Robertson Slow 2011

It’s been a while since we last blogged. But they say good things come to those who wait. The Robertson Wine Valley host each year in August the Robertson Slow. This I not your typical festival with heaps of visitors flocking to the area. Although we love to share our beautiful area with everyone as the Breederiver area is a gem in the making.

The Robertson Slow focuses more on Food and Wine. Winemakers and owners open their houses to visitors to dine with them. This is much more intimate and any question that you had about wine but were too shy to ask can be asked at the Robertson Slow.
This year was the 5th Robertson Slow Festival and was held from the 5th until the 7th of August. Around 30 wineries and Guesthouses from Robertson, Ashton, Bonnievale and McGgregor participate.

Excelsior Manor Guesthouse’s theme this year was ‘the Klein Karoo Experience’. Chef John du Plessis no stranger to Excelsior Manor Guesthouse cooked up a storm for our 32 guest. John originally from Rawsonville but currently living in Cape Town just loves this area, it’s wine, food and off course people. John is a private chef in Cape Town for high-end celebrities and was recently featured in the Idees/Ideas magazine of April.

Do you have a napkin nearby as the following menu that he cooked will make your mouth water?

We started the night with Roasted Tomato and Blue Cheese canapés with Excelsior Estates Sauvignon Blanc. The next course was ‘Roosterkoek’ served with local preserved Green Figs, Camembert and Biltong followed by Slow Roasted Bone Marrow and Melba Toast. Springbok Fillet was braaied over the coals and served with Quinces. The highlight of the evening was the Lamb’s Neck served with butternut pancakes. The classic 1980’s Individual Lemon Meringue tarts were served as dessert with muskadel.

During each course Excelsior Wines where served by Jacques and Peter de Wet sons of Freddie and Kathy de Wet.

On the Sunday for the 4th time since the festival started the Regional Food Market was enjoyed by many. The focus is definitely Local and Regional is Best!!! With food, crafts, wine, flowers and many more from this area visitors could relax eat something, buy something and drink something to live music.
The Robertson slow is a festival not to be missed.

Looking forward to next year!!!!

the beginining

I am the fifth generation to be privileged to work and own Excelsior.

Times have changed since Koos de Wet (my Great, Great Grandfather) bought the farm in 1859. The farm was just native bush, with no buildings. Those days he farmed with ostriches, cattle, fruits such as peaches and apricots, as well as producing sweet fortified wines. South Africa in those days had very little infrastructure, so any fruit that was produced had to be dried, and any wine that was produced had to be fortified with spirits to preserve it. Cattle could be driven to market. For the rest agriculture was subsistence based.

My Great Grandfather, Kowie, introduced Hackney horses to Excelsior, and produced sweet fortified wines. The invention of the motorcar ended the Hackney horse industry, so he turned his attention to racehorses. During his time on the farm the ostrich industry also collapsed dramatically.

My Grandfather, Oscar, bred thoroughbred race horses, as well as Dairy cattle. He also produced sweet fortified wines. As you can see we always produced wine of some sorts.

The modern era of agriculture started with my father, Freddie, who introduced dynamic ideas like drip irrigation, and build a modern winery in 1981. This enabled modern dry wines to be produced. In the beginning these wines were mainly white, but in the early 1990’s reds were introduced as they suite the terroir of Excelsior. Due to changes in South Africa’s politics, we were able to export, so this was the next major change in way things were done at Excelsior.

Today Excelsior sells wine in over 20 countries, and we travel the world to sell our wines. So things have changed considerably in the past 150 years – unimagined changes. I am using the technology available to bring you insights into what it is like to be a wine farmer in South Africa 150 years after the business started.