It was rather strange when my girlfriend, who does not really drink wine, told me about a wine farm she wanted to visit, situated in the picturesque area of the Swartland district, when we visited my home town in the Western Cape, South Africa. But I went along with the idea, thinking it would be like most other wineries. But I was pleasantly surprised by what we found on this strange yet beautiful wine farm. So, please come along with me, as I show you how we tasted some of the best wine underneath herbs and plants left outside for drying, and having one of the most delicious homemade and traditional lunches we had in a long time.
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Arriving at a Strange Place
At first, when we arrived, there was nothing going on. The road leading to the wine farm was not tarred. It was a farm road, leading past various farm schools and churches. It was not on the normal road by any standard. And at times, we felt rather lost. But we headed toward one of the only buildings, situated at the foot of a small hill. We parked the car in the only spot that resembled a parking spot and climbed out of the car. But there was no one. The building looked empty, old, and not like a wine farm tasting room like we are used to. But soon, someone arrived, the biggest smile, and the most warm of welcomes. He asked if we were the booking at 12, and this confirmed that we were at the right place.
Tasting Wine under Drying Herbs and a Bird's Nest
We were the only group that did a tasting. At first, we sat inside an old open-plan kitchen. It soon became stuffy and we moved outside, where we came to sit under a bird's nest and many drying herbs.
Apparently, the owner of the wine farm is kind of an herbalist who randomly harvests from the local flora and just dries it out on the porch, where we tasted the wine.
It was not decor per se nor was it functional. I would have loved to have met the owner of the wine farm as they sound like someone you can have a good chat with. I am sure with some wine in their system, they would begin to tell you some fantastic stories. Alas, that never happened, but we still had an amazing time underneath the drying herbs and lonesome bird's nest.
The wines were extraordinary. Like most family-owned wine farms, they are not big in the local market, relying more on exports. But the places that sell their wines do ask a pretty price for them, and one can understand. It is top quality and really well worth the money (if you are a wine drinker, it needs to be said).
The thing that I love the most about these small wineries hidden away from the main roads is their hospitality and the rather haphazard way they approach the tastings. In contrast to bigger and more "tourist" orientated places that focus on precision and cleanliness, this tasting unfolded organically and poetically, one might say. Yes, we followed "a tasting", but the assistant winemaker took us through the many wines that they make. He did this in his own style, pouring us more wines that we officially tasted, and telling us some of the inside stories of the farm.
He kept on pouring more and more wine, and he also drank with us. And the more he drank, the more he went back to the cellar to grab just one more bottle for us to taste, wines that were no longer available for sale, wines that we used to compare with the wines on sale, and all along we talked about various things.
The wine tasting was booked for an hour or so, but we talked for more than that. Luckily, we were the only tasting for that day, and luckily we caught the assistant winemaker on a good day, as we had an experience like none other. Again, the difference between a place like this and a bigger more commercial one is that the staff is trained not to do what this guy did with us. Such a sorry state of things as we enjoyed this style of wine tasting so much more.
We did not make a booking for lunch, as this is extra and does not come with the wine tasting. But because we stayed so long, and drank so much wine, they all encouraged us to stay for lunch. While we were doing the tasting, people moved in and out of the kitchen, with the most delicious smells coming from there. I smelled the sourdough bread baking, my dad obviously smelled the "pampoen koekies" or pumpkin fritters. We were hungry, so we decided to stay.
A Traditional Lunch in a Traditional Kitchen
They dished the food in a very traditional way. A big table was used to present all the food that the people cooked in the kitchen. On the one table, there was all the bread. On the other, all the food that was prepared. They gave us plates and told us we could serve ourselves food and some wine as well. We sat beside the kitchen staff, wine makers, and farm workers, eating a traditional South African lunch.
Freshly baked bread, chicken and mushroom pie, yellow rice with raisins, beet salad, and pampoen koekies, we could not stop ourselves. The food tasted like home, and we all sat in silence embracing the nostalgia that we each felt.
Still feeling the nostalgia, they brought us strong black coffee. This was presumably to get us sober again after the extended wine tasting. But the coffee also tasted of nostalgia and we all just enjoyed the moment underneath the drying herbs.
