Johan Delport, Cellar Manager at Waverly Hills, chooses Vrede en Lust Boet Erasmus 2009 as our Wine of The Month
The Vrede en Lust Estate, outside Paarl, is the perfect place to visit over a weekend. The impressive and well-maintained historical buildings, the layout of the gardens and the attractive interior finishes all make it worth the visit – and then there are all the delightful wines... This Bordeaux blend is named after the grandfather of the current owners, the Buys family. My first experience of the same Boet Erasmus was as a young boy watching the Springboks play the British Lions from a seat on the Boet Erasmus Stadium in Port Elizabeth in 1980 with my father, and getting lost in the rain. It is so good to find oom Boet again!
This wine, under screwcap, has everything you would expect of a top class Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec. It has layers of ripe black and red fruits with balanced oak complementing it all the way through. The palate confirms the complexity and stays long enough for you to appreciate its careful crafting.
It sells at R150.00 per bottle and is certainly worth the purchase of at least a few.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
All Fired Up!
Jill Peper heads to Durbanville to experience an explosion of flavours at Ke-Monate
For over 300 years, the signal gun on Hooggelegen Farm has been sounding out across the Durbanville valley. It was originally part of a signal chain installed by the Dutch East India Company to call the Burgher Militia to defend the Cape.
Today it stands guard proudly over the entrance to Ke-Monate, the Boutique Wine Cellar and Restaurant on the farm which is situated at the end of Hooggelegen Road, off the Visserhok Road/M48, just outside Durbanville.
Wouter de Wit, the fourth generation owner of Hooggelegen, enjoys restoring old cannons, and many of these can be seen lining the restaurant car park.
‘Ke-Monate’ means ‘That’s nice!’, in Sotho and the name was given to the establishment by Ryk’s Sotho-speaking wife, Elmi, who grew up in the Free State.
Morkel Jacobus (MJ) de Wit and his wife Estani are the fifth generation of the de Wit family to run this historic, scenic farm. Having opened their doors to the public in October 2010, they converted an old farm house into what is now the charming restaurant, last year. Situated alongside an active water spring, the venue enjoys a panoramic view across the farmlands towards Durbanville.
“We wanted to create a warm friendly atmosphere in which to enjoy the boutique wines of the farm (Signal Gun Wines) and the wines from the other Boutique Wine Estates in Durbanville”, explained MJ. “It was also important to us to offer a venue where relaxed, informal food could be served which is also good value for money,” Estani added.
They have succeeded in creating a place where friends and families can share a meal together, where sundowners can be enjoyed on the stoep at the end of a busy day, and where special events can be celebrated.
The interesting menu of tapas, wraps and platters, together with daily specials, offers something for everyone. On Wednesday evenings the restaurant adopts an Italian theme and cuisine and Chris Swanepoel adds a layer of authenticity as he entertains with contemporary Italian music. On Thursday evenings the theme is Mexican, and on Friday evenings between 4pm and 7pm they offer something they refer to as “Wine-ing Down” time, as Rupert Mellor entertains into the evening.
On the 25th and 26th May, ‘Ke-Monate’ presents their Art and Shiraz Celebration evenings at which the work of local artists is to be displayed, a communal meal will be shared, and Chris Swanepoel’s music will entertain.
Although Hooggelegen is one of the oldest family-owned wine farms in Durbanville, it was only in recent years that they started experimenting with producing their own estate wines. Their Shiraz and Sauvignon Blanc have done them proud. These are bottled under the “Signal Gun” label.
In the next couple of months they will be adding a Rosé and a lightly wooded Chardonnay to their collection, and a Merlot is on the cards for next year.
Wine tasting takes place on Fridays and Saturdays in the Tasting Cellar, where R20 buys you an opportunity to sample the two Signal Gun wines and three of the Durbanville boutique wines.
They also host a Wine and Dinner Club on the 3rd Tuesday of every month which gives guests a chance to learn about different local and international wines, under the guidance and instruction of Cape Wine Master Charl van Teijlingen, the winemaker of Maison de Teiger.
On the first Saturday of the month, the signal gun is fired at noon, as a reminder to all within earshot, that they are open and cooking up an explosion of flavours and good times. Listen out for it, or better still, go along and join them for a meal!
Ke-Monate is pleased to offer readers of The Month 10% off their restaurant bill, valid from Tuesday morning until Friday lunchtime, for the month of May, on presentation of this article - No photocopies please! Booking is recommended.
Ke-Monate can be contacted at 021 976 7343 for enquiries and bookings. They are open Tuesday – Saturday 9h00 – 22h00 and Sunday 9h00 – 16h00.
For other interesting places to explore, visit www.capecountrycalls.co.za.
For over 300 years, the signal gun on Hooggelegen Farm has been sounding out across the Durbanville valley. It was originally part of a signal chain installed by the Dutch East India Company to call the Burgher Militia to defend the Cape.
Today it stands guard proudly over the entrance to Ke-Monate, the Boutique Wine Cellar and Restaurant on the farm which is situated at the end of Hooggelegen Road, off the Visserhok Road/M48, just outside Durbanville.
