GUAVAS, GOOSEBERRIES AND GRAPEFRUIT

IF you live in Cape Town, there’s no better way to celebrate the arrival of spring than by spending a day or two up the West Coast. At this time of the year, endless fields of wild flowers burst into bloom, are easily accessible from the West Coast Road (R27), and most spectacular from Yzerfontein northwards.

Most wine lovers don’t get much further than Darling, just inland from Yzerfontein, where the 98th Darling Wildflower Show will take place from September 18-20, and where wine cellars worth visiting include Cloof, Darling Cellars, Groote Post, Lanner Hill, Ormonde and Withington.

This year, however, perhaps over the Heritage Day long weekend, I’m planning to venture a couple of hours further — all the way up to the fishing village of Doringbaai.

It’s been on my bucket list since 2011, when Fryer’s Cove Vineyards (established in 1999 to explore the salty-seabreeze maritime potential of vineyards on the Atlantic shoreline) converted a derelict crayfish packing shed into a one-of-a-kind winery, perched right on the jetty. Not only did this save brothers-in-law Ponk van Zyl (grower) and Wynand Hamman (winemaker) from having to transport their grapes all the way to Stellenbosch; it also saved a fishing village in decline, bringing commercial activity back to one of few remaining outposts still offering authentic West Coast hospitality, complete with a crayfish or two at a new seafood eatery alongside the tasting room.

I can’t wait to experience it, and in the meantime there’s Fryer’s Cove’s new Doringbay Sauvignon Blanc 2015 (RRP R80) in packaging that reflects the cellar’s unique location and also depicts a sardine can opener alongside the slogan “Unlock the Taste”.

Taste? It’s crisp and dry with flavours ranging from green peas and gooseberries to guava, granadilla and grapefruit — and a slight underlying saltiness. — Joanne Gibson