by for a glass at the bar or
in our peaceful courtyard and decide for yourself?
To give you a preview of what to
expect, our new house white is the Uva Mira Sauvignon Blanc, which we sell both
by the bottle and by the glass. This lovely wine has gooseberry, lemon zest, fresh green guava skin and grassy
nuances with subtle tropical aromas and hints of passion fruit. Uva Mira is a
family owned wine farm on the slopes of the Helderberg in the Stellenbosch
region. Being 620 meters above sea level means that they are able to create
fantastic, crisp Sauvignon Blanc, but also that the farm has one of the most
beautiful views in the area.
Another Sauvignon Blanc on the list is the 2011 Thelema,
which has lovely fresh melon and grapefruit flavours,
with a full, grassy palate, all in perfect balance. On the slopes of the
Simonsberg, Thelema is one of the highest, and probably coolest, wine farms in
the Stellenbosch area. Owner and winemaker Gyles Webb was a Chartered
Accountant in Durban when he decided to change careers and become a winemaker.
If you’re feeling more like Chardonnay, De Morgenzon’s 2011
won’t disappoint. Sweet vanilla, hints of almonds
and clean tropical fruit, including apricot and white peach with a spicy, brisk
finish. Bright, old gold, lightly wooded for ten months in oak barrels. De
Morgenzon also pipes Baroque music through their vineyards 24/7, believing that
the power of music positively influences the ripening process of the grapes and
have specially chosen wildflowers blossoming between the vines in Spring.
For a great Chenin Blanc, be sure
to try the Ken Forrester Reserve 2010, with its melon, spicy baked apple, honeycomb
and caramel flavours. Golden hued and full bodied, this wine strikes a great
example between fruit and delicate oak/vanilla flavours. Ken Forrester wine
farm is commonly known as the Home of Chenin Blanc and their award-winning
wines were at the forefront of the Chenin Blanc revival in South Africa.
If red wine is more your thing, you also won’t be
disappointed! We’re proud to have the Thelema Mountain Red 2008 as our house
red, available both by bottle and by glass. This is such an enjoyable,
easy-drinking and approachable wine with spicy aromas of black pepper, mulberry
and plum, made from a delicious blend of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit
Verdot and Mourvédre. A great value for money wine.
For
luscious red cherry and blackcurrant with chocolate and oak
spices, try the Bartinney Cabernet
Sauvignon 2009, a full-bodied wine, softened by plum and cassis with a
hint of mint and a little bit of coffee bean detectable from the oak. Bartinney
is situated on a mountain, overlooking the beautiful Banghoek Valley in
Stellenbosch and tend all of their vines by hand. Re-establishing more than
5,000 indigenous trees and fynbos on 13 hectares of rehabilitated land, and
with plans to start a nursery on the cards, this farm has also received
Champion status in the Biodiversity and Wine Initiative.
The Kleinood Tamboerskloof Syrah 2006, with its dark ruby plum colour
and intense dark red berry flavours initially on the nose followed by hints of
white pepper, chocolate, spice and florals is sure to delight you. Rich full
entry on the palate with heaps of berry fruit flavours. Good complexity and
integration of all flavours allowing fine elegant tannins to round off the
wine. ‘Kleinood’ is an Afrikaans word meaning something small and precious.
This is exactly what Kleinood means to them and precisely what it is – a small
farm, very dear to their hearts, specializing in the production of only a Syrah
based red wine.
Last, but not least, we also love
the deep, intensive ruby red to inky black Muratie Alberta Annemarie Merlot 2008, a combination of plums,
cherry, cranberry and a hint of chocolate come to the fore, followed by
blackcurrants and dark chocolate on the palate. A lot of body, yet subtle with
well-integrated oak and a lasting finish. Named after the daughter of George
Paul Canitz, who owned the farm from 1927 to 1958. Annemarie shared her
father’s love of fine wines (and horses) and became one of the first female
wine-farm owners in the country. She never changed a thing on her father’s farm
and rode horses well into her 80’s, only stopping, as she said, “because the
horse got too old”.
If it’s a special occasion, or
the start of an evening out, also consider the Villiera Tradition Brut NV, a
full, balanced, yeasty wine made in the Methode Cap Classique style with rich
fruit, racy zestiness and crisp acidity. This family run winery is committed to
preserving the environment, and has set aside 220ha of land as a wildlife
sanctuary.
Cheers!
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