Make your way to the picturesque Franschhoek Wine Valley, over the weekend of 4 and 5 September, for the unique spring wine meander, Franschhoek Uncorked. This multi-faceted celebration takes place on satellite farms throughout the Valley, and affords award-winning wineries – as well as the smaller hidden gems – the opportunity to ‘bloom’ as they showcase new vintages and releases, coinciding with the onset of spring.

Highly acclaimed wineries, participating in this much loved event include Boekenhoutskloof, Boschendal, Cabrière, Solms-Delta, Graham Beck Wines, La Motte, Anthonji Rupert Wines, Môreson, Vrede en Lust and Plaisir de Merle. Also included in the line up are some of Franschhoek’s smaller gems such as Dieu Donné, GlenWood, Haut Espoir, La Bri, La Petite Ferme, Topiary and Maison. In addition select wineries will keep their visitors entertained with a range of events, whilst sampling their fine wines.

Take in the picturesque scenery while soaking in country hospitality at its best. Wander along leisurely from farm to farm, enjoying some of live entertainment on show while sampling fine wines and delectable treats, such as oysters, smoked salmon, creative curry combos, tapas and al fresco platters; a taste of what you can expect from South Africa’s gourmet capital.

With most of the Franschhoek Vignerons participating in this innovative initiative, there promises to be something for everyone with: cellar- and vineyard tours, barrel-tastings, a micro-brewery tasting , delectable food- and wine pairings, art exhibitions, a flower-bulb market, a food-and-wine market boasting fresh, organic food, a fynbos trail and wine-blending, to name but a few. For music-lovers, there are live music extravaganzas which cater for all tastes, ranging from jazz- and blues bands to French bistro genres to fiesta Española flamenco. To add to the ‘local is lekker’ flavour, visitors can also expect to be entertained by a handful of top local musicians. Motor car exhibitions add an innovative and ‘racy’ element to this year’s Uncorked with: Aston Martin, Porsche, Maserati and Ferrari’s all on show.

An access card system will be implemented to ensure the successful running of Franschhoek Uncorked. The access cards, available directly from participating wineries on the day or through Computicket, at R80.00 each, includes a tasting glass and free wine tasting at participating wineries for the duration of the event. A shuttle service will assist responsible tasting and allow for easy, hassle-free transport at this popular social calendar event.

So, with something for everyone, make a weekend of your visit, taking full advantage of the various accommodation packages on offer. Come and indulge yourself as you witness the country’s gourmet capital blossom and come alive.

For more information about the festival, please contact: Darielle Robertson Events Manager: Franschhoek Wine Valley Tel: 021 876 2861 Email: events@franschhoek.org.za

source

Bastille has come and gone again, left us a little tired after a cracker weekend in the Hoek, but happy with what we achieved. We have found two nice mentions on the farm on some of the unique things we were offering here. Thank you to the two guys who were kind enough to mention the farm on their blogs.

My Cape Town had this to say:

This was the first year that the Bastille Festival did not clash with the Knysna Oyster Festival which is great for those that enjoy both events (like I do). I’m not sure how this affected the attendance, but I believe it was the busiest festival so far.

It really was the most incredible weather the whole weekend. It was hard to believe we are still in winter. We then moved from the sunny outdoors to the barrel cellar where we tasted several wines direct from the barrel. This is always an interesting exercise, tasing wines at various stages of development and also comparing the impact of different types of wood on the wines. We were also treated to a taste of the as yet unnamed white version of the Gentle Giant. It’s looking very promising.

Then we got a mention on YmartinY for a similar experience.

We started Saturday with a cellar tour and ended it with another unplanned one at Haut Espoir with the Mr Gentle Giant himself treating us to a vertical tasting of his Shiraz’s.

We were Hustlin’… and so were the wines!

The private nature of the tastings we were doing and the ability to take people into the cellar which forms such a part of our lives is unique and stands out. This is personal to us and we like to share that with you.

Thank you to all who made the trip out to our corner of the Hoek, we look forward to seeing you before the next Bastille.

