Diversity is the watchword in South Africa’s wineries. But the product itself is still the main event. Telford Vice reports

Once you have been to Zorgvliet you will understand how Mac van der Merwe makes perfect sense, despite the seemingly irreconcilable differences that colour his metaphors a brighter shade of the rainbow nation. Or something. Perhaps it is the wine that keeps the lines of communication untangled. ‘We see our wine as the silver bullet,’ van der Merwe begins, straightforwardly enough. ‘If your wine isn’t good enough it doesn’t matter how much icing you pile on top of the cake, it’s still not going to be something worth putting in the bank.’

Or something. But there is no confusing the fact that Zorgvliet makes fine wine. The 2007 edition of the most authoritative resource on South African wine, The John Platter Guide, would seem to concur with its award of at least four stars (out of five) to six of the estate’s range. ‘Our wines are up there with the best, and our cellar is state of the art,’ van der Merwe says with pride. But it is not only wine that is drawing more visitors to wineries such as Zorgvliet. ‘Nowadays you have to do many more things than simply produce good wine. We’ve done our research, and the market we’re aiming for is after wine, golf, long-haul travel and property ownership abroad.

‘We’re trying to broaden the range of what we’re able to offer that market, and we’ve even bought a small independent travel agency in the UK to help us do so.’ Van der Merwe says the winery aims to offer vineyard holidays which allow guests to experience a working wine farm; and much more besides. A visit to Zorgvliet, in Stellenbosch’s Banhoek Valley, the heart of South Africa’s wine country, could encompass marvelling at creatures as distinct from each other as butterflies and crocodiles, or scuba diving, hot air ballooning and relaxing in the spa. Accommodation is available in degrees of luxury ranging from comfortable to opulent, and the dining in both restaurants is undeniably fine.

For Tanya Jordaan of Lusan Premium Wines – a group comprising the highly regarded Neethlingshof, Le Bonheur, Uitkyk, Stellenzicht and Alto estates in Stellenbosch – the South African wineries’ shift towards diversification is driven partly by changes in the way wine is bought and sold. ‘Cellar door sales remain of obvious importance to us, but customers are now able to buy our wines at lower prices in other shops because those merchants buy in bulk from us,’ Jordaan says. ‘Our wines are also available in other countries, but often the costs of getting wine into stores overseas pushes the price up significantly. So wineries need to move in other directions to enrich the experience of visitors, in order to ensure that we don’t lose out on the revenue previously earned from wine sales.’

None of the Lusan estates offers accommodation, but they do encompass some of the most memorable sights, scenes and food that the Cape winelands have to offer.

The kilometre-long avenue of stone pines that leads to Neethlingshof’s manor house is worth a visit on its own. This landmark appears on the estate’s label, and it is a warm memory for many visitors. Another of the Cape’s special experiences can be had in the form of a dinner at the twin-gabled manor house at Le Bonheur. These grand occasions are held by appointment only, but if that option is not available, this estate has to be among South Africa’s most beautiful in terms of rustic splendour.

Stellenzicht is also an aching beauty, with its gently contoured vineyards sloping curvaceously towards the sea, which surges just 8km away. The estate is located in what some terroir aficionados call the ‘golden triangle’ formed by Stellenbosch Mountain, Helderberg Mountain, and the road that connects Stellenbosch and Somerset West. If you are after a view from heaven, head for Mont Rochelle in Franschhoek. All that interrupts the sky are the mountains, and the two restaurants bill themselves as offering ‘the ultimate gourmet winelands experience’. And all this is available at a 16-room, six-suite boutique hotel.

Not all of the Cape’s gems are located in emerald valleys, and not all of the Cape’s winemakers are concerned only with wine. ‘The stars in the Namaqualand night sky,’ Shelagh de Rosenwerth sighs wistfully, ‘are like…’ Her pause is filled with meaning. The stars in question twinkle their pristine light onto the Stellar Winery’s vineyards, which recline 275km north of Cape Town in the Olifants River basin.

This part of South Africa does not announce itself as wine-growing country. The Atlantic Ocean might be nearby, but the arid semi-desert area, the Karoo, lurks mysteriously in the east. To the north the sands of the Namib Desert shift with deadly grace, and way out west the island of St Helena pokes out of the vast sea like a stray bullet. It was on this desolate bit of volcanic afterthought that the banished Napoleon Bonaparte spent the last six years of his life. Did he have cause to marvel at the night sky? ‘The stars are like nothing I have ever seen, they are so bright,’ de Rosenwerth, spokesperson at Stellar, says. Indeed, they glint like radioactive dewdrops on velvet, and out there they have the entire sky to themselves.

