A Year in Paarl
A I Perold's
A Treatise
on Viticulture
A I Perold (1880-1941) was South Africa's first Professor of Viticulture and Oenology. He dedicated himself to improving the quality of grapes for wine, brandy and the table. He studied wine and brandy production in Europe, imported more than 60 varieties to the Cape and bred new ones. Perold said this book “is intended to serve both the student and the practical grape-grower. There are in it technical passages that will appeal more to the student, e.g. the chapters dealing with the biology of the vine, its external and internal morphology, the theory of grafting. My remarks on the practice of viticulture, such as those dealing with the propagation, manuring and pruning of the vine, the production of table grapes for export, will, it is hoped, assist the practical grape-grower as well as the student.” This is a newly typeset reprint, not a photocopy. Text on the 712 pages have been aligned to match the original pagination so any external references to pages in the Treatise will be valid in this edition
Available in paperback and hardback editions. 712 pages
with
A I Perold
Dr Perolds report on his Paarl experiments 1915 - 1916 reprinted with glossary, introduction and brief biography. Fascinating historical document on viticulture for wine and table grapes, wine and brandy making.
What a year...
Travel:
Criccieth - January
Cape Winelands – February - March, (truncated by Covid)
Criccieth - October
Great Yarmouth - October
Cancelled by Covid
Paignton - May
Criccieth - July
Bordeaux Scenic River Cruise – August
Sienna Winelands - September
Washington State, AWS at Bellevue, Seattle - October-November.
Roll on 2021 and our vaccinations
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Beautiful sunset seen from guest room, without our guests due to Tier 4 lockdown.
On a cold Christmas Eve with a bitterly cold wind we walked from Redbourn on the farm road which didn't expect to be so muddy or wet.
Posted out my Commonplace Book with Christmas Cards. Front cover has Criccieth Castle photographed from Dylan's Restaurant in January 2020.
Back cover has Joan, me, Toby and Emma at Oslo Court Restaurant in London February 2020, and the Krisie, Dan, me and Joan at Red Leaf Bistro, Beyerskloof Winery, Stellenbosch in March 2020.
Made four loaves, two Granary at back, two with 400g+ white/300g- Granary bread flour. The white looked good but tasted of nothing much. Granary was a lot more tasty.
Colourful berries in Townsend Drive catch late a burst of afternoon sun seen on our way back from a Lockdown 2 walk through Batchwood.
Since we couldn't go the AWS National Conference in Seattle we were free to spend three nights at The Imperial, Great Yarmouth.
Good food, our first restaurant meals since March. During the day we had long walks.
Tuesday we drove to Horsey and through Horsey Gap accessed the beach on which were a colony of seals. we spent some time there in constant drizzle and talked to a Seal Warden. Then a walk along the North Norfolk Coastal Path and back to the car.
Imperial has a good wine list and good food, well presented.
The house Champagne was Piper-Heidsieck of which we had a glass of as an aperitif before Sunday's roast of the day which was pork and Rhebokscloof Pinotage and Tuesday's superb tender steak with De Loach Heritage Reserve Zinfandel, and a full bottle of Piper- Heidsieck Champagne with Monday's fish and chips.
A bright sunny but cold day in Ashridge Forest. We took the perimeter walk. Plenty of sweet chestnuts on the floor and although the nuts were very small they roasted well.
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| Aldbury village from Ashridge |
Our last full day in Wales.
In the afternoon we met Dan in Porthmadog and walked along the old tramway and through Tremadog up the hill behnd, through old woods with slate waste spilled down the cliff, horse grazing fields. past a elephant shaped broken branch
and as far as we could go, where a house had been built over the track. In the evening Dan brought Krisie, who'd been working during the day, to join us for dinner in Criccieth.
Since we’d had our fish on Thursday to avoid the long queues at the chippie, we had our second takeaway from Dylan’s - and there was a 90 minute wait before collection because they were so busy. I had a hamburger because Joan had raved over it last time, this time she had grilled chicken breast burger which she said was even better. Grrr.
While we waited we had as aperitif N.V. Co-op Cava (Spain, Cava). Again I was impressed with the quality of this fizz which cost just £6.75.
