#SecretStellies – The Setting

‘Tis the season and all that, but if you’re like me and you’re struggling to get into the Christmas spirit (but you also desperately don’t want to be a grinch) then I may have just the solution for you. You see, while I love and have always loved the Festive season, I must admit that this being a grown-up gig has taken some of the magic out of the whole thing. Work, deadlines, last minute crises. And let’s not talk about the anxiety of figuring out leave and holiday arrangements. Bah! Humbug! Hardly things that make me want to wrap myself in tinsel and sing Fa-la-la-la-laaaa. So how do we combat The Grinch at this truly lovely time of year? What could we do to dust off the anxiety and “meh-ness” of 2014 and get ready to have some summer fun in the gorgeous winelands? Lucky for you all, I have a secret. It’s called #SecretStellies and it might just put you in the summer festive season mood.

#SecretStellies is a little project dreamt up by Lydia from Beau Joubert. I could write endless posts about the endless talents of this remarkable wine-lover but for now, just take note of her marvellous idea: Secret Stellenbosch. The idea is to showcase the real hidden gems of the area. With nearly 150 wine farms on the official Stellenbosch Wine Route, there is more than enough to see and do to keep any wandering wino busy for months. Visitors are often drawn to the bigger, more well-known farms simply because they’re hard to miss. Of course they also offer quality wines, activities and are well worth a visit. But smaller wineries that may not have the word-of-mouth presence of the more popular ones are often skipped. #SecretStellies aims to uncover these secret treasures of the winelands and give the public a little insight on what they may be missing.

The first #SecretStellies day out was organised with military precision and focused on the Polkadraai Hills area of Stellenbosch. We simply had to make our way to Beau Joubert – the first of three stops – and the rest would be taken care of by The Amazing Lydia.  At BJ we were treated not only to a tasting of their wines and a nice gab about the whole #SecretStellies concept, but we were among the first people ever to taste the very first MCC from Beau Joubert. And let me tell you, it certainly was worth the wait. If you’d like to know more, keep an eye on the Beau Joubert Twitter feed. After sampling their mind-bogglingly fantastic value for money wines (seriously, most of them are R100 or less at cellar door. I highly recommend the Chenin Blanc, the Shiraz and the “Free-run” Merlot Rosé.) we took a leisurely stroll down the road to the neighbouring Bein wines, where they had a special experience waiting for us.

Bein Private Cellar is exactly the type of winery that sits at the heart of the #SecretStellies idea; a small operation run by Luca and Ingrid Bein – Swiss veterinarians who fell in love with South Africa and moved here to study and make wine. Their focus is Merlot and they produce a fantastic selection. Bein also offers an unusual winelands experience: a donkey walk. The donkey walk takes visitors on a walk through the vineyards, up to a lookout point and picnic spot. The donkeys carry delicious picnic fare and when you reach the top, Ingrid and Luca unpack the spread and the wine and a little feast is had, overlooking the magnificent surroundings. A good time was had by all, relaxing under the trees and digesting not only the nibbles but the view. You only have to chat with the Beins for 5 minutes to uncover their love for South Africa and their enthusiasm for wine. A visit to Bein Private cellar and a donkey walk should be on everyone’s summer to-do list.

Once we rolled ourselves back down the hill (after being fed beyond elegant sufficiency with the lovely picnic) we were loaded into and onto a bakkie and whisked off to Saxenburg for a Safari Wine tasting. And no, this is not some metaphoric comparison of the Saxenburg wines with The Big Five. Oh no. The tastings are held in a game camp with zebra, antelope and other wild game trotting about around you. No rhinos, elephants or wild cats of course, but if you sit back and stare into the veld, it’s difficult to imagine you’re in the winelands and not at a luxury game lodge.

We indulged in a tasting of Saxenburg’s finest, including their truly fantastic MCC (at R180 a bottle it really is a brilliant buy – unfortunately the label design does let it down immensely as it does not visually present itself as a near-R200 bottle of bubbles, but DO give it a try if you encounter it at your local. It gives the other bubbles in that price class a real run for their money!). Saxenburg has a great selection of wines, from a creamy Chardonnay to a supremely elegant Cabernet Sauvignon which on their own make the estate worth a visit.

And with the view of zebras in the distance (and the kerfuffle of finding of an ostrich egg next to the camp), our #SecretStellies day ended. I’ve always known that Stellenbosch – in fact, all the winelands areas – are a heady mix of the historic, the well-known, the crowd-pleasers, the small and obscure. The #SecretStellies adventure reminded me that the hidden gems must be discovered and talked about. A little exposure will hardly turn them into commercial punters but rather serve to share the secrets they hold with the world. And when that happens, everybody wins.

So if you’re short on some summer Christmas cheer, I recommend a visit to one of these secret spots. It might be just what the doctor Santa ordered . Ho, ho, ho!

The post Ditch Secret Santa. Time for #SecretStellies appeared first on Incogvino.