Wouter de Wit, the fourth generation owner of Hooggelegen, enjoys restoring old cannons, and many of these can be seen lining the restaurant car park.
‘Ke-Monate’ means ‘That’s nice!’, in Sotho and the name was given to the establishment by Ryk’s Sotho-speaking wife, Elmi, who grew up in the Free State.
Morkel Jacobus (MJ) de Wit and his wife Estani are the fifth generation of the de Wit family to run this historic, scenic farm. Having opened their doors to the public in October 2010, they converted an old farm house into what is now the charming restaurant, last year. Situated alongside an active water spring, the venue enjoys a panoramic view across the farmlands towards Durbanville.
“We wanted to create a warm friendly atmosphere in which to enjoy the boutique wines of the farm (Signal Gun Wines) and the wines from the other Boutique Wine Estates in Durbanville”, explained MJ. “It was also important to us to offer a venue where relaxed, informal food could be served which is also good value for money,” Estani added.
They have succeeded in creating a place where friends and families can share a meal together, where sundowners can be enjoyed on the stoep at the end of a busy day, and where special events can be celebrated.
The interesting menu of tapas, wraps and platters, together with daily specials, offers something for everyone. On Wednesday evenings the restaurant adopts an Italian theme and cuisine and Chris Swanepoel adds a layer of authenticity as he entertains with contemporary Italian music. On Thursday evenings the theme is Mexican, and on Friday evenings between 4pm and 7pm they offer something they refer to as “Wine-ing Down” time, as Rupert Mellor entertains into the evening.
On the 25th and 26th May, ‘Ke-Monate’ presents their Art and Shiraz Celebration evenings at which the work of local artists is to be displayed, a communal meal will be shared, and Chris Swanepoel’s music will entertain.
Although Hooggelegen is one of the oldest family-owned wine farms in Durbanville, it was only in recent years that they started experimenting with producing their own estate wines. Their Shiraz and Sauvignon Blanc have done them proud. These are bottled under the “Signal Gun” label.
In the next couple of months they will be adding a Rosé and a lightly wooded Chardonnay to their collection, and a Merlot is on the cards for next year.
Wine tasting takes place on Fridays and Saturdays in the Tasting Cellar, where R20 buys you an opportunity to sample the two Signal Gun wines and three of the Durbanville boutique wines.
They also host a Wine and Dinner Club on the 3rd Tuesday of every month which gives guests a chance to learn about different local and international wines, under the guidance and instruction of Cape Wine Master Charl van Teijlingen, the winemaker of Maison de Teiger.
On the first Saturday of the month, the signal gun is fired at noon, as a reminder to all within earshot, that they are open and cooking up an explosion of flavours and good times. Listen out for it, or better still, go along and join them for a meal!
Ke-Monate is pleased to offer readers of The Month 10% off their restaurant bill, valid from Tuesday morning until Friday lunchtime, for the month of May, on presentation of this article - No photocopies please! Booking is recommended.
Ke-Monate can be contacted at 021 976 7343 for enquiries and bookings. They are open Tuesday – Saturday 9h00 – 22h00 and Sunday 9h00 – 16h00.
For other interesting places to explore, visit www.capecountrycalls.co.za.
Play Together, Stay Together
5 mins with Deeper Love’s Tarryn Warren
We, the editing team, here at The Month, think we have our reader’s tastes and needs licked and, up to now, our opinion that the sex business is geared towards the impulse buyer - all junk food and box wine – has kept us away from throwing this fascinating topic into the mix.
Does that leave the discerning buyer, who is not generally swayed by the instant gratification of ‘cheap and nasty’ products, dare we say, unsatisfied? Someone who understands this dilemma is Tarryn Warren, and her brainchild business, Deeper Love. With Deeper Love, Tarryn aims to kick the ‘cheap and nasty’ into touch and bring high-quality products to the bedroom of the kind of ‘fine-diner’ who enjoys reading The Month.
Down-to-earth, warm and straight-talking, Tarryn has a ‘Dr Eve comfortableness’ in talking about a subject that has many of us intrigued, yet squirming a little, so we started with a safe question: is the success of her business just further proof that men are becoming redundant?
Tarryn Warren: (laughs) Of course not! In fact many of our intimate products are for couples who want to add some spice into their relationships or, if all else fails, just inject a little laughter! We very much encourage our clients to explore and have fun but also warn that ‘intimate products’ are also known as sex toys because they are just that – toys. They are not going to replace the warmth of a partner, or the intimacy “he” can provide!
The Month: One is immediately struck by how little your products look like sex toys in, let’s say, the ‘traditional’ sense. They are clearly beautifully designed, stylish, elegant, and could almost pass as ornaments or jewellery. Is this form over function?
TW: Not at all! As you are probably well aware, women don’t achieve orgasm as easily as men, so many intimate products aim to address this. A woman’s ability to have an orgasm can greatly improve her quality of life and heightened states of arousal have many positive results for our health and longevity. Their design allows our ‘personal massagers’ to nestle elegantly in the curves of her hand and deliver precise control through many modes of stimulation. Most are highly effective and versatile and are made in Sweden from high quality, smooth, body-safe FDA-approved silicone.
