YES, I still have stories from my trip to Stellenbosch last month, and these three aren’t even the last of them. It was a jam-packed itinerary with so many wonderful experiences. A new one for me was Canettevallei Lavender and Wine Farm.
I met Ingrid de Waal, who handles the lavender side of things, and she told me all about the history of the very old family farm, “one of the oldest farms – if not the oldest – in this valley, Stellenboschkloof” and the cannon that still stands on Kanonkop and is fired on special occasions.
Canettevallei is a traditional wine farm, says Ingrid. “My husband Daniel is the winemaker, and for De Waal Wines. The farm’s own labels are Pella and Mount Sutherland.”
With grapes like Malbec and Sangiovese planted, among others, they do small quantities, says Daniel. “We don’t want to be commercial so we always said we’d increase the quality and then stay small.” So you won’t find the wines in supermarkets but you can get them from certain online portals like Getwine and of course from the farm, which has a small tasting room. Outside there are tables, and benches overlooking the dam, which is very pretty. If you’re not there for wine (which might be the case if you’re come for the lavender), there’s a coffee truck.
Ingrid has been farming lavender for 18 years. “We always knew we would have a tasting room, but people want more than wine, they want an experience, something interesting to offer visitors,” she says. “At that time essential oils were very much fashionable, especially local plants. I lived in France for a few years and I loved the lavender fields in Provence. I thought that would complement the winery beautifully.”
There are more than 100 different types of lavender so Ingrid began with an oil variety, planting three hectares in 2005. “Like any plant, it has a season and it flowers for only five to six weeks in summer. That’s when everyone is on holiday and no one ever sees the purple flowers,” she laughs. “Then I started to look for a different variety that would give me a longer flush time.” The fields you will see now bloom for five months, during winter. Most people call it French lavender; it’s a détente variety which can you recognise by the leaves which look like they have tiny teeth.
When you visit Canettevallei, you can learn more about lavender and its many uses and benefits, and you can pick yourself a bunch to take home. Ingrid also does workshops, for example for those who want to farm lavender themselves, and the fields are popular for all manner of photo shoots. There’s a shop too, filled with lavender products (obviously), even shortbread biscuits made by M Patisserie in town. There you’ll find Ingrid’s other passion as well – a huge variety of natural handmade soaps. I have never had a cake of black soap before, but I do now, scented with patchouli and rose, with activated charcoal and grapeseed oil.
Before I knew it, my lift to the next destination arrived: Martin Kelsey on a modern-built but retro-looking Ural motorbike inspired by the first 1940 Ural M72. With a sidecar, hell yeah. Cape Sidecar Tours can be chartered for one or two people per motorbike for point to point transfers, excursions, journeys, chauffeur services or tours. It was not my first time, but I can tell you it never stops being fun.
I was equipped with a helmet (with visor for a Top Gun look) and goggles, but my own sunglasses were enough to keep the road dust out my eyes. You must remember to keep your mouth closed, for the same reason. I appreciated that Martin took the slightly longer route to Alto, so I could enjoy the vibe and the scenery.
Now, you need to know this was all a few weeks ago. I have the wine list from Alto, which is covered with copious notes but unfortunately they are not as neat and tidy as they could be. There are phrases like “four and a half stars Platter”, “93 Tim Atkin”, “gold Veritas” and “2613 bottles”. Perhaps that is indication enough that Alto’s wines are excellent. I can tell you I tasted the Shiraz 2018; the very pale, almost white Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé 2022; the Estate Blend (that one has many stickers on the bottle), the flagship blend of Cab Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot; and the “icon blend” of Cab Sav and Cab Franc, the Alto MPHS 2017.
With my burger I had the Alto Rouge pairing, which is a very reasonable R45 a glass (or R120 a bottle) and a fabulous anytime wine. The burger came with smoked tomato and bacon jam, mustard mayo, mature cheddar, pickles, rocket, and a sizeable pile of hand-cut fries and fried onion rings. Dessert was out of the question, but I took a slice of chocolate torte with me for the next morning’s breakfast.
For more than a century Alto has built a reputation as one of the most respected and oldest red wine producers in South Africa, located in the in the heart of the so-called “Golden Triangle”. Stretching from the foothills of the Helderberg to the edge of the Stellenbosch Mountains, this region is renowned for its exceptional wines, due to a combination of climate and soil, and the cooling ocean breezes from False Bay.
Whether you stop in for a tasting with a wide scenic view, or for lunch as well, every red wine lover should find their way to Alto sooner or later.
