5 things you didn't know about...Haute Cabriere

Wednesday, 12 November, 2014
wine.co.za
Haute Cabrière is a wine farm steeped in history and local lore. Originally granted to a French Huguenot farmer, Pierre Jourdan, on the 22 December 1694, it has been part of the Franschhoek Wine Valley fabric for over 300 years.

1) They pioneered Chardonnay/Pinot Noir blends in South Africa. By complete accident during a routine production for the Pierre Jourdan Brut but a portion of the base wine ended up with 12% alcohol, making it unsuitable. Instead of letting this get them down, Haute Cabriere went ahead and bottled this portion of wine as a still blend of 60% Chardonnay and 40% white Pinot Noir – which turned out to be glorious, and has forever remained an honoured flag bearer of the South African wine industry.

2)  They will knock your cork off. Forget the usual way of opening a bottle of bubbly, try something special at the Haute Cabriere cellar tours with a sabrage demonstration which sees Achim or Takuan literally cracking bottle after bottle of Pierre Jourdan Cap classique bubbly with a French cavalry sabre. An indescribable mix of fun and serious tasting, taking place every Saturday at 11h00, and finishing just in time for lunch at the Haute Cabriere Cellar Restaurant. It is advisable for you to book both cellar tour and lunch in advance.  

3) They are au naturel. Wine production commonly involves the use of albumin (egg white), isinglass or gelatine derived from animal origin as fining agents. In 2012, Haute Cabriere changed over to a plant based fining agent which means that no animal products are used in the production at any point, which means that all of Haute Cabriere’s wines are suitable for vegans.

4) They are keen food and wine pairers. The Haute Cabrière Cellar restaurant presents guests with the full spectrum of only Cabrière and Pierre Jourdan wines which they use to complement each dish of the meal from beginning to end. They even offer a food and wine pairing guide for you (click here)

5) They will help you say "I do". Haute Cabriere features a unique ceremonial venue with soaring cathedral-like arches, flanked by French oak barrels and with a gorgeous array of MCCs to choose from, toasting your new marriage could not be more magical. See here for more details