Gabriëlskloof Wine Estate is known for top food, fine wines and grand views. Now on till the end of May is a marvellous menu of Mediterranean specialities. Catch it while it lasts!
Picture a sunny hilltop winery surrounded by olive groves, vineyards and wheat fields. This might be magnificent Tuscany yet it’s much closer to home, a short drive from Cape Town: Gabriëlskloof Wine Estate. It’s this idyllic setting that Gabriëlskloof now invites you to come and visit to savour the last glorious days of autumn, with fine Mediterranean platters and their excellent wines.
The area in the Overberg between Bot River and Caledon is very Mediterranean in look, feel and climate. With this in mind, Gabriëlskloof Wines teamed up with resident chef Frans Groenewald to offer something reflective of their wine cousins across the oceans.
The Mediterranean tapas-style tasters are best enjoyed on the winery’s broad veranda that overlooks the tapestried landscape, or else in the shaded courtyard with its soothing trees and water features. The mood is informal, encouraging you to taste and enjoy at leisure.
Each taster comprises four wines and five small snack-dishes, as well as a Schiacciata All’uva – a traditional Tuscan focaccia (flatbread) 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 perfect time to take a drive into the countryside,” says Nicolene Finlayson, tasting room manager and wife of the Gabriëlskloof cellarmaster. “The cellar has had another bountiful harvest and visitors can taste some of the finest offerings from the cellar.
Visitors get to observe a working wine farm in operation; experience the cellar at the height of its activity; and enjoy the fruits of the harvest.
Make the most of the balmy days of autumn by visiting Gabriëlskloof soon. The Mediterranean tasters are available daily – except Tuesdays and Sundays – until the end of May. Cost: 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 info@gabrielskloof.co.za.
Gabriëlskloof Estate is situated just outside Bot River, on the Swartrivier Road, off the N2.
