Cape Town - When you’re tripping over your own feet, as I did while stepping over the kitchen’s threshold at the Residence on the Haskell property, the wine should have been to blame.
But after a morning at the nearby Blaauklippen family market down the road, I’m afraid to say the strongest likely contender would be the food. Far too much of it.
First there was the spicy chicken taco shells, which serve as edible vessels, from Señor Onion. Then chocolate croissants and rooster-koek. But what finished us off was our tasting at the Lebanese stand, where our palates were seduced with meze and unadulterated salads.
Being a winelands market, rest assured alcohol is served – from Blaauwklippen, wine, aperitifs, potstilled brandies and grappas; and from other producers, craft beers, ciders and mead, but it’s for families (and, once a month, their dogs for a vineyard walk for charity). Kids can feed real kids (goats and geese too), ride ponies and stretch their legs.
Eventually, we threw in the towel and headed back to Haskell, our base for the weekend, which is down the road in Stellenbosch’s revered Golden Triangle sub-region.
To reach Haskell Vineyards, you drive down Annandale Road, past the Mooiberge strawberry farm and its legion of bright, friendly scarecrows.
Beyond that is wine country – among others, Rust en Vrede, Ernie Els Wines; Hidden Valley; Stellenzicht and Bilton.
In 2002, Haskell – then Dombeya, named after the indigenous flowering shrub – was bought by Preston Haskell IV, an American industrialist who is based in Russia.
Haskell counts on the wine expertise of cellar master Rianie Strydom – formerly of Morgenhof, she has been with the property since inception – and their winemaker, Wikus Pretorius.
Most wines are produced from grapes grown on the property; grapes for the white varieties (Haskell’s Anvil, a lightly wooded chardonnay, and the Dombeya sauvignon blanc and chardonnay) are sourced from Elim and Rianie’s own farm opposite Morgenhof. (Dombeya, their easy-drinking range, and Haskell, the flagship, co-exist, but are separately listed in the Platter’s Guide.)
In 2006, the farm was renamed Haskell, with the first wines produced under their label from the 2007 vintage. Two years later, two syrahs were released: the Haskell Pillars 2007 and the Aeon 2007.
Rianie, South Africa’s mistress of the Bordeaux blend (and the second female Cape Winemakers Guild member after Norma Ratcliffe), released her baby, the Haskell IV 2009, a union of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc and petit verdot, the following year.
The accolades have come in thick and fast: within their first year of operation, Haskell won their first five-star Platter and became the first South African winery since the inception of the Tri-Nations Challenge to win Best Syrah, Best Red Wine and Best Wine of Show in the 2009 contest, which pits the best wines of South Africa against those of Australia and New Zealand.
Exposed to this selection of wine, you really don’t want to have to worry about driving, which is why we stayed over at the gorgeous Haskell Residence, a beautifully furnished two-bedroomed house with a fully equipped kitchen, marble counters, an espresso machine, quality stemware and good knives. The dining room has antique leather-carved chairs and the patio, railway sleeper furniture.
For those averse to cooking while on holiday, the Long Table restaurant is within walking distance.
The restaurant and tasting room is housed in the former Dombeya angora wool factory.
Diners don’t need encouragement to enjoy the view of the Helderberg Mountains, beside a water feature. On cold days you can sit beside the fireplace.
Choice picks for breakfast are the French toast pockets stuffed with Black Forest ham, Gruyère, mustard, maple syrup and rocket; huevos rancheros (a tortilla with tomato salsa, eggs and bacon); and a farmhouse fry-up with the works.
At lunch, we tried the fried baby calamari in dukkah served with a sambal and the creamy duck liver parfait with a date, fig and apple chutney, port jelly and walnut bread.
Their venison (rich, tender kudu) is served with a blueberry and cassis reduction, potato croquettes and vegetables, while the sirloin steak is topped with a poached egg, Hollandaise sauce, oxtail croquette, asparagus and potato batons.
And if you love cheesecake, the white chocolate cheesecake with an orange ginger crust, Van der Hum syrup and confit oranges will satisfy just about every sweet and sour craving imaginable.
If you’re able to spend the night (or a relaxing weekend away), the Residence and nearby Cottage have all the amenities you might require, including wood deliveries for the enormous fireplace.
It’s just the place for an exclusive escape in the winelands.
Saturday Star