Relax with premier wines and servings of light Mediterranean bites
Picture a sunny hilltop winery surrounded by olive groves, vineyards and wheat fields. This might be magnificent Tuscany or much closer to home, just minutes from Cape Town: Gabriëlskloof Wine Estate. It’s this idyllic setting that Gabriëlskloof invites you now to enjoy with the launch of its fine Mediterranean taster platters.
Situated in the Overberg between Bot River and Caledon, in an area very Mediterranean in look, feel and climate, Gabriëlskloof has teamed up with resident chef Frans Groenewald to offer something reflective of their wine cousins across the oceans.
These new Mediterranean tapas-style tasters are best enjoyed on the winery’s broad veranda that overlooks the tapestry landscape or in the shaded courtyard with its soothing trees and water features. The occasion is informal and allows you to taste and enjoy, uninterrupted and at your leisure.
Each taster comprises four wines and five small snack-dishes, as well as a Schiacciata Coll’uva – a traditional Tuscan focaccia made with grapes. Bites include chorizo and calamari, pan-fried with red wine; mini-lamb kofta on tzatziki; hummus with fried chickpeas; dolmades; and, a fresh Caprese salad with fior di latte mozzarella, tomatoes and basil pesto.
“Now is the time to take a drive in the countryside,” says Nicolene Finlayson, tasting room manager and wife of the Gabriëlskloof cellarmaster. “The cellar has awakened with the promise of another bountiful harvest and visitors might get a sneak peek of the winemaker and his team at work and even taste the season’s grapes, fresh off the vine.”
Visitors can expect to see a working wine farm in operation; experience the cellar at the height of its activity; and, even join in the harvest.
Making the most of the splendid late summer weather, the Mediterranean tasters are available daily, bar Tuesdays and Sundays, until the end of May and the cost is only R250 per couple sharing. Gabriëlskloof’s normal trading hours at the tasting room are Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm and between 11am and 3pm on a Saturday.
For more information, contact Nicolene Finlayson or Grant Baxter on 028 284 9865 or on [email protected].
Gabriëlskloof Estate is situated just outside Bot River, on the Swartrivier Road, off the N2.
