New deli and bakery add to Jordan’s allure

“CELEBRATING 21 years of synergy between soul and soil”: A clever marketing slogan which you will see on Jordan estate’s winelists and website, and one which nicely sums up decades of vinous enterprise by an industrious, likeable family devoid of pretension.

Visitors will find a new deli and bakery opened as part of the coming-of-age celebrations, increasing dining options to embrace the informal along with fine dining offered in the restaurant.

Just ahead of the new venue’s launch, we were treated to an impressive tasting of wines dating back to a 1996 chardonnay, marvelling at how fresh and enjoyable many of them still were – the 1995 cab being one striking example.

This beautiful and diverse region of Stellenboschkloof has been farmed since the 1680s. Gary Jordan unearthed a photograph taken in 1900, showing the farm that is now Jordan which cultivated peaches, rooibos and tobacco, along with vines. His great-grandfather, a cobbler, started the Wellington Boot Factory in, yes, Wellington, and Jordan shoes continued to be produced by Gary’s father, Ted, who also started farming in 1982.

Gary and Kathy have expanded their holdings considerably, built the present cellar in 1992 and have produced ranges of consistently fine wines. Chef George Jardine opened his restaurant on the farm a few years ago, while the Jordans opened High Timber in London.

Today, the cellar produces award-winners across the spectrum of chenin and sauvignon blanc to chardonnay, cab, shiraz and Bordeaux blends, while the charming Chameleon wines offer affordable enjoyment. A further purchase of 20 hectares on a high, hot site will see grenache, cinsaut and tem- pranillo being planted.

In the new airy deli and bakery, Jardine is proud of his long woodfired oven. From this fiery furnace, ciabatta and rye, sourdough and seed loaf, brioche and honey-spelt breads emerge, and there’s an impressive list of sweet pastries.

Visitors can wander down to the lakeside for a meal on deck, choosing from a cheese board or homecured charcuterie with pickles and dips to partner the breads. Wines are available by the glass or carafe and these casual meals make a fine conclusion to a trail run or mountain bike ride on the estate.