#wine #winetasting #winemakers #mischa #altydgedacht #muratie #wosa #placestostay #sundowners #sunsets
2 Vineyards
1 Place to stay
We were approached by this wine estate on the outskirts of Wellington to sell their wines in the UK
We are here, not only to see our existing suppliers but to research and find new ones. So a visit to this estate was organised to see Johan the young winemaker.
Their philosophy is
”If you live in harmony with nature you will never be poor; but if you live according to what others think, you will never be rich.”
The Estate has a unique landscape of folds, altitude differences, and aspects in almost every direction and this creates a diverse mesoclimate which results in exposure to cool evening and night sea breezes creating favourable grape growing conditions. The proximity to the Groenberg (Green Mountain) also adds to the uniqueness and diversity of the vineyards.
There is an extensive range of wines on offer here and we get the opportunity to sample them. They offer 4 different ranges which are all of good quality and we started with the La Famille range which is the budget range and finish tasting the top Reserve range. They have received many prestigious awards for all their wines.
They also have on offer an Estate range which includes a delicious Cabernet Franc and a very unusual single variety made from the Roussanne grape. Roussanne is used quite extensively in white blends in the Rhone valley but we had never come across an exclusive one!
The tasting room itself is very beautiful and situated within the original farm buildings.
2 - Altydgedacht
We leave the Wellington area and move to Durbanville to visit Altydgedacht. We have stocked their Gewürztraminer for a couple of years and it has already got fans. The style is different from the Gewürztraminer made widely - in Alsace but it is a lovely fresh wine and pairs so well with Thai food!
This vineyard is definitely one to watch Helgard the new winemaker admitted there is quite a bit of building renovation required and there are also a lot of plans for the vineyards as well!
There is work to be done here but already we could see when tasting the latest vintage of their popular Barbera red wine they are on the right track!
It was great to catch up with our friend here and so good to see and hear all the plans for this vineyard - we can’t wait to see how the wines will evolve over the next few years.
1 place to stay
We are staying this evening on the Muratie Wine Estate in the Canitz Guest Cottage - the rustic cottage is centrally located on this historic farm and was originally the art studio of renowned painter and previous owner George Paul Canitz. It boasts a classic combination of old world charm and Bohemian aesthetics. It features a single bedroom, which includes a queen-sized bed, and an en-suite bathroom - in fact, everything you need for a few days stay and explore the surrounding area!
We are here on Easter Monday which is as in the UK a Bank Holiday - the place is buzzing with visitors, the weather amazing and the atmosphere great.
So we order a bottle of their MCC, sit and soak up the ambience - we look out over the vines and in the distance is Table Mountain. As the sun set the views were out of this world and we could not believe how lucky we were to be sitting with a glass of bubbly watching this free natural show!
Eventually, we had to go retire indoors and with a glass of red poured and a platter of lovely cheeses, meats and fresh fruit(prepared by the Muratie Kitchen) we felt it was a wonderful way to finish the day!
Muratie wines are available in the UK CLICK HERE for full details.