Zorgvliet is an idyllic wine farm in a valley between two mountain peaks that invites a prolonged stay with delights for body and soul, from great wine and food to vigorous vineyard walks and picnics under the oaks.
A New Lease of Life
As you crest the Helshoogte pass that connects Stellenbosch to Franschhoek, you’re greeted by one of the most spectacular views in the Cape winelands: the green Banhoek Valley between the crags of the Simonsberg and the Klein Drakenstein Mountains. In late October, as you’re driving to Zorgvliet wine farm, you’ll see budding vines, orchards in blossom and white-fenced horse paddocks.
Plan your visit around a pre-booked cellar tour with winemaker since 2013, Bernard le Roux, whose enthusiasm and knowledge of the inner workings of his ultra-sophisticated cellar know no bounds.
There’ll be talk about gravity feed, conveyor-belt systems, custom-built tanks, automated punch-downs and computerised cooling and monitoring systems.
But there’s also a deep understanding of the vineyards where, together with viticulturist Hannes Jansen van Vuuren, he’s put to use extensive experience with classic Bordeaux-style varieties while doing cellar stints with some of the Cape’s top vintners earlier in his career: Spier’s Frans Smit, Kevin Grant (while still at Hamilton Russell), Bruce Jack (renowned for his Flagstone wine) and Miles Mossop (while still at nearby Tokara).
Under stewardship of owner Stephan van der Merwe, son of Mac, the businessman who in the late 1990s started the rejuvenation of this prime wine property with its historic old manor house which had been damaged by fire and vineyards which had fallen into disrepair, Zorgvliet has continued honing its varietal selection, now primarily focused on classic French Bordeaux reds and white.
The ‘Golden Mile’
On the roadside of the cellar is the ‘Golden Mile’, consisting of blocks of classic red varieties that go into the farm’s flagship Bordeaux-style red blend, Richelle (named after owner Stephan and Izelle van der Merwe’s one daughter).
Their other daughter Simoné lends her name to the typically Bordeaux white mix of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon from high-lying Simonsberg slopes. They are regarded as the farm’s Grand Cuvée wines. The various varieties in the blends are mostly also bottled individually.
Cabernet Sauvignon is usually a stand-out, as is the Sauvignon Blanc from a single vineyard, while the Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot bottlings offer rare examples of these red varieties on their own.
The farm’s once-extensive Silver Myn range covers that covered several wine varieties, and has effectively become a second label: bottlings of wine not quite deemed of sufficient quality for the Zorgvliet label, and offering pocket-friendly alternatives. ‘Silver Myn’ is a reference to an 18th-century conman’s quixotic search for silver in the Simonsberg slopes above the farm.
If it’s lunchtime, cross the stream below the cellar and walk down to Zorgvliet’s hidden gem: a picnic area in a sunlit, wind free dell in a wood. One end is family-friendly, with tables, umbrellas, braai spots, a jungle gym and a jumping castle; the other is quieter and you can spread a blanket, open a bottle of wine and snack from a substantial picnic basket provided by the deli and coffee shop.
Alternatively, lunch in the rustic restaurant after a wine tasting indoors or out on the stoep of the restored (circa 1860) manor house.
Say Your Vows
Behind the manor house, the centuries-old wine cellar is now a church chapel, with stained-glass windows, wooden pews and chandeliers softly lighting the high-beamed thatched ceiling. Just outside, is an archway with an antique brass bell, reminiscent of farm life from a bygone era.
Post-ceremony canapés and wine can be enjoyed in a stylishly converted farm building nearby, with its large verandah and cosy indoor hearth. Small conferences are held here too, while more intimate executive meetings and seminars can also be accommodated.
At the top of the farm, a complex of white buildings in the Cape Dutch vernacular houses the 18-room Zorgvliet Country Lodge, offering luxurious accommodation, indoor and alfresco dining and a secluded swimming pool.
And from every window and verandah there is that unforgettable view of the Banhoek Valley and the surrounding mountains.
Stellenbosch is arguably the wine capital of South Africa. Winemaking dates back to its settlement in the 17th century and remains the lifeb...