This time around we left a little later on a winter’s day and this is probably the slowest I've ever travelled through the Cederberg as our car’s shocks were a little lacking. But the colours are different in the Cederberg in winter, the air a little crisper and the roads thankfully quieter.
We arrived at the home of David and Ciska Nieuwoudt at Cederberg Winery and I'm once again taken aback at the already different looking farm from my previous visit a year ago. The olive trees are now more established, the cellar seems bigger and there are new guest loo facilities that can handle more than one person at a time!
I have to smile when I see David walking around with his two-way radio, a true farmer at heart. I also notice a stack of tyres against a wall and think it’s definitely part of one's life here at Cederberg to make sure you have a healthy supply and budget for tyres. (our last trip claimed a tyre!)
Pieter du Toit, Marketing Manager at Cederberg Cellar since 2004, greets us enthusiastically and immediately takes us on a journey through the cellar, confirming my initial observation of growth. Alex, one of the winemakers, teams up with us and shows us where soon one will be able to enjoy their Boggom and Voertsek beer, produced using spring water flowing from the surrounding mountains. It was an absolute no-brainer to add this to the stable.
As we make our way past the copper kettles and soon to be tasting area, I wonder about the view from here and I wasn’t disappointed when Alex opened the steel flaps to reveal the most beautiful view over the valley and its mountains. I can only see the crowds of happy holidaymakers visiting December time. Everything at Cederberg Cellar centres around attention to detail and the authentic Cederberg touch - from the brilliantly cut bricks used for cladding the outer cellar walls that pick up the sunset reflecting off the mountains, to the pebbled wall in the tasting room where the pebbles were all hand selected from the nearby river beds.
But it does not stop there, we meet a fairly new addition to the Cederberg team, viticulturist fondly known as Oubaas, who takes us to where he is in charge of replacing about 40-45 hectares of vines with new cultivars over the next 7 years. The decision wasn’t taken lightly but rather as a result of recent soil mapping done on various blocks on the farm. Because of the Cederberg’s isolation, they have disease free material to work with and also supply a nursery in Wellington with rootstock.
Tamarin Turck-Nel and Alex Nel, a duo of note, partners in life and work speak to us about the newly released Ghost Corner Pinot Noir 2016 and Ghost Corner Wild Ferment Sauvignon Blanc 2016. Ghost Corner grapes are cold trucked to the Cederberg from the cooler climate Elim Ward. Both the Ghost Corner Pinot Noir 2016 and Ghost Corner Wild Ferment Sauvignon Blanc 2016 show clean fruit and show the best of the varieties’ character. The Pinot Noir - beautiful colour, soft extraction, 10 months in 20% new oak with red fruit such as strawberry and cherries, a nice combination between New and Old World style. The Sauvignon Blanc which is naturally fermented shows tropical fruit, white pear and quince with a creamy texture, a well balanced wine.
After all the wine talk, we purchased some of Alex’s craft beer from the little shop on the farm as it’s not readily available everywhere. The range consists of Lager, Blonde Ale and Indian Pale Ale, of which my choice is definitely the refreshing Lager. We head off to our cottage, but before we go David hands us a bottle of CWG ‘Teen die Hoog’ Shiraz and I know that this will make a heavenly match with the Karoo lamb chops we are about to ‘braai’.
We are up early the next morning after our night in one of the Sanddrift cottages, and off I go exploring the Cederberg mountains. It’s cold and raining but nothing can dampen my spirit. After breakfast we head back to the cellar where Pieter shares snippets of his travels abroad and making memories with those he meets along the way. His most memorable are the evenings spent with fellow peers after a long day showcasing SA wines, sitting around tables laden with great SA wines, sharing the day’s experience and sharing each other’s wines.
Pieter gravitates towards Five Generations Chenin Blanc when asked which wine best depicts his personality and I'm in agreement with his choice; it is a thought-provoking wine. We talk about the Cederberg Shiraz 2015 which earned a place in the Top 12 Shiraz Challenge 2017, one of the many awards David and his team have won. As we talk I feel myself being a little more at home than I was when we arrived, a little more in awe and a little more silenced by what I see: a team so committed, a man so driven by quality yet his philosophy is to keep things simple but when I look at what he has accomplished in the 20 years of being at the helm, it’s everything but simple.