TM: Body-safe? Is that an issue?
TW: It certainly is. Due to various health and safety reasons, and because the sex toy industry is largely unregulated (worldwide), the cheap and nasty ‘made only for novelty purposes’ products don’t even claim to be safe. Deeper Love is the only intimate product retailer in SA that stocks only safe, non-toxic products.
TM: Well that’s reassuring, but I’m still not convinced men have a future…
TW: Ah, well this is where it gets interesting. The latest ‘personal massager’ has a wireless remote so that he can control the vibration speed and intensity of the massager simply by tilting, shaking or sweeping it through different movements. It also contains a discreet motor that allows him to feel what his partner is experiencing in the palm of his hand. Wonderfully quiet, waterproof and rechargeable and again with a beautifully smooth silicone design, the remote has a range of up to twelve metres.
TM: (thinks – so whilst I’m watching the game... but says) That sounds like fun! Let’s say, hypothetically of course, that someone wanted to experiment with one of these products. How would they go about buying one?
TW: Online shopping at Deeper Love is safe, discreet and informative and carries many massage oils, candles, lubricants and body butters as well as our intimate products. Ladies often prefer our popular ‘Naughtywares’ parties which we are happy to host in their own homes, removing many of the social stigmas attached to the purchasing of these products. We understand this facet of the business but believe honestly that couples that play together, stay together so we encourage everyone to give it a go!
TM: Thanks Tarryn, I may just give you buzz later.
Contact Tarryn on 082 572 2463 or tarryn@deeperlove.co.za. Shop online at www.deeperlove.co.za
We, the editing team, here at The Month, think we have our reader’s tastes and needs licked and, up to now, our opinion that the sex business is geared towards the impulse buyer - all junk food and box wine – has kept us away from throwing this fascinating topic into the mix.
Does that leave the discerning buyer, who is not generally swayed by the instant gratification of ‘cheap and nasty’ products, dare we say, unsatisfied? Someone who understands this dilemma is Tarryn Warren, and her brainchild business, Deeper Love. With Deeper Love, Tarryn aims to kick the ‘cheap and nasty’ into touch and bring high-quality products to the bedroom of the kind of ‘fine-diner’ who enjoys reading The Month.
Down-to-earth, warm and straight-talking, Tarryn has a ‘Dr Eve comfortableness’ in talking about a subject that has many of us intrigued, yet squirming a little, so we started with a safe question: is the success of her business just further proof that men are becoming redundant?
Tarryn Warren: (laughs) Of course not! In fact many of our intimate products are for couples who want to add some spice into their relationships or, if all else fails, just inject a little laughter! We very much encourage our clients to explore and have fun but also warn that ‘intimate products’ are also known as sex toys because they are just that – toys. They are not going to replace the warmth of a partner, or the intimacy “he” can provide!
The Month: One is immediately struck by how little your products look like sex toys in, let’s say, the ‘traditional’ sense. They are clearly beautifully designed, stylish, elegant, and could almost pass as ornaments or jewellery. Is this form over function?
TW: Not at all! As you are probably well aware, women don’t achieve orgasm as easily as men, so many intimate products aim to address this. A woman’s ability to have an orgasm can greatly improve her quality of life and heightened states of arousal have many positive results for our health and longevity. Their design allows our ‘personal massagers’ to nestle elegantly in the curves of her hand and deliver precise control through many modes of stimulation. Most are highly effective and versatile and are made in Sweden from high quality, smooth, body-safe FDA-approved silicone.
TM: Body-safe? Is that an issue?
TW: It certainly is. Due to various health and safety reasons, and because the sex toy industry is largely unregulated (worldwide), the cheap and nasty ‘made only for novelty purposes’ products don’t even claim to be safe. Deeper Love is the only intimate product retailer in SA that stocks only safe, non-toxic products.
TM: Well that’s reassuring, but I’m still not convinced men have a future…
TW: Ah, well this is where it gets interesting. The latest ‘personal massager’ has a wireless remote so that he can control the vibration speed and intensity of the massager simply by tilting, shaking or sweeping it through different movements. It also contains a discreet motor that allows him to feel what his partner is experiencing in the palm of his hand. Wonderfully quiet, waterproof and rechargeable and again with a beautifully smooth silicone design, the remote has a range of up to twelve metres.
TM: (thinks – so whilst I’m watching the game... but says) That sounds like fun! Let’s say, hypothetically of course, that someone wanted to experiment with one of these products. How would they go about buying one?
TW: Online shopping at Deeper Love is safe, discreet and informative and carries many massage oils, candles, lubricants and body butters as well as our intimate products. Ladies often prefer our popular ‘Naughtywares’ parties which we are happy to host in their own homes, removing many of the social stigmas attached to the purchasing of these products. We understand this facet of the business but believe honestly that couples that play together, stay together so we encourage everyone to give it a go!
TM: Thanks Tarryn, I may just give you buzz later.
Contact Tarryn on 082 572 2463 or tarryn@deeperlove.co.za. Shop online at www.deeperlove.co.za
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