Daffs and Rhubarb

Rhubarb has been growing strongly while we've been away so had to pull some stalks for the first crumble of the year.

Also, fine amount of daffodils now out in back garden and some new ones flowering in front.

Max-min thermometer in greenhouse showed highest temperature while we've been away was 32C and the lowest was 0.9C

Leaving Early - Cape Town Airport Lounge

Trailfinders managed to rebook us on an earlier flight. We were sad to leave but country was already locking down and all tourist flights were banned later that week. We got out just in time.

And there was MCC in the lounge!

Our Last Full Day in Cape

Graham Beck MCC with Helderberg in distance

Trailfinders managed to transfer our flight so we left three days early on Sunday 22 March.

Gordon's Bay beach panorama
(click picture for larger image)

Our last full day, Saturday,  was spent at the apartment in Gordon's Bay. It was one of the hottest days of our time there. 

We couldn't keep our tradition of lunching at Delheim on our last full day as they were in lockdown.

We enjoyed a walk on the beach in the afternoon followed by a glass of Graham Beck MCC aperitif before dinner and a bottle of Delheim Vera Cruz Estate Pinotage 2016 that I'd wanted to take home, but the bottle was too big to go in polystyrene packer and too heavy to go in suitcase. It was gorgeous, but would be even better with more time in bottle.

Last Lunch at Beyerskloof

To Beyerskloof Red Leaf Bistro for a final Pinotage Burger. Lovely warm day, we sat out on the deck, enjoyed the Reserve 2017 served by waitron TK.

View from Red Leaf deck

Panoramic view from Red Leaf deck
(Click picture for larger image)

Lunch with Jan and Jeanette

Drove via coastal R 44 to Hemel en Aarde Valley to lunch with Jan and Jeanette at Die Plaaskombuis, near their new home at Onrusrivier.

Nice farm shop restaurant, owning family the Lotters have their own wines, our first choice was sold out and we had the Lotter Sauvignon Blanc. It was yellow in glass and when I turned to the back label I saw it was 2017 vintage - older than I prefer.

The traditional bobotie was tasty and too big to finish, the back for coffee to the new house, via Wine Village.

Ocean Basket with Pierre

Lunch with Pierre Loubser at Ocean Basket after Neethlingshof cancelled booking and locked in.

My Village Salad for one, without Feta,

and Cajun Kingklip

and a chilled bottle of Woolworths Exclusive Reserve Collection Fairview Sauvignon Blanc 2019

Dan and Krisie's Last Day in Cape

Two weeks have sped by too fast. On their last day in the Cape Dan and Krisie wanted to lunch - for their third time - on Beyerskloof's Pinotage Burger. And they wanted a vineyard photo they'd been unable to take on their previous visit because of rain. 

Dan drove. Because he had to return their Avis car to the airport later he was only able to enjoy one small glass of the Winemaker's Reserve Pinotage 2016.

Dan in Beyerskloof tasting room with aged bottles in cages

Beyerskloof Red Leaf Restaurant

Back at Gordon's Bay there was time for a paddle before loading the car and heading for the airport.

Gordon's Bay

Their plane took off 10 minutes early and landed in rain at Heathrow 20 minutes early

On board and ready to depart

Lunch at Neethlingshof, Tasting at J C Le Roux, Steak at Spur

Always a pleasure to lunch at Neethlingshof Estate, even more so with the company of Krisie and Dan. Krisie explored more local meats by choosing ostrich.

The wine - Owl Post Estate Pinotage 2018 - was beautifully presented, and we had a chat with cellar master and good friend DeWet Viljoen.

DeWet Viljoen, Krisie, Dan

Then up the Devon Valley to The House of J C Le Roux. The restaurant which we have enjoyed so much in the past has changed operators and is being converted to  pizza and Italian, but until the place properly opens all that is available is a limited pizza menu.

We had the dry wine tasting of 3 MCC and one carbonated wine. Strangely they started with the most expensive, J C Le Roux Scintilla 2012 Vintage MCC, then the Pongracz white and pink MCC finishing with J C Le Roux's carbonated Sauvignon Blanc.

Power shedding in evening, so we took some bottles to Spur where waitron Memory took good care of us.

Krisie, Memory, Dan

Kanonkop, Spice Route and Fairview

With Dan and Krisie to lunch at Spice Route, calling in at Kanonkop on the way. 

Kanonkop were in the midst of processing Cabernet Sauvignon. Grapes were coming in by truck loads and the plastic baskets emptied into the destalker, then onto vibrating table, then through optical sorter before being pumped into the open topped kuipe fermenters.

We had a tasting of 7 wines, plus the fabled £100 a bottle Black Label Pinotage. Dan bought a Kanonkop hat and Krisie a bottle of Kadette Pinotage Rose. 

Abrie Beeslaar told me that grapes for this vintage were excellent quality. Rains in October had nourished vines and they had no prolonged heat spells.

On way to Spice Route we saw a most unusual cloud, like a volcano had erupted.

Lunch at La Grapperia  Bistro and Pizzeria was on veranda overlooking vineyard and the valley. I had Wiener Schnitzel and the other 3 had pizza. 

Joan chose a bottle of Spice Route Grenache Noir 2016, but it was served warm and in horrible cheap thick glasses. Not what is expected at a winery

View from our table

Then we had a chocolate tasting at De Villiers before driving next door to Fairview, 

where after admiring the (awfully smelly) goats and iconic Goat Tower, 

Dan & Krisie enjoyed a wine and cheese pairing tasting.

Fairview closed at 17:00 so back to the apartment and to dinner at Spur with a bottle each of Kanonkop Kadette and Estate 2017 Pinotages.

Photos of Kanonkop and cloud courtesy of Krisie

Penguins and Hermanus

Krisie can now cross penguins off her bucket list. We drove along the coastal R44 road

Taking in the view along R44

to the nesting colony of African Penguins at Betty's Bay

We also saw Dassies and these lizards

At Hermanus we had a table booked in Origins restaurant at the Marine Hotel.

We started with a bottle of L'Ormarins NV MCC then enjoyed Beaumont unwooded Chenin Blanc 2019

Craft beer battered Hake

Sea view via mirror by table

After lunch we had a cliff top stroll

Then home via N2 and dinner at Zest.