The all singing, all dancing wine of the Solms Delta Estate
Saturday, 2 March, 2013
Solms-Delta Wine Estate: Michael Olivier
Solms-Astor is the musical, all singing, all dancing wine of the Solms Delta Estate.
Vastrap is one of them. Vastrap – stamping down – is a music style which unites the Khoisan trance-dance and Dutch Folk Music. It is also the excuse for a party to ‘tramp down’ a newly laid cow dung floor. But now we don’t do dung floors anymore, so the fun outdoor dancing takes place to the tune of concertinas, home made violins, banjos and tin guitars.
Vastrap is made from two established white wine grapes, Chenin Blanc, the most widely planted grape in our vineyards, and Semillon, known as ‘groendruif’ to which Franschhoek was widely planted up to 50 years ago, and the only wine grape on Delta for more than two centuries.
There is also a splash of Riesling and in some vintages Clairette Blanche. The final blend, which has a time in previous fill oak, is a delicious sparky, sappy fruit forward wine. Ideal as a glass at any time, and great with food. And would go well with a salad like this one!