DIARY DATES

NEWS

DIARY

TAILORED TASTINGS

Franschhoek’s beautiful La Motte wine estate has a generous visitor offering – from the fantastic art gallery with acclaimed Pierneef originals, the show vineyard at the entrance to the tasting precinct, farm shop, restaurant and tasting centre. So the fact that it has won international awards for the richness of its visitor experience from the Great Wine Capitals network should come as no surprise.

But the La Motte team are always looking to innovate and broaden the offering – and their latest initiative is the introduction of a curated wine tasting experience. Monday to Friday, guests are encouraged to dig a little deeper and explore the world of wine – or their relationship with wine – a bit more.

A new addition to the tasting lineup is the varietal glass-specific tasting. Hosted by a taste ambassador, guest are seated in a private tasting area and guided through the five wine showcase – each in a Riedel glass unique to the specific grape.

This option is available on Mondays and Wednesdays at 10h30 and, like all experiences, must be booked online at least 24 hours in advance. (www.lamotte.com)

Then on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10h30 there is a specialist Vinoteque tasting, allowing guests to sample matured wines. Exclusivity is again guaranteed, along with expert staff leading the tasting.

The third option is the wine and food tasting which is only offered on Fridays, again at 10h30. It’s one of the reasons La Motte was the Drinks International Best Wine & Food Matching Experience winner an unprecedented five times!

Five La Motte wines with five tasting portions from the Pierneef à La Motte kitchen is something special: modern interpretations of authentic South African heritage cuisine that demonstrate the collaboration of chef Eric Bulpitt with cellar master Edmund Terblanche.

This takes place in the elegant restaurant rather than the tasting centre, for obvious reasons!

All prices and necessary information are on the La Motte wine estate website: www.la-motte.com

FORAGING FOR FUNGI IN FORESTS

Lockdown might have brought economic activity to a standstill for a short period but people still need to plan events and excursions, now more than ever!

Delheim, the celebrated wine farm on the Simonsberg outside Stellenbosch, celebrates a decade of guided mushroom foraging in 2020.

Initially, it announced its dates for the wild foraging of mushrooms in their mountainside forests as taking place on 16 June and 3 July. At the time of going to press, it’s not known whether these dates will be coronavirus affected or not – but the option of contacting Delheim and ascertaining the final dates still exists.

“Ten years ago, people were even less familiar with mushroom foraging than today,” Delheim’s Nora Thiel said. Having grown up on the farm with her father “Papa” Spatz Sperling being an avid fungiphile, she showed a few people how it’s done and the idea for organised forages was born. “It took three years before we could

get enough people together as interest grew,” Thiel recalled.

Cape Town mushroom specialist Gary Goldman will return to share his knowledge of the fascinating fungus and its health properties. Goldman has been part of the experience since 2013 and if there’s any doubt about his bona fides, rest assured that he has just assisted in publishing Field Guide to Mushrooms & other Fungi of South Africa. (The book will also be available for sale during the mushroom season at Delheim.)

Before leading foragers into the woods, participants are taught what’s edible, what should be avoided and how to forage in an eco-conscious way.

After the hunt and hopefully with baskets full, participants return to the winery’s Garden Restaurant for a sumptuous mushroominspired feast, crowned with servings of the 2019 Delheim Chenin Blanc Wild Ferment – the latest vintage release of this wine.

Numbers to this popular event are again limited, so early booking is essential and must be done through the online ticketing platform, www.Quicket.co.za. The cost is R850 and includes both a mystery gift and lunch with wine.

Participants are reminded to come armed with stout walking shoes, a basket, pocket knife and a rain jacket. Regret, no under 18s.

THIRSTY THIRD THURSDAY

If Cabernet Sauvignon is the king of red grapes then Chardonnay is the queen of white grapes.

International Chardonnay day is celebrated globally on the third Thursday in May which, in 2020, falls on the 21st.

The Robertson Wine Valley is acknowledged as the heartland of this noble grape, producing some of the country’s best examples because of its very special soils and terroir.

Graham Beck located its bubbly focussed Méthode Cap Classique (MCC) operation in the valley for this reason. Weltevrede and particularly De Wetshof have made a reputation for their wines on the back of this grape.

But one of the biggest fans of Chardonnay is Van Loveren, which celebrates the grape in a host of guises, both still and sparkling.

Van Loveren’s first Chardonnay vineyard was planted in 1979 – at the very start of South Africa’s Chardonnay boom. Its first bottled wine made from the grape was launched in 1983. In fact, the quality of the soils and diversity of terroir of the region is such that the celebrated winery established in 1937, today not only utilises Chardonnay in a variety of blends, but also has a Chardonnay flagship wine at the head of each of the Van Loveren, Tangled Tree, Zandvliet, Rhino Run and Christina ranges.

Across these various brands, consumers can find a broad collection of quality wines made in diverse expressions and styles. Examples include elegant Chardonnays which showcase creaminess; others with a citrus-dominant character or tropical aspect. There are Chardonnays both rich and complex (wooded or unwooded) and, spicy too. And, of course, there are the outstanding Cap Classique bubblies. This diversity means there’s truly a wine for every occasion, where a Robertson Chardonnay can be enjoyable by itself or as an accompaniment to food.

Most recently, the Van Loveren Christina MCC Brut NV won the MCC Trophy at the 2019 Michelangelo International Wine and Spirits Awards.

Join the international conversation about Chardonnay on May 21 and if social media is your thing, tweet or Instagram your choice using the hashtag #chardonnaysoftherobertsonvalley #limestonevalley #chardonnaygirl #chardonnayguy, #ilovechardonnay, #chardonnaysofvanloveren, #shadesofchardonnay or #chardonnayday2020.