SEPTEMBER 2011 Edition

Wildy Good Wines on the West Coast!

I've had some great times along the west coast, from the picturesque village of Paternoster to sublime weekends on a houseboat near Kraalbaai, but believe it or not, I've never before been to visit any of the West Coast wine farms. Until now!

So, it was time for a bit of a road trip and admittedly, I didn't realize that it was going to be quite the road trip that it was, since it was a fair drive outside Cape Town, but we certainly had fun getting there.

We traveled out on the N7 through the most beautiful and picturesque landscapes and rolling hillsides past Piketberg, the 100% full Clanwilliam dam and on to Klawer where we turned off and headed out to Doringbaai where we paid a visit to Fryer's Cove Vineyards.

At first, my photographer, Mark and I were a bit confused by the odd location of the tasting rooms. Seemingly, the disused harbour buildings was where we were heading as the signs led the way. Our raised eyebrows were soon raised even further when we made our way to the cosy and quaint tasting room which has been done up so beautifully by the Fryer's Cove team. A very pleasant surprise indeed.

There to meet us were co-owner and assistant winemaker, Jan van Zyl and marketing manager Alberta who were eager to share the history and background to this cool-climate wine farm situated less than 1km from the Atlantic shore.

In 1985, aspiring winemaker Wynand Hamman had a dream to cultivate this land with the most scenic views and produce fantastic wine from its fruits, but the initial going was tough.

Not only did the winemakers have to contend with the unknown factors of wind and sea, but the area was drought prone. Without a reliable water source the venture wouldn't get out of the starting gates. They investigated using existing groundwater, but the salt content was too high and desalinisation proved too expensive.

Chatting to Jan van Zyl

A 29,5km long pipeline from Vredendal was the only solution and they had to cross three adjacent farms to get there. After the neighbours agreed to the pipeline, Jan built it himself in 1999, with the aid of his farm workers. In exchange for their co-operation, the neighbours received water from the pipeline.
Soon thereafter, they planted their first grapes on 6 hectares of land and the first commercial production commenced in 2002 with approximately 4 hectares of Sauvignon Blanc grapes and 2 hectares of Pinot Noir.

I simply loved their slogan: "Forged of the earth, tempered by the sea". This is beautifully illustrated in the wines, which are full of flavour and leaves you wanting more. Or is that just me?

The name Fryer's Cove? Well, it's from a cove not far from Doringbaai, which was originally owned by Lord Fryer. You will further notice the Fryer coat of arms within the Fryer's Cove's logo and just as the late Lord Fryer, the owners of Fryer's Cove vineyards are very much involved with the local community, from sponsorships, to job creation and the overall upliftment of the area and its people.

Overall, it was such a fun visit and well worth doing. If you'd like to buy their wine or plan a visit to their unique tasting room and experience what true West Coast hospitality is all about, then get in touch with them via their website at www.fryerscove.com. They also tell me that shipping of their wines throughout South Africa is free of charge for cases of 6 or more bottles - BARGAIN. What's your excuse not to?!

Fryer's Cove range of wines

Join our Facebook group click here

Click the icon to download the printable version