“Like in life, you need a partner who is passionate to make it work” – Tom Breytenbach

The Brenaissance Wine and Stud estate is situated in Devon Valley, Stellenbosch

These words encompass the philosophy behind the new and very noteworthy Brenaissance Wine and Stud estate situated in Devon Valley, Stellenbosch. Partners in crime, the husband-and-wife team, Tom and Hayley Breytenbach, own and run the newest gem of the valley.

Their story is quite unlike most estates in the winelands; from zero to fully operational in less than a year.  The central theme of new beginnings is the essence of their story. They purchased the estate in 2011, developed the venue and accommodation and hosted their own wedding their less than a year later. In 2012 they added the restaurant, Cafe Blanc de Noir, and Brenaissance as it is now was born.

The Breytenbachs are not your typical wine estate owners. While they retained the previous farm owner as farm manager, they do not merely delegate the daily running of the estate to staff, but are involved in every aspect and every detail. This deep involvement imprints their unique style and vision onto every facet of the estate, from the cafe to the wedding venue to the wines.

When Tom tells you about his vineyards and wines, you can’t help but be charmed by the exuberance and passion he radiates. He emphasizes that their focus is on viticulture: “We grow them right, we give them (the winemakers) the power to make it right”. And yes, winemakers. Plural. They have 5. Having gone on an 18-month expedition to taste their way around South Africa’s wine producers, they noticed a trend; that every estate or cellar has one or two amazing wines, with the rest just not matching up. The observation makes sense, as it’s not unheard of that winemakers often have preferred cultivars to work with. So instead of hiring one winemaker to make all their wines, they hired five – each to craft his best possible product.

As for the Bordeaux-style blend, the Full House (R148) is all about the blending. And how do you know you’ve got the right blend? “It’s just a feeling”, says Tom. Seamless. Synergy. Sumptuous. A Cabernet-driven blend, with 3 other varietals, the wine is more than equal to the sum of its parts.

Brenaissance offers two estate wines, available exclusively on the estate and both for under R100. The Lady H (R68) is a smooth, elegant Sauvignon Blanc with a great mouthfeel and just the right amount of “tang” left on the tongue. A near-perfect balance between sugar and acidity makes this an easy drinking wine in the true sense of the word.  The Lord T – Edition I (R78) is Tom’s own secret red blend. A non-vintage, non-varietal blend, Tom sources wines from wherever he fancies, and each blend doesn’t necessarily contain wines from the same year (or decade). 6000 bottles are produced, of which 1500 are immediately stored in the wine library for use in vertical tastings a few years from now. Members of the wine club are encouraged to guess the composition of the blend: the closest guess receives 200 bottles of the Lord T, but even if guessed correctly, Tom says he will never reveal the exact components or proportions of the blend. Fruity and with low tannins, the Lord T joins the Lady H in what the Breytenbachs call companion wines: wines made to enjoy with friends, whenever and wherever, with food or without.

The Knight of White (R128) is a provocative and seductive Chardonnay. Referred to as liquid gold, this wine will entice you to take it home with you. The grapes for the Chardonnay are made to sweat. Literally. The vineyard block is perpendicular to the sea breeze that blows into the valley and the vines themselves are lifted so the cool breeze blows underneath them but not directly onto the grapes. This unusual practice brings out an intense flavour in both grapes and wine. Heavy hints of pear with an almost salty aftertastes distinguishes this from your run of the mill Chardonnay.

The Jack of Diamonds (R168) is their 2009 Shiraz. The grapes are in Shiraz heaven, as far as terroir is concerned. In a bit of a rogue move, the vines are starved at the start of flowering, with no irrigation leading to a smaller, more concentrated berry. The indulgence of a survivor (of a long week), it’s classically spicy and made for meat, but goes down so smooth you’d forget it’s a Shiraz. Paired with Namibian biltong, this Shiraz really comes into its own.

A 2010 Merlot, their Queen of Hearts (R138) has a full plum flavour, most likely because the vineyard block is surrounded by the plum orchard. Touches of mint but without the grassy, herby finish often present in Merlot. Paired with 85% Valhrona dark chocolate, the touch of bitterness suddenly brings out a new dimension in the wine and really brings it to life.

Finally, the head honcho of the offerings: the King of Clubs (R228). This is a big wine that makes a big statement. Planted below the fynbos ridge, the natural flora infuses into the wine creating a “hospital effect”. Bold and herby, Haley suggests this would make a great Glühwein. When you’re feeling down and a little worse for wear, open up a bottle of this. It’s ok. It’s medicine.

Brenaissance does not follow your typical formula of Estate = farm + tasting centre + wedding venue + restaurant. While it does contain all these elements, Tom and Haley’s fingerprints are all over it, engrained into every detail, right down to the mind-map style tasting notes drawn up from Haley’s doodles.

Spend a day at Brenaissance, meet the team, experience the wines and have a droolicious pizza. And see how Tom and Haley are living the dream.

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