This is one of the easiest plants to propagate ( all it takes is to literally cut off a branch, let the sap dry a bit and then plant it, Voila!) It offers an amazing source of pollen when in flower, so I love it because this plant feeds the bees and the Sunbirds absolutely love them.  There is a whole forest of this stuff right outside the office window.  So all day long we hear the tseep tseep tseep of the Malachite Sunbirds.

I got a lovely pic of one just having a quick sun bath. They are not exactly known to sit still for long these guys, so I felt quite lucky to get this shot.   I do enjoy the Sun and the Sugarbirds on the farm, they are a very territorial bunch, nothing beats watching a big male Sunbird going after a Fiscal shrike twice its size and with sheer guts, trying to turn the shrike away from the nest.  I have mentioned before about the sunbird chicks in the nest.  And this is where the ferocious father Sunbird will fight tooth and claw to protect his brood.  It’s a pretty amazing spectacle.  Pop round in September, which is usually when they start nesting and laying their eggs.  Back to the Aloe, and the benefits apart from the attraction they have for the birds and the bees.

The medicinal benefits of the Aloe families are enormous;  one product you may have seen is Tim Jan who use Aloe Ferox, and make a stunningly bitter but amazing tonic which I use often.   I liked this bit especially: “the aloe is a bright hope in the battle of many illnesses- and certainly in strengthening the immune system.”

Helping with HIV, IBS, ulcers, arthritis, any burn wound, cures stomach ache,  sick chickens, childbirth, protection from storms, was used after Hiroshima for radiation burns, it contains vitamins C, E, A and B12, along with minerals like magnesium, zinc, copper, chrome, calcium, natrium, calium and iron, twenty amino acids and various carbohydrates.  It also contains enzymes, plant steroids and anti-inflammatory agents.   I think we might be feeding the Shiraz some of this stuff for good measure!

And please have a look through the best resource online for Fynbos : PlantzAfrica and the amazing Tim Jan se wondersap.   I can tell you a little secret, the Tim Jan is the second best thing for a babelas.  Trust me!

When word came about that Jamie Who had chosen our `06 Gentle Giant as his wine of the week, we were all very happy. We are an avid follower of his and were very pleased when he was recently nominated as one of 200 South Africans you should be taking to lunch. Preferably get him into your kitchen and have a bag of organic stuff ready for him to cook for you as the man is passionate about his food! Herewith his review:

The first time I tasted this wine it was from a bottle that I had won. Some dude called Rambowine was having a competition on Twitter where you had to identify a restaurant’s bathroom from a photo he had taken with a cellphone. I ended up guessing Reuben’s in Franschhoek and 24 hours later I was holding a bottle of the Gentle Giant 2006 from Haut Espoir. Lovely…

Cheers,
Jamie Who

We say thank you, and yes, ribeye will be on the menu for us soon. Our choice of a place to get your fresh goodies to accompany the meal would have to be Kwalapa. They are an amazing venture. More on that later…

Headquarters is situated on Heritage Square, Cape Town, in the city centre and is loosely based on the famous Parisian restaurant, Le Relais de L’Entrecote, in its homage to meat. Headquarters offers a single straight forward menu: salad, sirloin and chips.

The single-minded restaurant concept is a breath of fresh air when compared to the numerous restaurants that offer overextended menus and little focus. Headquarters’ focus on one dish aims to ensure excellence in every meal. The prediction by owners Brendon Crew, Jean Muller and Marc Langlois that customers will be repeatedly drawn by the high quality of naturally reared, ‘free range’ beef sources from Namibia, has already proven true.
A comfortable bar and lounge, and brasserie-like atmosphere adds to the unique and truly memorable dining experience.

The restaurant interior is the perfect blend of casual elegance where soft, balloon lighting combines with custom-designed furniture to create a warm and inviting dining area.

In addition to the salad, sirloin and chips, there are several dessert options available. But other than how customers would like their steaks cooked, there aren’t many more decisions to make. This allows guests to focus their attention on the serious wine list. Instead of being crowded with selections, the concise list introduces guests to a changing array of local wines they would rarely get to sample elsewhere.

To say that HQ loves The Gentle Giant is quite an understatement. They love it almost as much as we love going there. On your next stop to Cape Town, make a booking (essential) and go for steak, salad, chips and Gentle Giant. You will not be disappointed.

