No such thing as a free wine

Signs of students and tough economic times at Hells Hoogte wine farms on a recent visit.  Why I expect to taste wine for free, I am not sure.  Tradition probably.  My local supermarket does not let me taste at all.  Even after I’ve paid.  Never mind for free.  At restaurants or bars it is also not usually done to taste before you buy, but wine farms were the exception.  Sadly at three prominent Stellenbosch farms it is no longer the case, but they way they handle it are very different.  Located in a University town the drain of freeloading students looking for the cheapest way to get drunk is a constant threat to the profitability of the wine farms.  So some policy must be in place.

Lovely wine

I’ve gone on often enough about the great delight that Thelema’s wines give me.   They have a new sign up.  R25 per tasting.  But they don’t mention it.  In I walk with my sandals and shorts (The Runner is better dressed.  As it is always the case, I will not mention it again) and they treat me just like a serious buyer.  Which I was.  Probably pulling out the pre-printed order form helped.  We tasted most of the range, bought less than usual (the new reds only being released late in the year) and did not pay anything for tasting.  Sauvignons of 2012, both the Thelema and Sutherland (from Elgin despite the name), joined their year older Chardonnay sibling, swembad wine and some Late Harvest Riesling in the boot.  The newer version of Rabelais (2008), the top-end blend, was the only red purchased.  Now a return visit in tourist season must be fitted in for the other reds.

Onwards and downwards to Camberley.    John Nel, the charismatic owner and winemaker had a quick chat before disappearing into the cellar.  He charges for tasting, a higher price if you want the full range, which includes a port and sparkling Shiraz ⁽¹⁾, but that is offset against a purchase.  His range includes student-friendly wines, at around R30 a bottle priced the same R/ml as beer.  He also sells snacks, light meals and in summer Jack Black beer.  The idea is to make it a good place to hang out and enjoy yourself.  And when the parents visit, bring them along to buy the more expensive wines.  After graduation and earning proper money, come back and support the place where you have had a lot of fun.

The whole atmosphere is more of a wine bar than a wine farm.  They like you to linger and drink a lot.  As it happens I was there for the wine, so had to hurry them along.  It was nearly time for the rugby and we had to leave.  Not because we couldn’t’ watch it there, no, they showed it at Camberley and that is precisely the reason we had to go.  Seeing the Boks flailing hopelessly against the Big Island South-Seaers, was not going to increase my enjoyment of the day.  Bought the red blends Philosopher’s Stone and Cabernet-Merlot, both 2009.

View from Delaire. Without cars it is even better.

Given the amount of money Mr. Graff invested in Delaire, the attitude towards tasting fees should not come as a surprise. It is a very good view.  We could still see some snow on the mountain tops. It must have snowed on the day, because we didn’t see it in the morning.  That or the mist meant we couldn’t see the mountains.  Sitting on the patio enjoying the view, the wine is brought out to you one at a time.  Service was slick, as always, with the salesperson knowing quite a lot about the wine.  The oaking regime, the origin of the grapes.  That sort of thing.  But it is somewhat spoiled by their payment requirements.  R10 per wine.  It is worth charging for the knowledge and training behind it and the wines are all nice enough and if you are only going to taste, R10 a glass, generous portion to be fair, is not too bad.  But when buying, you really should not pay.  There can be a threshold, even a high one, but six bottles should be enough to offset it.  So I bought Chardonnay 2011 and from the same vintage the “normal” Sauvignon Blanc.  And tastings of 5 wines.

Outside the deli as shown on their web page.

By now, despite the travel sandwiches she made, The Runner needed food.  Across the road from Thelema is the Deli-Cat-Essen at Tokara.   A real deli with different sausages, cheeses, pestos.   That sort of place. ⁽²⁾  Also, given the Tokara part, very upmarket.  This is best illustrated by the children’s playing area.  Not a steel construction as found in most parks.  This is a wooden one with fibreglass slide.  This enables children that are denied the privilege of climbing live trees the opportunity to climb dead ones.  But what stood out for me was the large sunshade in the sand pit.  I realise it is sensible, it just seems, well, controlled.  Why don’t you just put the sand under a tree?

Inside the deli as shown on their web page.  Also in real life.

Lunch was a platter of cold meats, sour dough bread ⁽³⁾, cheeses and, for the first time knowingly in my live, capers.  Not bad, the capers, but I don’t feel I have to make up for lost time now.  Chasing down capers and using it in every dish.  Strawberry shortcake would suffer especially.  With lunch we had tea.  It came with it’s own heater, timer and instructions as to how long to steep it.  Although the latter was spoiled by “If you like it stronger or weaker, just look at the colour.”  The pretty glass tea pots helped with the colour monitoring. 

At some stage during lunch The Runner started to show signs of nervousness.  Did I smell?  Messed food on a passing child and now the parent is coming back for retribution?  What? 

“They are all pregnant.” 

Carefully studying the female patrons ⁽⁴⁾ I too noticed that a very high proportion were pregnant.  Now the nervousness made sense.  In school they told us how to get pregnant, or rather how not to, and it did not include drinking tea with cheese and bread, but back when I was in school, they lied to us about a whole range of things and pregnancy could be one of them. No reason to hang around and take a chance. 

So while all three charges for only tasting wine, it seems they are selling different things.  Thelema sells wine.  High quality, slightly pricey wine.  But if you taste the entire range it comes to R1.25 per wine.  Camberley sells a wine enjoying experience. You can stay the entire afternoon for the tasting fee.  You are encouraged to hang around and if you buy, you don’t pay to taste.  Delaire Graff sells a view. 

(1)    An idea which, like Port Jackson’s, should have stayed in Australia.

(2)    No cat though.

(3)    From the Oude Bank Bakkerij in Stellenbosch.

(4)    Pregnant men being somewhat of a rarity.