Discover a World Secreted Away at Jan Harmsgat Country House

The historic and luxurious Jan Harmsgat Country House delivers an unforgettable experience of al fresco dining, handcrafted wines, 4×4 farm tours, and divine country lodging.

On the southernmost periphery of the Robertson Wine Valley, about 20 minutes before Swellendam on the R60 highway, you’ll discover a bucolic haven spread out beneath a thick canopy of tree leaves. Here, the historic homesteads, luxury suites, dappled sunlit pathways, and warbling birdcalls offer visitors a serene respite from “it all”, whether it’s the stresses of the workweek or a demanding tourist itinerary. This is Jan Harmsgat Country House: a world secreted away and a place of cool tranquillity and sensual indulgence.

Picnic Under the Pecans

The first of many diversions guests can enjoy at Jan Harmsgat (JHG) is a picnic under the pecan trees, featuring a delicious abundance of farm-fresh, locally made treats. Think: whole breads that crackle as you cut into the crust, a selection of charcuterie and cheeses, fresh strawberries and grapes, olives and olive tapenade, biltong, fig preserve, and crunchy garden salad washed down with a bottle of JHG Sauvignon Blanc 2018. Our advice is to arrive hungry because you aren’t going to want to leave any corner of this indulgent spread untested.

Exploring the working farm

JHG is a 680-hectare working farm that produces a rich harvest of fruits, including whole pomegranates and pomegranate juice, pecan nuts, and grapes for wine. The farm is spread out on both sides of the R60 highway, providing a pleasing degree of separation between guest accommodations and trundling tractors. Having said this, some of the JHG’s most alluring attractions are its farming operations, which guests are encouraged to explore by foot, bicycle, or 4×4 safari truck…and there are few better ways to recover from a lavish lunch than going for a walk in nature!

The pecan orchard is a magical place to start with its soft carpeting of lush green grass and resident chestnut-coloured hoopoes. Beyond that, you’ll discover olive groves bedecked in purpling drupes belonging to the neighbouring Mardouw Olive Estate. There are no fences, so meander through the groves and look out for the gravesite of former farm owner and respected local councilman, Hermanus Steyn de Jonge. Another equally charming way to explore and work off all that delicious farm-fresh bread is to jump on a bicycle, of which the estate maintains three for guests to use. Just ask the staff to pump up those tyres!

4×4 Tour and Sunset

With the evening approaching, guests are invited to bundle onto JHG’s steed: a handsome Land Rover safari vehicle with manager and marketer of JHG wine portfolio, Mitch Boy, as tour guide. With a glass of JHG Chardonnay 2016 in hand, guests set off on a rutted track that winds its way through the farm’s vineyards, pomegranate orchards – stopping for a taste of the voluptuous ruby fruit – and up a nearby koppie to watch the sun descend into the mist-swathed mountain ranges bordering the Robertson Valley. Keep an eye out for the resident herd of wildebeest!

Guest Accommodations and Restaurant

JHG’s luxury accommodations consist of ten exclusive rooms and a romantic honeymoon suite. The spacious rooms are elegantly dressed and offer all the modern amenities you’d expect; yet still exude the enchantment of rustic, farm-style living with their original metre-thick walls, yellow-wood detailing, and floral touches.

Mealtimes are taken at the estate’s restaurant, Just Amy, which lovingly crafts delicious, homespun dishes, such as ostrich carpaccio, grilled West Coast sole with Mediterranean couscous, slow roasted lamb shank with mashed potato, and, for dessert, pecan pie! The elegant, yet rustic country theme extends beautifully into this space with its hardwood ceiling, warm lighting, gracefully decked tables, large fireplace, and leather sofas. There is also a large outdoor seating area under the shade of the pecan trees, which is perfect for al fresco dining on sunny days.

Jan Harmsgat Wines

Lunch, dinner, or anytime really, JHG’s staff is ready to deliver a wine tasting of the estate’s boutique range of small-batch, wild-fermented, and vegan-friendly wines. This consists of a Sauvignon Blanc 2018, Chenin Blanc 2018 (sold out) Chardonnay 2016, Pinotage 2016, Cabernet Sauvignon 2017, and Shiraz 2016. Each wine is crafted from a single block of vineyards no more than six hectares in size and with minimal intervention in the cellar so that the resultant wine is a loving and honest expression of its unique terroir.

A restorative getaway

For days spent embraced by nature and fruiting trees and nights engulfed in red wine and warm, white sheets, there are few better destinations than Jan Harmsgat Country House. Couple this luxury and indulgence with quintessential Western Cape vistas of vineyard carpeted valleys and rugged mountain peaks, and you’ve got a restorative getaway against which you’ll measure all others.

For bookings and enquiries: reservations@janharmsgat.com, +27 (0)87 057 4507.