Followers of good food and fine wine are in for a treat. The Beverly Hills hotel exclusive gourmet wine evenings are receiving rave reviews.

The Plantation Room of the hotel is the venue where one long mahogony table seating only 22 guests offers an exclusive yet interactive wine and food extravaganza. Four exceptional and sublime courses are served, each perfectly complimented by wines from the Haut Espoir Winery in Franshhoek.

The evening commences at 7.00pm for 7.30pm, with a glass of Haut Espoir Shiraz Rose 2008 served on the terrace before adjorning to the Plantation Room. Your host for the evening is Anne Armstrong, owner of Haut Espoir and it promises to be an memorable event!

Menu
First Course

Seafood Terrine

Dill scented smoked salmon wrapped terrine of mixed seafood

Haut Espoir Sauvignon Blanc 2008

• • •

Second Course

Queen Prawn au Gratin
Cognac flamed langoustine tails with sautéed mushrooms
oven-baked with a Dijon mustard and tarragon flavoured béchamel and emmental cheese

Haut Espoir Chardonnay 2008
• • •

Third Course
Asian Duck
Sesame seeded honey glazed confit duck leg set upon wasabi scented sweet potato mash
accompanied by an aromatic five spiced breast of duck satay
complimented by a sweet chilli plum sauce

Haut Espoir Gentle Giant 2006
• • •
Dessert
Selection of Matured Midland Cheeses with Lavash and preserves

Haut Espoir Shiraz 2005

Coffee and homemade Turkish delight

Bookings
Reservations are essential.
R325 per person

Please call Paula on 031 561 2211 or email paulan@beverlyhillshotel.co.za

Reservations only confirmed on receipt of payment.

At times, in the middle of a storm, there is a moment where everything will make sense in this crazy world. Little rewards for the hard work we put in on a daily basis. Last night our web guy was alerted to the image attached on this post, which simply put, has us as the number 1 farm on the website of those amazing people, Spit or Swallow.

The site is user generated and we have to admit we had no idea that we were even approaching this. We enjoy the way Anel and her team approach the wine industry and their enthusiasm, but we are not the kind of people who check the site all the time. Unfortunately time does just not allow this at the moment what with harvest and babies and all the wonderful things that crazy season brings.

A big thank you to everyone who were wine flies at the farm, who submitted a review of the farm, but most of all, who found the farm great. We are humbled by this little bonus in our week, but its all thanks to you amazing people who love the farm, almost as much as we do.

Thank you.

For others who want to rate the farm, please click the link here!

For those of you who know a little more about wine than how to open the bottle and quaff away, you will know that its heading towards harvest time with serious vooma now.

To keep you in the loop (and educate the rest of us) I sat down with our wine maker, Nikey, to see what he has been doing out in the vineyards in the last few weeks. In typical format, he gave me a short, concise list which I will do my best to expand on.

With around 2-3 weeks to go until we start harvesting on Haut Espoir, the staff and Nikey have been busy, over the last few weeks with (in no particular order):

Green Bunch Removal – this helps the bunches which are nearing harvest to get that extra little bit of nutrients, ensuring only the best fruit comes from the vine into the barrel or tank. Green bunches steal those nutrients, as there is only so much to go around and it gets divided quite equally.

Tipping and Lifting Vines – the vines tend to have a mind of their own, and would like to grow in all directions, even knocking the entire wire system out at times, so we have to guide them into the right paths and formats, lifting them back into the wire formats.

Side Shoot Removal – side shoots are much like green bunches, and are removed to make sure all the nutrients head for the bunches, and not into growing beautiful leaves. Leaves do not make great wines, so we trim the vines to make sure the maximum nutrients get to the bunches.

Those are just 3 things we have been doing here in the last few weeks. Nikey was off into the vines again and I managed to catch him for some information on the Juicing and Pressing procedures the following day, so look out for that post soon.

We are passionate about Caveau. We love their food, their philosophies, their wine list, and in turn, they show us the love by being one of the best outlets for all Haut Espoir Wines. Now, there are 2 Caveau outlets, one in Heritage Square, and one at the Mill, in Newlands.

The philosophy behind the running of the wine bar is that Caveau want their guests to drink quality wines all the time and in order to do this, they have brought down the mark ups on the more expensive wines.

