TOWN: ROBERTSON
In Robertson, at the foot of the Langeberg, the people are as connected to their history as they are to the soil. Come sip wine, eat milk tart and experience prime hospitality next to the Breede River.
“We’re fortunate in the Western Cape – a heavy hand was pouring when wine regions were doled out. Stellenbosch is for the young and Cape Town is for the ambitious, but Robertson is for everybody.”
Ahowling southeaster picks up in Cape Town the day I leave for Robertson. With a whiteknuckle grip on the steering wheel, I tune the radio to Kfm and turn my thoughts to the journey ahead. This trip is the last thing standing between me and my December holiday, but I can hardly complain about closing off the business year with a journey into wine country.
Interestingly, my research taught me that a century ago Robertson derived its fame and wealth from something other than grapes. The town was founded in 1853 and named after a respected minister of the Dutch Reformed Church, Dr William Robertson, whose parish included Swellendam and surrounding areas. The early townsfolk made wagons and tended small subsistence farms, but things changed at the beginning of the previous century.
Fashion in Europe at the time revolved around ladies’ hats adorned with ostrich plumes. During the resulting ostrich boom from 1900 to 1914, a single feather could fetch up to £5 in London – an enormous sum of money at the time. The families who pursued ostrich farming in Robertson became wealthy and built manor houses, like the one still seen at Excelsior wine farm. But then World War I happened and dampened all such frivolous pursuits. The ostrich fad faded and the farmers turned their focus to grapes.
Modern Robertson is a key stop on Route 62 – the so-called “longest wine route in the world”, which goes all the way from Worcester to Port Elizabeth. Strictly speaking, the R62 only starts 20 km east of town on the other side of Ashton, but it’s the thought that counts.
Welcoming committee
I approach Robertson on the R60 from Worcester, shaken but not stirred. Trucks sweep past me out of town, loaded with wine destined for the far reaches of South Africa and beyond. Overseas, in London perhaps, somebody is sipping a cabernet sauvignon made from grapes grown in the same soil that ostriches once tramped around on all those years ago. The wind has died down, much to my relief. After all, Robertson is a town for exploring the outdoors and visiting wine farms. About 1,5 km before the town, you’ll see Affie Plaas farm stall, which Annatjie van Coppenhagen and her husband Louis have been running for more than 35 years. “We used to have a coffee shop, but we had to adapt when business started slowing down,” says
Annatjie. “We’re exclusively a farm stall now, but we still invite guests to spend time here.” They stock fresh produce sourced mainly from the surrounding farms, as well as things like vegetable seeds, enamel mugs, braai grids, bottled preserves, dried fruit, hats, crockery, an impressive range of local and international wines and, much to my delight, Turkish Delight!
I take my bags to my overnight spot on Tierhoek Organic Farm in the Noree Valley, about 22 km west of Robertson. As you drive in, signs caution you not to stir up dust.
“The dust gets into the pores of the fruit tree leaves,” says owner Bruce Gilson. He and his wife Alison moved to the valley in 1998 and have been farming organically ever since. They grow practically everything including apricots, plums, satsumas, clementines, olives, lemons and mangoes. There are said to be nesting Verreauxs’ eagles in the mountains above my cottage, and the farm is home to five resident Cape mountain leopards.
“Sometimes we hear them at night,” Alison casually mentions. “But don’t worry, they’re very shy.”
Tierhoek is a quiet and secluded place; you can’t simply nip into town for a litre of milk and the newspaper. This is where I learn about the time-honoured art of “stoeping”. It involves sitting quietly on your veranda and gazing at the view. Every now and then you slowly lift a glass of wine to your lips and take a sip.
I practise this tradition later that evening, accompanied by a slice of milk tart from Affie Plaas. Over the next two days, I aim to taste some of Robertson’s best wines and discover what else this beautiful valley has to offer.
Priorities, priorities
The next morning begins as all mornings should: with a good breakfast. Café Rosa on Voortrekker Avenue catches my eye as I drive between warehouses and wine tanks, some of which tower as high as suburban apartment blocks.
The interior is quaint and unassuming. Kids are allowed to draw on the tablecloths and Dr Seuss quotes decorate the walls, alongside some from Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. They all seem to agree with one another on a fundamental fact: “Sometimes the questions are complicated, and the answers
are simple.” (That’s Seuss, by the way.) I order a ladies breakfast (R70), which comes with chips and the crispiest bacon I have ever tasted. On hot days, families can sit on the shaded deck at the back, which borders the Robertson Garden Centre. Pop in if you’re looking for well-priced plants and quirky decor for your garden back home.
Unanticipated art
The Graham Beck Estate is pristine and modern. As I walk into the tasting room, I glance over a set of paintings on the far wall. And then I stop in my tracks. Surely not: a Marc Chagall original, here in Robertson? You know the painting that Julia Roberts’ character gives to Hugh Grant in Notting Hill? It’s a Chagall – he was a pioneer of modern art and one of the most important Jewish painters of his era who passed away in 1985 aged nearly 100.
I ask the tasting room manager, Kato de Wet, about the artwork. “Yes, it’s an original,” she confirms. “In fact, they all are.”
I’m completely bowled over! The family’s collection also includes works by local legends Gregoire Boonzaier, Walter Battiss and Irma Stern, all of whom made ripples with their artwork during the apartheid years.