Rare moments like this only come so often, and I think we all knew this. We did not talk much when we sat and drank our coffee. We soaked up the moment, because we knew we had to leave soon.
Meanderings on the Wine Farm
The coffee helped sober us up a bit, but this did not stop us from walking about on the wine farm. They invited us to see where they made the wines a little later on, as they all needed to work again. We took the opportunity to briefly look around, as this was a functional wine farm but also farmhouse, it was full of potential for my girlfriend and me to sneak around.
The kitchen was the obvious first place to start. The big kitchen table that just served out food was cleared and cleaned. The kitchen was something of a dream, as I would love to have such a beautiful kitchen. The decor attested to its old age, but you could also sense the old age.
As we walked out of the kitchen, we stumbled upon a long table. What an even it would be to host all of your friends and family here, maybe for a wedding or big party.
Or maybe even just a big lecture on philosophy and how to live a better life, with food in front of us and wine in our hands. Maybe this was the true way of living that the ancient Greeks had. Long tables, wine, good food, and discussions about the fundamental things in life.
Or maybe this was the table where you sat to write a novel, an existential story taking place in the history of ideas, tucked away behind copious amounts of wine and good food. Typing away, unfolding the story, with various people just walking past you.
One can dream.
But soon we snapped out of this dream and we walked back to the car, to put away the wine we bought and to see where they made the wines.
Where the Magic Happens
There were two rooms, one where they stored the smaller wine barrels, and one where the "bulk wines" were made. The price of these barrels is beyond one's conception. I think one of these will cost you R20,000 or a $1,000 new. And there is a lot there. That is why wines that have been barrel-aged cost so much. Plus, the wines that are made with corks, also cost more, so go figure why some wine is so pricy.
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As we walked out, I saw some vinyl records with a Jimi Hendrix on top. No wonder the wine tasted so good! It is because they listen to good music while making it!
A Drunk Choice: Which Road to Choose?
As we walked to the car, two beautiful roads unfolded before us. Being explorers, we could not stop ourselves from walking on these roads, leading to who knows where. But we sure did want to follow them. As luck would have it, it led us back to the vineyards.
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There is something magical about vineyards. The growth looks like fingers stretching out into the air trying to claw at the air itself. The deep green color screams youth and growth, and health. The small fruit looks nothing like grapes and the first leaves fool you into thinking that beautiful fruit will ever grow on them.
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In the End... Memories
In the end, we are left with memories. We can stop ourselves from travelling to wine farms that are off the beaten track because of fear or some other reasons. But in the end, we will not have those memories if we do not leap into them. I know I am always slow in decision making, I always think twice before doing something, and when I choose to do something I always wonder: did I make the right choice? And in the end, I am always the one who enjoys something the most.
Life is about living and making memories. It is about going on adventures with no end in sight, it is about drinking wine underneath some drying herbs, eating fantastic food, and feeling nostalgic. It is about doing what you find worthy in life. We stop ourselves so quickly from making decisions that might lead to something wonderful. Sometimes, we just need to jump into the river!
Postscriptum, or A Tale Of A Lost Door
I hope that you enjoyed this virtual journey with me to a fantastic wine farm in the beautiful countryside. It is something special to experience and something few people will have. I am not even sure that others will experience it like we had! Maybe we were just lucky. But luckily I had my camera with me so that I could share this journey with you.
Travelling gives us the opportunity to experience so much more than just our own home. I am always reminded of how little people in the past travelled because of the obvious restrictions of travelling. We drove about 200km in the morning. That is almost impossible with slow-moving transportation. What a time to be alive!
These types of establishments are a dying breed. More and more people are moving to the robotic and "clean" business model, helped along by so many people who cannot stand human "errors". We are all used to the internet joking about these people who ruin it for everyone because of some small issue. But real human emotions are so much more worth the small errors that do come through. Real human connection is what makes memories. Real connection is what makes life worth living. Real connection is always what brings people together, especially in times like ours in which everyone is divided.
In any case, I hope that you enjoyed this memory with me. Safe travels.
All of the writings in this post are my own. They are also my own opinion and I was not paid anything to say any of what I have written. The photographs are also my own, taken with my Nikon D300.