No visit will be complete without a hedonistic free-fall into Caveau’s seductive selection of local cheeses and cured meats, where the delights on offer have been carefully selected to compliment the wines in true French style.

Everything from Caveau’s delectable eggs Benedict and the famous ‘Jean sandwich’, to soups and finger-style tappas (which include meat platters for four with lamb ham, wafers of smoked ham or salami) set the tone for menu differentiation, along with those mouth-watering chalk-board specials that change from season to season.

ed’s note: Now I`m hungry.

Then of course, there are the die-hard favourites like beef, chicken or tuna cubes served with their respective bearnaise, peanut or yoghurt dipping sauces.

Undoubtedly, you will encounter some firsts in this deli, and the purveyors of these fine foods will be only too happy to challenge your palates. But beware! Certain of these delicacies are not for the cholesteroly well endowed!

After sweeping up the romantic antique cellars in the famous Heritage Square building in mid 2003 to open the first Caveau, a restaurant that has achieved huge success, these food and wine ‘passionistas’, spread their wings and opened Caveau at The Mill in early 2007. Situated inside the national landmark of Josephine Mill in Newlands, Cape Town, Caveau at The Mill is a restaurant, bar and function venue set in exquisite surroundings in the southern suburbs.

Open Tuesday to Saturday (8am – 10pm) for both continental and full breakfasts, lunch and dinner, and open Sundays for brunch (10am – 3pm), Caveau at The Mill, situated on Boundary Road in Newlands, offers an escape from the hustle and bustle of downtown Cape Town, so whether you have half an hour or a full day to while away, Jean and Brendon invite you to share in their passion.

You will find most of our Haut Espoir Wines on their wine list, with the Gentle Giant and Rose being two local favorites.

When we were approaching our first harvest back in 2004, we were never planning on producing a Rose. In our maiden vintage, we bottled only 800 bottles, most of this was planned for personal consumption, yet very good friends of ours Camil and Ingrid Haas, who owned Klein Oliphants Hoek at the time, currently own Boullabaise here in the valley, and have now recently opened up Camils in the Cape Royale, got wind of this and requested we offer some up for them, which of course we were very happy to, it’s a stunning food wine.

It matches so well with a wide variety of dishes and flavors. It literally flew out of the cellar, and has developed a strong following amongst appreciators of a decent dry Rose. For this last vintage, we are now on almost 3500 bottles, a major benefit for the portfolio as it is often sold out soon after release. Sales of the 2008 have been going well so to avoid disappointment and the same old hens teeth story from me again this year, it would be best to put your orders in early.

This particular wine also carries a very strict warning, a number of close family friends and even family, have attributed their little ones to an evening of one too many glasses of the good stuff. So if you’re not planning on hearing the pitter-patter of tiny feet any time soon, please be aware when around your special someone after enjoying the pink stuff. Whilst we are all about family, we want to make sure its for the right reasons.

I feel that the difference with this Rose is the way Nikey handles the grapes and juice. The Shiraz is not crushed, it is de stemmed and the whole berries go into our big fermenter until its full enough to give a decent volume of juice. Depending on the harvest and the growing conditions, it is usually 3 to 4 hours of skin contact, enough to give the wine its fine onion skin, salmony hues. The juice goes straight into old French and Hungarian Oak barrels, usually a mix between old red and old chardonnay oak. The wine is treated much like a Chardonnay during its ferment, daily batonage and then its just father time that makes the difference, we like to keep it in bottle at least a year to get any shock over and done with.

Editors Note: Rose 2008 is one of the reasons I wanted to work with Rob, and Haut Espoir, as we shared an introductory glass at Caveau in Newlands around 6 months ago. The wine simply blew me away. It was dry, and unmistakably Shiraz, with pepper notes over the crisp dry flavors.

For a review on our original 2004 Rose, click the link for a review from the guys at Caveau, who we are featuring this week as one of our premier restaurants to choose. That link is here!

For us, the Rose release always signifies a special time of the year, as one our favorite pairings is Gammon around the Holiday Season, and this year will be no different. Please get in touch if you want to buy some of this fabulous wine, as it will be gone before the summer is up.

regards

The Haut Espoir Team