An Afternoon with my Dad

To give you a slight backdrop; I got my love for all things vino from my parents. They began enjoying, tasting and collecting wines a long while back. True most of it probably came from the fact I was that kid in awe of his folks and wanting to be more like them: and let’s face it, it is booze! However, a good part of it came from the actual wines that they allowed me to taste. They were tonnes better than any beer, brandy, whiskey, spirit or moonshine I had tried to date (No judging).

For this reason, my parents coming into town is a rather big Wine event, in addition to getting to see them, of course. It’s my chance to take them to the gems I’ve discovered in the preceding months as we catch up.

This time around it was just my dad visiting and despite the obvious void caused without mother dearest’s company, I had an intense wine-filled weekend planed out! His flight was scheduled to land on Friday at 12:30 pm…. Naturally, I had booked the first appointment for 2 pm. Location:  Beau Constantia. Clearly, I don’t play around! It had only opened its doors to the public about a month before so I hadn’t even been there myself.

And what a start!!!…. Their tasting room setting has no equal in the entire Constantia Valley (I know, I know, a rather over dramatic statement to make, nevertheless with good merit)! It is rested above a glass spa at the top of Constantia Nek overlooking the grandiose Valley to the beaches of Muizenberg. I must apologies ardently for having forgotten my camera (I absent mindedly left it behind as I was running late to the airport). It is a stunning place that in retrospect I doubt my mediocre cameraman skills would have been able to sufficiently express. A certain must visit!

 

 

Just imagine staying here…..

 

 

 

 

 

We had the delight of being entertained by the lovely Mary. Kicking off, she was welcoming but a tad too clinical: she gave us the prescribed amount of conversation and wine portions before leaving us to make our own judgements. As the tasting wore on, she mellowed out and engaged us as just pals.

To the wines themselves: they were rather impressive; the Cecily ’11 of particular note. It is 100% Viognier with just the right amount of oaking producing a symphony of perfumed caramel, apricot, structure and lingering citrus fruit acidity.

 

 

The Pas De Nom (literally meaning Without Name) range was slightly less complicated and easier drinking. The White, a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Viognier, was herbaceous and wrapped in fragrant guava and lime. Very green. Another two thumbs up. The Red, a blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot, was packed with ripe fruit and a mushroom feel. I found it somewhat too rough though due to its youth.

After a confirmatory last go at the Viognier that Mary so generously offered, we were right on time for our next appointment (Yeah, I’d planned it to the last letter!). Greg, the winemaker cum owner at Silvermist, was however running a fraction late, so we decided to pop in next door at Eagles’ Nest to pass the time. We had a great laugh there talking about his work and my busy schedule. The wines were a mere added bonus…

 

3:37 we were en-route to Silvermist on its elevated winding drive way; which is a rather scenic route from the Nek junction.

When I’d called Greg to book the tasting a couple of days before, he had been rather shocked as there had actually never been a tasting held at their farm before; they have no official tasting room yet and they have only 1 wine. Drawing from experience, these are always the most enjoyable tastings; simple and honest. I was far from deterred.

 

The “farm” is about 85% a resort offering secluded and ravishing cottages (or chalet if you want to be finicky… a little private joke) for whatever the size of the group. At that height, the air is the freshest (if that’s an actual word) and the world’s problems immensely insignificant. I can see just how astounding it would be as a getaway. But we were here for the wine!

As we were breaking new ground, it wasn’t a conventional tasting. For starters, the bottle was opened and we had to finish it as there would be no other guests after us. Simply terrible! (Smilie face)  Next we were out on the patio of one of the cottages. No price lists or consistent branding shoved in our faces. We were peers chatting about our passions over a bottle of wine; perfectly chilled at that, on a hot Capetonian summers day!

We chatted for quite a long time… All the while Greg’s eyes would light up as he talked about his ‘baby’ and every aspect of the journey that was far from over . He spoke passionately about his decision to keep the farm (and by extension wine) organic. It was followed by the painstaking measures he had to take to ensure this (80% of our conversation was explicitly farming related; which my aspiring farmer dad really enjoyed). He articulated his frustrations being in his own ward different from Constantia or Hout Bay, his victories and reception by the industry at large.

At some point we walked around the farm as we drank/tasted. He pointed out where earlier he had been uprooting part of the alien forest with his recently acquired traxcavator to make way for his new vineyards. Before, he and his team would have to do it by hand. We even stopped to feed the resident ducks water. They are charged with eating snails, frogs and other pests in the vineyards to ensure the farm maintains her organic status. Rocket, his trusted faithful companion, followed us everywhere.

I enjoyed this wine. It had all the SB characteristics but yet restrained. On the nose and palate I got loads of pineapple and orange fruit flavours with a lingering grassy-ness. It furthermore had a balanced acidity that made it drinkable by the bucket load (not literally)! It is a young farm so it will improve as the years pass, becoming more complex and having more character, however it is still a very decent start!

The Bottle is a spectacle in itself. It is made of heavy glass like those from Bordeaux and the top silver cover made from thick tin as well.

The day just kept getting better and better with my brother joining us, great meals being shared and my most priced possession, a 2006 Cabernet Franc, being opened! Unfortunately, I fear I’d need an entire new post to elaborate; else I’d never get to publishing this.

All in all, this is what wine is to me; it’s very social and with its core at new experiences. I’m truly lucky to share this passion with my family as it provides us with (unneeded) excuses to spend time together.

Just in case you want to make an appointment…. http://www.beauconstantia.com/ and http://www.silvermistvineyards.co.za/