This blog article was originally written for Southern Vines magazine, the largest lifestyle and leisure magazine in the Western Cape of South Africa: https://www.southernvines.co.za/2019/06/14/discover-a-world-secreted-away-at-jan-harmsgat-country-house/

One-of-a-kind Wine Tasting Experience at Esona Boutique Winery

When one speaks of the internationally-renown Cape Winelands, the leafy, winemaking towns of Stellenbosch and Franschhoek tend to dominate the limelight. Yet, two-hours outside of the city lies a pristine valley, where winemaking tradition, history, culture, and talent is as strong as it is in its celebrity counterparts: the Robertson Wine Valley. Here, a constellation of wineries contributes tirelessly to the wine culture of our country and a shining star among them all is Esona Boutique Winery.

“The very one”: single vineyard, limited release wines

Esona, which means “the very one” in Xhosa, lies sandwiched between the towns of Robertson and Bonnievale in the heart of the Robertson Wine Valley, with the Langeberg to the north and the Riviersonderend Mountains to the south. From the second floor of its pretty winery, one gets a sense of orientation and views of vineyards that extend all the way down to the Breede River, the valley’s central artery that supplies all the farms with life-giving water.

Floating like a stalwart ship in an ocean of green vineyards, Esona’s winery and underground cellar is a compact building that caters to every expectation: stylish interior with charming historic elements, delicious food platters, a lovely selection of wines, friendly staff, absolutely gorgeous views, and a unique underground cellar tasting experience. In order to get there, one is required to walk through a short section of vineyards, which is testament to the boutique status of the estate because if they had hoards of visitors, the plants would likely suffer.

Girl power at Esona Boutique Winery

The assistant winemaker at Esona Boutique Winery is Charmaine, who, in addition to obliterating the male winemaker gender stereotype, worked her way up from farm labourer to her current position. If anyone has an intimate understanding of the grapes and the vineyards, it’ll be the person who once tended to them with their very own hands.

In this way, the family behind Esona are dedicated to empowering their staff and the people in their community, not only by hiring them, but by training, mentoring, and allowing them to realise their full potential irrespective of where they started out in life. Wine tasting assistants are able to become managers, and farm labourers are able to become wine makers. These individuals have the talent and the team at Esona gave them the necessary education, skills, and techniques.

Photograph credit: http://www.esona.co.za

A candlelit, Riedel glass wine-tasting in the “Kuip”

Upon arriving at Esona Boutique Winery and after a welcome glass of their fresh “Frankly My Dear” Pinot Noir Blanc de Noir, our party of four descended into the quiet, dimly-lit, and intimate space of the “kuip”, the underground cellar. Decades ago, in the era prior to the adoption of sophisticated climate control technology, winemakers would build great cement cisterns underground where temperatures were cool and protected from the daily fluctuations. Within these great subterranean cisterns, the juice from the grapes would be allowed to ferment in peace, producing quality, delicious wine. The old cellar at Esona has since been reconstructed to accommodate guests such as us and for one of the Cape’s most unique wine tasting experiences.

Photograph credit: http://www.esona.co.za

And so we sat down to an absolute must-do of an activity for any visitor to the Robertson Wine Valley: a “vertical” wine tasting (and food and music pairing) from Riedel glassware. On the table were two vintages of three different wines from Esona’s collection – a Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Shiraz. The idea is to taste the difference between the two vintages of the same wines and how an extra year or two plays out beautifully in the character and depth of the wine. The tastings were also done using famous glassware known as Riedel glasses, which have been specifically crafted to draw out the subtlest of flavours and most nuanced of aromas in specific cultivars.

The Chardonnay glass, for example, was elegant, long-stemmed, and had a round, almost fish bowl-shaped (not sized, unfortunately) vestibule. This shape is said to complement the voluptuous character of Esona’s Chardonnay and to allow its rich buttery, caramel notes to sing. The effects of the shape of the glassware on the flavours and aromas of the wine were highlighted by sniffing and sipping the same wine out of low-end restaurant wine glasses. For someone with an education rooted in the sciences, I was at first sceptical, but the difference was not just perceptible but significantly so!

Riedel glassware is the creative collaboration of talented and experienced glassblowers and winemakers, the product of which is the perfect vestibule from which to enjoy your Shiraz, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, etc.

Photo credit: http://www.riedel.com

Wine, food, and music pairing

In addition to the vertical tasting and the use of Riedel glasses, there was a third and a fourth element: a pairing with Lindt chocolate and fruit preserves and music to match the wine. Our round of Sauvignon Blanc was enjoyed with light, classical music, while the Shiraz had country music as its soundtrack.

Every element of our visit to Esona Boutique Winery – the tasting, glassware, sweet accompaniments, music, views, food, walk through the vineyards, and of course Esona’s limited release single vineyard wines – was lovely and came together to create a (highly recommendable) symphonic experience.

Contact Esona Boutique Winery:
Phone: 076 343 5833
Website: www.esona.co.za

This article was originally written for Southern Vines Magazine: http://www.southernvines.co.za/2018/01/15/one-kind-wine-tasting-experience-esona-boutique-winery/