With the food we had 2014 Château Tour St Bonnet (France, Médoc), Lovely ripe claret and 2019 False Bay Pinotage Bush Vine (South Africa, Coastal Region) I bought two bottles of this in Pwllheli. It rings all the right bells: bush vine, wild ferment, cask aged. But I didn’t like it, it had a strange taste I couldn’t nail, one suggestion was violets. I’ll have to try the remaining bottle some time.
Saturday we drove home, stopping for a scone at Dobbies in Shrewsbury for lunch.
The following Friday Wales started a two week national lockdown.
Thursday morning to Rhoslan where a short walk across another boggy field with sheep leads to the more impressive Cefn Isaf cromlech.
In the afternoon a walk across the Cob with great views over the estuary and Snowdon, clear in the sun without clouds obscuring its peak,
then crossing the Ffestioniog railway track and up and up along a footpath at the edge of cliff with views down over the sea and Porthmadog and distant mountains.
In the evening we had cooked to order takeaway fish’n’chips, collected by Dan and Krisie (last time there was such a queue on Friday so Thursday was chosen).
After an aperitif of N.V. Co-op Cava (Spain, Cava). It was excellent and only £6.75 tho’ why the nearby Nisa Local was selling Co-op labelled Cava puzzles, then 2020 Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc Private Bin Early Release (New Zealand, Marlborough).
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Wednesday was bright and clear. Dan took us on a walk from Porthmadog along a disused tram way to Tremadog and back through Tremadog tree nursery, and back around Porthmadog's inner harbour.
Tuesday the drizzle had cleared so we took a walk to discover the prehistoric Caer Dyni Burial Chamber.
We crossed a flooded field and stood gazing at the collapsed cromlech as the rain came blown horizontal by a piercing wind from the sea, so we skedaddled gingerly through the boggy ground and back to warmth and dryness.
Just the two of us, so we had a meat pie, new potatoes and a tin of chick peas and lentils with a bottle of 2014 Château Tour St Bonnet (France, Médoc)
.
Monday was a bit drizzly so we took the opportunity to visit the marvellous Gwin Llyn wine shop in Pwllheli with Dan and Krisie. I only intended to buy a couple of wines - luckily Dan offered to carry the case back to the car.
In the evening, with a takeaway from a limited Dylan’s menu we enjoyed 2017 Definition for Majestic Côtes du Rhône (France, Côtes du Rhône) and 2016 C.V.N.E. Rioja Cune Crianza (Spain, Rioja)
Our first full day in Criccieth.
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| Criccieth Castle |
In the afternoon it was a bright cold day for a walk past the castle and along the sea front.
In the evening I cooked lamb shanks, roast parsnips and potatoes, cabbage and carrots we enjoyed with Dan and Krisie.
We started with an aperitif of N.V. Lanson Champagne Brut Black Label (France, Champagne) and the meal was enhanced by 2014 Kanonkop Estate Pinotage (South Africa, Simonsberg-Stellenbosch) 2014 Kanonkop Kadette Pinotage (South Africa, Stellenbosch)
Saturday we drove to Criccieth for a week.
We rented the top two floors of this house, door on the left. (Right door is for ground floor flat.) The house had four bedrooms, two bathrooms and slept eight. Our bedroom was on the top floor, the right window.
This we the view straight ahead from the dining room window, middle floor, left window.
and at dawn.
Saturday was International Pinotage Day
Back to Marsworth taking advantage of another warm sunny day, walk across the causeway and along Grand Union Canal tow path to Grand Junction Arms at Bulbourne.
This time I had their hamburger; chips were good but not as good as the chunky chips that come with fish and chips.
We’d intended following the Hertfordshire Way through Gorhamburybut the path was closed ‘because of shooting’. We heard no shots. So instead we walked around Verulamium Park and alongside the Ver.
Another warm sunny day. Parked in Nomansland Common car park, crossed B651 , through Heartwood Forest, across Drovers Lane and through the Arboretum and across Colemans Green Lane to Rifle Buts Wood, turn left along Hertfordshire Way to Hammonds Farm and then back on the footpath pictured above.
The chunky chips were superb, so crisp on the outside. Service was fast and friendly. And the day was brilliantly warm.
