Wine farmers success runneth over
Monday, 11 June, 2012
Boitumelo Tlhoaele
A GROUP of 24 DStv subscribers are on
a four-day sponsored wine excursion exploring some of Cape Town's finest wine
farms.
And on this
particular Saturday morning, we visit the Rangaka wine farm, the makers of
M'hudi wine.
The farm, unlike
the established and sophisticated ones such as Nederburg and Alto, isn't
particularly breathtaking.
One doesn'st see
the typical English or Italian-inspired architecture or long winding pathways
flanked by perfectly trimmed rose bushes.
And the interiors
are not filled with majestic vintage décor or paintings that map out ancestral
connections.
The M'hudi wine
estate, about 45 minutes from Cape Town's buzzing CBD, is rustic. But its wines
have a weighty character, especially the pinotage, sauvignon blanc and the
sparkling wine.
The 2011 sauvignon
blanc is crisp, fresh and smooth on the tongue with a slightly woody undertone
and a clean swallowing experience.
The pinotage holds
its own against other offerings of this Mzansi speciality, but the beautiful
surprise is the sparkling wine, Palesa, with its perfect balance between the
slight sweetness of the grapes and the bubbles.
The stunning
collection, like many fine things in life, has an inspiring story behind it.
Diale Rangaka, his wife Malmsey and their children Tseliso, Senyane and Lebo
say they made big sacrifices to get the estate off the ground.
They left their
comfortable, professional lives behind in 2003 and took the bold step of buying
a farm while knowing nothing about wine farming.
They learnt about
wine farming from Internet research, reading and five gracious farm workers who
taught them everything they could.
They are also
indebted to the assistance of one of their neighbours, the Greer family, who
produce the Villiera Wines. They use the Villiera winery for the middle and
final stages of their wine-making.
They have braved
many challenges and today their wines can be found on most Woolworths' shelves
around the country and in overseas markets such as the US, the UK, Germany,
Switzerland, Sweden and even Nigeria.
Given this
achievement, it is no surprise that the M'hudi collection is inspired by late intellectual
and South African writer Sol T Plaatje's novel of the same name.
"We like that
story. It says to us when your life changes, you must come out and do something
about it," says Rangaka.
Boitumelo Tlhoaele
was a guest of DStv.