So bright are the stars of Namaqualand, in fact, that they used to help illuminate the winery, which was not roofed in the early stages of its existence. The place names of Olifants River resonate with the hard-edged realities of living a hot, dry life. Vanrhynsdorp, Trawal, Velddrif, Piketberg: keep them in the mouth long enough and you can’t help but raise a thirst. Somehow, saying Stellenbosch, Constantia, Paarl or Franschhoek does not parch the throat, even though the wine from these places of lush greenery fills more bottles.

But it is no accident that Stellar has located itself in what some may consider to be the viticultural outback, because all wine produced there is certified organic according to HACCP and Eurepgap regulations. ‘Some areas are just far more suitable for organic crops,’ adds de Rosenwerth. ‘The vine’s main enemy is fungus, and the wetter the area the more likely you are to have fungus, and the more difficult it is to combat it. Where our grapes are grown, in a semi-arid region, fungus is not really a problem. For people in Stellenbosch it’s not that easy, although there are some hardy pioneers out there doing their thing.’

Why organic? ‘The fewer chemicals you use, the better it is, and nobody can really dispute that. Organic agriculture is indisputably better for the land, better for the people who are working the land, and better for the consumer.’ Cellar tours are available by appointment, and visitors who need accommodation can choose from the quality guesthouses that abound in the area.

Bon Cap Organic Winery has only 45 hectares under vines compared to Stellar’s 100 hectares, but it puts its resources to good use. Located in the Robertson district 160km east of Cape Town with the Little Karoo’s hot breath on its neck, the winery takes cooling solace from its intimate proximity to the Breede River, and the breeze that whistles between the mountains from the Indian Ocean. A guest farm of self-catering cottages, all with soothing stretches of water close by, are available for hire, and a restaurant that celebrates local cuisine and is guided by seasonal produce completes the picture. Waterblommetjiebredie – literally ‘water flower broth’ – and bobotie, a spicy meat dish brought to Africa by Malay slaves, are specialities.

The estate also has its own rustic wedding chapel, which is framed by more than 2,000 rose bushes, and a conference facility. But it is wine that rushes through the veins of Michelle du Preez, who owns Bon Cap with her husband Roelf. ‘I have a very big issue with people who think their wine will sell because they say it is organic,’ she says. ‘I wish I could stand on a mountain and scream out loud that simply putting an organic label on the bottle doesn’t sell your wine. What sells your wine is quality versus price point and service.’ If du Preez sounds like a maverick, it is because she is: ‘When we started the winery in 2002, my husband wasn’t a winemaker, I wasn’t a marketer. We knew nothing.’ Four years later, Bon Cap’s label is on wine store shelves in 14 countries, among them the US and the UK.

Like the guest farm, the du Preez approach to organic farming was established before they decided to make wine. ‘Organic is the way we farm, and that’s more important than the final product itself,’ du Preez says. ‘It’s important that we have sustainability. I think the organic way is more important when it comes to fresh produce such as meat and milk. With products like wine, it’s added value. I want to sell my wines to everyone who enjoys good wine, not just to people who want organic wine.’ Butterflies or crocodiles, cool and green or hot and dry, organic or conventional, there is something for most who enjoy a glass in South Africa’s winelands.

THE GRAPE TRAIL

Zorgvliet Wines Stellenbosch Tel: (+27) 21 885 1399 www.zorgvlietwines.co.za	Mont Rochelle Mountain Vineyards Franschhoek Tel: (+27) 21 876 3000 www.montrochelle.co.za
Neethlingshof Estate Stellenbosch Tel: (+27) 21 883 8988 www.neethlingshof.co.za	Bon Cap Organic Winery Robertson Tel: (+27) 23 626 1628 www.boncaporganic.co.za
Le Bonheur Estate Stellenbosch Tel: (+27) 21 875 5478 www.lebonheur.co.za

WHERE TO STAY

CAPE GRACE HOTEL
West Quay
Victoria & Alfred Waterfront
PO Box 51387
Cape Town
Tel: (+27) 21 4107 100
www.capegrace.com