Biodiversity and sustainability at Weltevrede Sowing wild oats at Weltevrede

Yesterday while walking through our vineyards I had an interesting discussion with vitiulturist Francois Viljoen on how farming phylosophy has changed over time. I think in the past if you asked a farmer what he farms with, he would say sheep or vineyards or apples. But nowadays we are all coming to understand that primarily we farm with nature. Secondarily with vines or other produce. Monocultures of manicured vines on barren soils are making way for a phylosophy of living soils where much focus is put on the protection of the microbiological activity and diversity amongst the vines. Not all weeds are bad and our industry is researching different cover crops to enhance life in our soils. Although some sow commercial oats or barley the ideal is to use a natural cover crop amongst the vines. Although Weltevrede is blessed with...

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Wat uniek aan hierdie groeiseisoen is, is die groot hoeveelheid winddae wat die Wes-Kaap ervaar het. Die Suid-Oostewind was koel en het die verskynsel van millerandage of hen-en-kuikens by baie wingerde veroorsaak. ’n Druiwetros het dan net enkele normale grootte korrels en die res is piepklein en pitloos. Dit het natuurlik ’n groot impak op hoeveel ons oes en veral die ou Muskadelwingerde lewer hierdie jaar min druiwe.

 

Die parsery van die Pinot Noir en Chardonnay het tydens die eerste week van die jaar afgeskop en die vonkelwyndruiwe het baie mooi ingekom. Ons het uitsonderlike warm dae vroeg Januarie beleef wat die rypwording skielik ‘n sprong vorentoe gegee het. Die ryper Chardonnay van die River’s Edge, Place of Rocks en Rusted Soil Chardonnay het vroeg oggende met perfekte gesondheid, intense geure en goeie ontledings ingekom. Bietjie donderweer en humiditeit in Februarie het gemaak dat ons baie vinnig die Sauvignon blanc moes oes, wat die 2011 waarskynlik ‘n ligter, varser styl sal maak.

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Food and home magazine recently sent through a couple of dishes (including all the ingredients used) and asked Philip to comment on which wines he would recommend with these dishes. Have a look at the dishes and see what you would have recommended, then have a look at Philip's comments under the 'To Drink' heading. If you have any alternative ideas as to what should be paired with these dishes we would love to hear from you!

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Ek is genooi om te pars by Champagne Piollot in die dorpie Polisot. Dis al klaar genoeg om ‘n misverstand te veroorsaak. Wat nog te sê die taal.  

Ek stap die kelder binne en voel my dadelik tuis tussen kratte vol druiwe,’n ou tradisionele mandjiepers, ’n Bucher-sakpers en vurkhyster. By die mandjiepers staan drie mans. Ek vra na ’n Roland Piollot en hy identifiseer homself, ‘n vriendelik man met swartgrys poniestert in sy veertigs. ”Je m’appelle Philippe. Je suis le Sudafricaine,” verduidelik ek. Hy begryp, wys my om vas te staan en hy verdwyn om die hoek. Die ander twee mans werk in stilte die doppekoek in die mandjiepers los. Ek neem ‘n vurk wat teen die muur staan en val by hulle in. Hulle verstaan die Afrikaanse gebaar van my: ek is nie net hier om hulle gade te slaan nie; ek is ook hier om hand aan die ploeg te slaan. Roland het sy vrou, Dominique, opgespoor wat met haar sterk Franse aksent my in Engels kom groet. Sy wys my deur die kelder en vertel van al die Franse reëls en regulasies. ”We are obliged to . . .” is omtrent die begin van elkeen van haar sinne. Obliged to grow vineyards where the AOC determines. Obliged to start harvesting when the authorities determine. Obliged to load only 4 tons per press. Obliged to get only 22.5 hectoliter per press. Ek waardeer ons vryheid in Afrika om self te kan besluit wat goed is. Ons keer terug na die kelderwerkers, Roland skiet ‘n bottel Champagne en skink vir ons elkeen ‘n glas vol. Ons drink hom leeg, plus nog ‘n optop, graaf in die een hand en glas in die ander hand, en ek word ‘n paar raakvat-handskoene en ‘n goiingsakvoorskoot aangegee. Bo-op die stillasie van die Bucher help ek een van die ander werkers kratte druiwe in die pers uitgooi. Ons praat nie eintlik nie, want ons is beperk tot my Frans; hy ken nie soveel soos yes of no in Engels nie, blyk dit. Ons werk in stilte. Sy hande en dié van die ander wat in die kelder werk is sterk en grof, gekeep met swart rooiwynvlekke. Geduikte stomp vingernaels. Vingers wat in masjiene en oralster handig is. Nie taalmeester nie. 50kg kratte wil gehanteer wees. Ek het lanklaas hande-arbeid gedoen, maar ek is immers uit Afrika, van die land van Le Springbok. Hulle moet my mis as ek die dag hier waai. My armspiere aar en ek breek lieflike klein Champagne-windjies wat in my opborrel. Die pers is gelaai en ons klim af. Nog ’n Champagne-prop waai. Dié keer ’n 2006 rosé van 100% Pinot Noir. Almal deel daarin.

