As wine regions go, the area comprising Agter-Paarl and Voor-Paardeberg might seem as in-between as they come. From a tourism perspective, the names make it feel vague; it's not unusual to hear people amazed by what lies westward of Wellington, the R44 and R45.
Of course, from a wine perspective, this powerhouse is anything but wishy-washy. The dichotomy offers the astute observer a rare opportunity: to get up close to champions born of its vineyards and to be pleasantly surprised by going off the tourist beaten track.
The area is a valley of low hills. Seen from above they resemble a quilt where larger blocks of farmland comprising fields of wheat make way for smaller hodgepodge of vineyards clustered towards Wellington and along the base of the Paardeberg and Paarl Rock Mountain.
It is bordered largely by the Swartland, Paarl and Stellenbosch regions. Unlike the others, there's no central village or town – Paarl and Wellington are the nearest centres for shopping.
For the visitor however, there's enough to fill a weekend with some excursion and plenty of R&R. Around Agter-Paarl and Noord Agter-Paarl there's Rheboksloof wine estate with its various outdoor activities onto the Paarl mountain; Windmeul Cellar, the member winery established in 1944; Ridgeback Wines, whose duckpond has its own 24hr Skyline webcam; and, places like the unusual Salem Biblical Garden – a collection of sculptures, displays and relief panels along a meditation path, set up by Jack Carstens. On our brief visit, he reflects on the connection between contemporary wine and the traditions of the middle east, centuries ago. He reckons it is the only garden of its kind in South Africa.
Domaine Brahms
Venture towards Paardeberg, and one of the first farms you encounter is Domaine Brahms, the Van Deventer farm for some three decades. About 95% of the wine from this small producer is exported to Japan, says Dr Johan van Deventer.
For the cursory passer-by however, it's not the remaining 5% that catches the attention from the roadside – it's the Toeka Stoor, the Afrikaans name for the Van Deventer's fascinating warehouse of antiques. The collection stretches across various buildings, which also double as a coffee shop serving light meals and function venue. There's a play area for children, clad with de-commissioned road-signs and enough to keep fascinated adults busy too: vintage cars, an old steam engine, antique sewing machines and more. "Every single thing here has a story," says Johan.
Past Domaine Brahms, the road approaches Paardeberg itself, an outcrop of granite similar but smaller to Paarl Mountain. Along its southern foothills, you'll encounter the vineyards of amongst others Taillard Family Wines and Ayama Wines.
Perdeberg Winery
It's also here, just past the Boland Agricultural High School (founded in the 1950s), that Perdeberg Winery is located. One of the bigger operations of the region, the winery was established in the 1940s but only started with bottled wine as part of the industry-wide trend towards specialisation, in 2005.
It was a move that paid off handsomely with excellent ratings becoming a regular feature. The region is known to be well-suited for Shiraz and Chenin Blanc, and Perdeberg has shown itself to be a master especially with the latter.
It has a broad range of wines, to which it added a couple of novelty beers as well. It's also here that the history of Perdeberg/Paardeberg (horse mountain in Afrikaans and Dutch) itself becomes clearer. Early Dutch settlers named the mountain after the extinct quagga plains zebra that used to occur here. It’s this zebra that adorns the Perdeberg Winery's coat of arms and features in many of its label designs.
Wine is not the only reason people visit. The winery presents amongst others, an October Fest where its house beers feature. It currently promotes a tapas picnic for the summer months to be enjoyed with Perdeberg wines, as well as a (non-alcoholic!) tasting menu for children with flavoured milk, tea and juice paired, biscuits and sweets.
Vondeling
Our home for the weekend is Vondeling, the wine farm in a shallow kloof at the base of the Paardeberg. We check in at the tasting room, which doubles as a function venue along with the eye-catching chapel, before making our way to the historic Cape Dutch farmhouse across the road.
Part of the property runs up against the mountain, where much of the natural vegetation is protected. This is a link Vondeling embraces in its operations, several initiatives and even its wines, one of which is named after and endangered Babiana noctiflora, a plant that occurs only on the Paardeberg; and another, the Shiraz-led red blend Monsonia, named after the Monsonia Speciosa fynbos specie.
The historic Vondeling farmhouse serves as guest accommodation these days
Vondeling is owned by Julian Johnsen, who farms the property; Anthony Ward and Richard Gower. The name Vondeling (meaning foundling) is used in various places in South Africa and was often used to describe orphans taken into care. It's fitting in the case of the farm, which the partners acquired in a run-down state before restoring it to former glory.
The farmhouse is cool and tastefully decorated. Art by Nelson Mandela adorns much of the space along the walls; there's a boulles court, tennis court, swimming pool and loungers that we don't leave for large parts of the weekend.
On a walk about the farm, Julian points out the vineyards: amongst others carignan; pinotage; the bible block because its adjoining components resemble the shape of an open bible; and, Gilbert's Block, named after a worker who guarded the vineyard against marauding baboons.
The granite bedrock adds defining character to the wine, just as the clay at the lower part of the farm, says Julian.
Freddy, a Great Dane cross, trots ahead along the path.
The conversation turns to tourism and we learn about a new initiative to promote the Paardeberg as a destination (and likely to remove any perceived vagueness of the area). Paardeberg Country - the name of the project - is very much in its infancy with the idea to promote activities and facilities, like walks, birdwatching, accommodation and wine farms located around the Paardeberg Mountain.
Of course, awards – like the trophy for best pinotage awarded to the Vondeling Bowwood Pinotage 2015 at the recent Michelangelo International Wine Awards – certainly help too, in the expansion of the farm and area's reputation.
It's a feather in the cap for the wine team overseen by Matthew Copeland, senior winemaker who has been at Vondeling since 2007; Emile van der Merwe; and, viticulturist Magnus Joubert.
Under Oaks
For one evening meal, we drive to Under Oaks, the boutique winery in the farm operation of Hansie and Theresa Britz. It has 52ha with 21ha under vineyard. There's citrus on the property too and four-star guest rooms that have topped the charts at TripAdvisor.
"The first vineyards were Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, and were slowly expanded," says tasting room manager Sue Green. Today the farm produces eight red wines, five whites and a white dessert wine, with winemaker Bertus Fourie at the helm since 2002.
The pizzeria of Marcelo Bassi that adjoins the tasting room is a popular spot for authentic pizza as well as entertaining the kids. Alongside the outside dining area – under oak trees, naturally – are swings and a lawn that extends down into the valley landscape.
Sidebar:
If you want to time your visit with an occasion, consider Ayama's Artichoke Festival in October, which launched this year; Windmeul's annual Waterblommetjie Festival in September and monthly farmers' market. Paarl Tourism is an excellent source of information too; visit www.paarlonline.com
For more information about the venues themselves, visit www.vondelingwines.co.za; www.perdeberg.co.za; www.underoaks.co.za; www.ridgebackwines.co.za; www.salemgarden.co.za; www.rhebokskloof.co.za; www.brahms.co.za; www.ayama.co.za; www.windmeul.com and www.taillardwines.co.za.