After a long,
leisurely lunch,
we were ready
for a siesta
especially tempted
by a peek into
one of the six
luxury en-suites
at Le
Pommier Country
Lodge.
Elegantly decorated
with private lounges
and verandahs
with wonderful
views of Banhoek
Valley, the larger
apartments are
ideal for families
planning a holiday
in the Cape winelands.
Le Pommier
is a family-friendly
venue which caters
for children.
We headed next-door to find the source of those wonderful wines we tasted over lunch. Founded in 1692, Zorgvliet is the jewel of the Banhoek Valley.
Poetically meaning, "Let your sorrows flee", Zorgvliet lives up to the promise of its proud Cape Dutch heritage. Over the last three years its new owners have transformed it into a five-star winelands destination - with a wine cellar, tasting centre, luxury lodge, gourmet restaurant and adventure activities. A winning synergy of the old and the new worlds, Zorgvliet has evolved into a showcase for wine tourism to the Cape.
We passed many guests on the lawns indulging in a gourmet picnic basket accompanied by Zorgvliet Wines while others enjoyed the views from the verandah of the coffee shop. Zorgvliet also hosts gourmet barbecue picnics very Sunday and special mountain braais once a month. A ride through the vineyards in a tractor and trailer ends with a sumptuous feast of traditional braai cuisine. Guests are spoilt for choice with grilled fruit and vegetable kebabs, spare ribs and local delicacies like boerewors (farmer¹s sausage), skilpadjies (liver wrapped in caul fat), pork neck, roosterbrood (oven bread), lamb and venison. If you keep your eyes peeled, you might spot small buck or baboon on the mountain slopes if not, you¹re bound to spot kudu, springbok, warthog and guinea-fowl on the barbecue!
We headed for
a wine tasting
led by Bruwer
Raats, the renowned
winemaker of Zorgvliet,
at the chic new
tasting centre
adjacent to the
manor house. (It
is open every
day including
Sundays.) Visitors
come from all
over the world
to sample the
wines under
the flagship Zorgvliet,
Silver Myn, Le
Pommier
and Spring Grove
labels. Located
in the old stables,
the evocative
venue is the perfect
setting to appreciate
the sense of place
and heritage of
these wines. According
to the winemaker,
³It is important
that wine has
a unique thumbprint.
Zorgvliet¹s
wines are expressive
of the vineyards
where they originate.
As the surrounding mountains turned a rosy pink at dusk, we toasted the renaissance of Zorgvliet. named one of South Africa's most successful cellars in 2005. Bruwer Raats, an affable winemaker, as big and bold as his wines, advised, "We're very ambitious. I want to bring out the true varietal character of these wines. Let go of your imagination and draw on your memory bank - take the known aromas and flavours of your home, kitchen & garden.
Use these to identify the wine. There are no rights & wrongs. You don't have to swirl pretentiously with your pinkie (Little finger) stuck out!"
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