'Tis the season to be jolly...

'Tis the season to be jolly...

It is that time of year again. When you  know that not only has summer arrived but also many of our inland visitors. Roads are busier, especially to the mall and parking is hard to find. Shopping on Sunday mornings is  no longer a pleasure as around you the noise levels have increased and items on shelves usually in abundance are now out of stock!

Yes 'tis the season to be jolly!

We at Avontuur have a lot to be thankful for. Our summer season has started with an influx of out "swallows" Our European visitors that follow the sun. Never experiencing the cold bite of winter or wearing winter woollies. As you pass tables on the sun-drenched patio an eclectic m ix of languages can be heard. From German, Dutch, Italian and French. 

We have  regular clientèle which we see annually. It is wonderful to welcome them back and we have had a great response to our menu changes and the estates new season wines. 

If you are still looking for some gift ideas, remember Julia Ball and the "hot boxes she is selling. They make sense if you are attempting to lesson your carbon footprint as well as your electricity bill! They are particularly suited to busy people that could do with some extra help in the kitchen. Her number is 0825499925 and her email address is: julia71@telkomsa.net

Also for some inspirational reading remember to check out eee.thegreentimes.co.za.

To end off I would like to share a piece from a letter I recently wrote to my family in distant lands about Avontuur. 

I'm sure once you have read it, you too will be captured under its spell as we are.

"So here I sit between tables- meaning. I have just cooked for one table and am waiting to send out the next table’s main course. It is a spectacular evening. The sunset has made everything amber gold and in the distance Table Mountain looks majestic and quiet.

My restaurant is buzzing. Friday nights are good and my regulars know that we run a great special if they come early! (Which means I can leave early…?) Well sometimes anyway.

 I love this farm. It is a beautiful place with many trees, lots of green. Vineyards and paddocks. Brood mares and foals. Miles and miles of gnarled vines, growing out of dusty, pale colored soil. 

There is a special kind of calm here that I have not experienced before. Perhaps it is the presence of nature in such close proximity to our working environment. We have had our share of snakes, skinks, spiders, mice, various birds and my favorite, lime green chameleons. Oh and many toads and frogs!

I could not imagine working anywhere else. 

9 Years is along time to be driving the same road to work. And if truth be told, I have never gotten tired of it. It is always different. Daily I am amazed at how it changes. Sometimes it is so clear you can see Simonstown in the distance. At other times you would not even know the sea was just over the horizon. 

I guess its not called "Avontuur" for nothing, as it has truly been an adventure..."

Have a Blessed Christmas and a most prosperous new Year.

With best regards

Zunia, Melanie and our staff.

Avontuur Estate Restaurant 

021 855 4296

Waterkloof Wins Local Award

Waterkloof Estate scoops tourism award

By Caroline Hurry

Waterkloof, the contemporary “cellar in the sky” outside Somerset West excelled at the 2010 Business Awards of the Helderberg Chapter of the Cape Chamber of Commerce as overall winner in the Tourism category.

The estate scooped the Tourism Award in recognition for directly stimulating significant tourist interest in the Helderberg region as a destination.

These annual Business Awards acknowledge and celebrate businesses and properties in the Helderberg basin that have distinguished themselves for their achievements, service delivery and their contribution to the local economy during the past year.

Waterkloof features a gravitational cellar, wine tasting lounge, and restaurant, which welcomes fine dining experiences in a 10m high glass promontory.

Waterkloof also hosts wine tastings on horseback. Hosted in partnership with the adjacent Orion Stables & Riding Academy, enthusiasts are invited to saddle up for a two-hour meander through indigenous flora, culminating in a wine tasting and ploughman’s lunch at the estate’s restaurant.

See www.waterkloofwines.co.za or call Waterkloof Estate at 021 858 1292.
To reserve a table at the restaurant call 021 858 1491, or e-mail restaurant@waterkloofwines.co.za.

Helderberg Wine Estates

The Helderberg region has its own wine route which incorporates over 20 wine estates.

Vergelegen, and Morgenster are two of the oldest wineries located in Somerset West. Lourensford established it's vineyards almost a decade ago and is now also a top international wine producer in the Helderberg.

Other estates that form The Helderberg wine route is Avontuur Estate,an award-winning winery situated between Somerset West and Stellenbosch, JP Bredell Wines, renowned for their red and port wines, and Longridge Winery, based on the longest ridge of the Helderberg Mountains (hence the name) and one of the country’s most established boutique wineries.

There are also some wine farms in Sir Lowry's Pass Village like Journeys End and a few other botique estates.