It would seem the wine farms here are not just about the wine… The Beck private collection is worth hundreds of millions of rands. There are about 40 paintings and sculptures on constant rotation in the tasting room, which is open to the public and a mustsee for any art lover.
Plants of the past
Nowadays, most of us capture the happenings we consider memorable in photographs. Not Jean Retief – she planted trees in her garden to commemorate historical events that she considered noteworthy.
Jean married Hennie Retief in 1939, whose father – Hennie Snr – had purchased a section of a farm called Goudmyn some years before. Shortly after getting married, Jean inherited a bridal kist that had once belonged to her ancestor Christina van Loveren. Christina’s dowry had been shipped from the Netherlands in the 1700s, when she married the first
Van Zyl to come to South Africa. Jean was so taken by Christina’s pioneering spirit that she convinced her husband to change the name of their part of Goudmyn to Van Loveren, as the farm is known today.
In Jean’s garden, you can see a New Caledonia pine tree planted in 1945 when Germany surrendered to the Allies, a pencil
pine commemorating the Six Day War of 1967 and a leopard tree planted for Nelson Mandela when he became the president of South Africa in 1994.
Many years later, Jean and Hennie’s grandchildren would become the four cousins behind the famous wine range of the same name. Hennie, Bussell, Neil and Phillip Retief all started working on the family farm in the 1990s. Bussell is the winemaker, Hennie and Neil manage the vines and Phillip is the CEO of Van Loveren.
“There has been so much positive development here thanks to wine tourism,” Phillip says. “Everything from tasting rooms and accommodation, to activities and restaurants. At Van Loveren, we’ve also diversified our agricultural footprint to include export plums, berries and citrus.”
“Diversified” is a bit of an understatement considering their many ventures in recent times. The great-value Four Cousins range launched in 2000 – you might remember their 1,5-litre bottle, perfect for sharing. About four years ago they opened their new restaurant and tasting room in town, and most recently they launched their own craft brew, called Boet Beer.
You can’t miss the modern glass-and-steel restaurant, on the left as you enter town from the Worcester side. Pull in for a wine-andchocolate pairing (R60) or a beer tasting (R90). The restaurant also serves delicious bistro-style food and wood-fired pizzas.
Restaurant: Monday to Saturday from 8.30 am to 9.30 pm; until 5 pm on Sundays.
Tasting room: Monday to Friday from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm; Saturday from 9.30 am to 4 pm; Sunday from 11 am to 3 pm.
Contact: 023 615 1505; fourcousins.co.za
Hold onto your hats!
My mom is visiting Cape Town from KwaZuluNatal and she joins me on my last afternoon in Robertson. We decide to take a leisurely boat trip on the Breede River, beginning at Viljoensdrift Wine Estate. We stock up on cheese straws and coffee at the deli, grab two blankets and board the Uncle Ben 2. Unfortunately, the wind has picked up again… From our vantage point on the top deck, I watch vineyards, gardens, campsites and farms slide past. People on the banks wave as we pass by. Suddenly, a particularly strong gust of wind causes the wine glasses on the table to rattle. From the bottom deck a little boy’s voice cries out: “Tannie hou vas – jou hond gaan wegwaai!”
Despite the wind, it’s hard not to get lost in the beauty of this valley. We’re fortunate in the Western Cape – a heavy hand was pouring when wine regions were doled out. Stellenbosch is for the young and Cape Town is for the ambitious, but Robertson is for everybody.
Visiting all the wine farms in the Robertson Valley would require commitment, two livers and a much longer stay! To save you time, here are some of our favourites.
ON THE R60
Graham Beck
These days, Graham Beck exclusively produces MCC wine. A Deluxe Cap Classique experience costs R125 per person for five tastings. This includes three vintage MCCs and two non-vintage blends. The Non-Vintage Collection Tasting costs R50 per person for four wines.
Fun fact: Nelson Mandela and Barrack Obama both celebrated their inaugurations with a bottle of Graham Beck Brut Zero! Opening times: Monday to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm; 10 am to 4 pm on weekends.
Contact: 023 626 1214; grahambeck.com
ON THE R317
Springfield
Abrie and Jeanette Bruwer are the brother-sister duo at the helm of this farm. Wine is made the old-fashioned way, with minimal interference from modern equipment. Try these: Miss Lucy (white blend), Life from Stone (sauvignon blanc) and The Work of Time (Bordeaux blend). Opening times: Monday to Friday from 8 am to 5 pm; Saturday from 9 am to 3 pm; closed on Sunday. Contact: 023 626 3661; info@springfieldsestate.com
Bon Courage
This tasting room is luxurious and stately. Think vintage mirrors and plush sofas reminiscent of The Great Gatsby and the roaring 1920s. Opening times: Monday to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm; Saturday from 9 am to 3 pm; closed on Sunday. Contact: 082 898 9592; boncourage.co.za
Viljoensdrift
Buy snacks at the deli to enjoy on your Breede River cruise (R90 per person). The cruises leave from the jetty beside the restaurant on the half-hour. Book online.
Opening times: Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm; Sunday from 10 am to 3 pm. Contact: 023 615 1901; viljoensdrift.co.za
Van Loveren
This is the home of the Four Cousins range, but they also make many other wines. Their Tangled Tree chardonnay is a lovely and easy drinking wine. Hike the Fish Eagle Trail (7,5 km) along the Breede River (R50 per person) and listen out for the eponymous birds calling from the kloofs. Enquire at reception. Opening times: Monday to Friday