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As we approach the festive season, with which celebration is synonymous,  you  are invited to join Philip on an exploration into the personality of each of his acclaimed bubblies and decide who you would welcome as an auspicious guest at your festive affair. Philip, the wordsmith, confesses that wine is indissolubly part of his make-up, pulsing through his veins: it is, he says, a love affair ‘was birthed founding great-grandfather in 1912, before he was born’. He invites you to share in a taste of his experience: the enchantment that is his life. Join him on a journey into  the sublime world of wine and words: his passion and his art.      

Entheos, a blend of 60% chardonnay and 40% pinot noir, is an exquisite blend of creaminess and vibrancy and is ideal for daily enjoyment. It is arguably the most obvious choice for inclusion at any festive celebration in that it is highly acclaimed - the wine was...

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Why is this 2010 vintage the best ever? Year after year all over the wine world you will find the new vintage being announced as the best ever. In some years winemakers and marketers have to delve deep to find reasons to rate the most recent vintage a brilliant year. You may find that in many cases it is only in retrospect, well after the last bottle has been sold, that some vintages in history are being described as less favourable. What is of course true is that we often don’t know until after a few years how good a vintage will turn out to be. 

It is impossible to start at the beginning as I wasn’t around in 1912 when my great-grandfather began the wine farming at Weltevrede, but for me 1997 was average. 1998 was excellent. 1999 was a nightmare. 2000 was good. 2001 was fantastic. 2002 was good. 2003 average. 2004 good. 2005 was rotten. 2006 was very good. 2007 was good. 2008 was a disaster. 2009 was...

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Weltevrede Wine Estate offers more than three hundred hectares of vines where a writer can use the freedom of farm roads and fresh air to find inspiration. Weltevrede is situated in the peaceful Bonnievale valley beside the Breede River and surrounded by hills of renosterveld with the Riviersonderend and Langeberg as backdrop. It is a place of peace and tranquility and Weltevrede Writers cottage, Ons Huisie, is available for those who want to find inspiration or complete a manuscript.

 

The Weltevrede Writers studio is in a building which was built by Italian prisoners of war during the Second World War. It is situated in a garden amongst ancient trees and consists of a collection of more than   three thousand books, many of which are Africana. These are available to writers for research purposes. "It is not a dusty, dead archive, rather it is pulsing with life. One becomes aware that between all the...

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In the foundations of Weltevrede there are vines older than 80 years deeply rooted and still bearing grapes every year, vines planted by my great-grandfather that we never intend to take out or replace. They are declared as Conservation worthy property for future generations to cherish. However such age is the exception. In most cases a vineyard gets to twenty five or thirty years when the vines gets hard headed and start following their own minds, some ripening too early, some too late, some never ripening properly. Then when it is a grape varietal that has no purpose in the portfolio anymore sadly it is time to give the vineyard what some farmers call “an iron treatment” – tractor and chain. Old gnarled vines are uprooted and follow their ancestors – ashes to ashes – the real South African, or shall I say Kaapse braai with wingerdstompies.



 

The land is cleared, lucerne (alphalfa) sowed, guinea fowl pie...

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Weltevrede's New Blog Section

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