For more information visit: www.breedekloof.com or call 023 349 1791

EXPLOREREXPLOREREXPLORERWINELANDSJUNE 2015

EXPLOREREXPLORERJUNE 2015

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THE HEART OF THE BOLAND

Warm up this winter at theJoin us for complimentary homemade country soup and award winning dessert and red wines

Buy your festival pass for only R100Tickets only available online: www.webtickets.co.zaNo ticket sales on the day of the festivalLimited tickets available

Accommodation special: Stay 2 nights and the 3rd night is free!

NEWS2

The Boland is one of the most beautiful re-gions in the world.

Although this area has no offi cially defi ned bor-ders it is generally accepted to include Som-erset West, Stellenbosch, Paarl, Franschhoek, Malmesbury and Worcester. Within this area we fi nd several wine routes, small towns, large busi-ness hubs, a diverse spread of art galleries, sport-ing venues and a myriad of festivals.

To give our readers a better glimpse of what’s on, where to go and what to do in the Boland,

we have decided to publish the Winelands Ex-plorer. This unique publication is distributed in conjunction with Hermanus’s Village Explorer but will focus exclusively on content from the Boland.

As is the case with the Village Explorer, we of-fer readers not just advertising but a jolly good read. With journalistic and photographic expe-rience spanning more than three decades it is our aim to tell the local stories about food and wine, arts and culture, shopping, adventure and nature activities.

Focusing on what’s on, where to go and what to do, the Winelands Explorer is a practical guide those who want to discover and enjoy the natu-ral beauty and unique lifestyle of our region.

The Winelands Explorer is aimed at readers who enjoy life. Those who take the time out to en-joy the fi ner things in life. Those who enthusiasti-cally enjoy a healthy lifestyle and who, on most weekends, can be seen meandering through our lovely region treating themselves to all it has to offer.

Welcome to the Winelands Explorer

Loose yourself this winter on the most scenic wine route in the Cape Winelands and beat away the wintery blues at the an-nual Breedekloof Soetes & Soup 2015 festival, taking place

on Friday 24 and Saturday 25 July. This fun-fi lled event hosted by wineries in the Rawsonville, Slanghoek, Goudini, and Breede River areas, combats the chills by serving complimentary cups of steam-ing homemade country soup accompanied by a glass of multiple award-winning soetes (dessert wines) including Hanepoot, Mus-cadel, Noble Late Harvest, Red Jerepigo and Port.

Your festival pass only costs R100 per person and this year there are limited tickets available, so buy yours early online at www.webtick-ets.co.za Please note: no tickets available on the day. Your pass includes your enamel mug, wine glass and coupon booklet for the soup tasting.

Wineries also offer discounts of between 10% and 25% on red and fortifi ed wines during this weekend giving you a great excuse to stock up for the winter.

Highlights during the weekend include live entertainment, soup & wine pairing, a farmer’s market, chocolate soup & port tasting, cooperage demonstrations, craft beer, an art exhibition, various stalls and children’s entertainment.

To make this an extra special weekend, our diverse range of ac-commodation facilities are offering you a Soetes & Soup weekend special: only pay for two nights, the third night is free.

Visit www.breedekloof.com for more information, or call (023) 349 1791.

WARM UP THIS WINTER AT SOETES & SOUP: 24 – 25 July 2015

Cover image:Hanno Lategan

PublisherDe Waal Steyn083 700 3319

dewaals@outlook.com

EditorHedda Mittner

083 645 3928hedda@hermanus.co.za

Graphic DesignerMadré Rossouw

083 570 8797madrerossouw@gmail.com

Muratie mid-year Trail RunMuratie wine estate is the base for some of the most beauti-ful trail systems in the Western Cape as part of the Simons-berg Conservancy. Don’t miss this single-track heaven with awesome views, climbing in the forest just above the cellar with various trails bringing you back to the fi nish.

Pre-entries will receive discount and all fi nishers will be awarded with a medal and drinks. There are lots of prizes to be won including Muratie wines from the estate. Registration opens at 07:45 and there will be coffee for sale from early morning. The trails start from 09:00 and the restau-rant will be open for lunch, so be sure to book a table.

Pre-entries (closing 16 June) for the 7km trail are R85 pp and R110 for the 12km. Late entries (taken on the day of the event) are R100 (7km) and R130 (12km). Contact Dirtopia on 021 884 4752 or visit www.dirtopia.co.za

Robertson Wacky Wine Weekend

This popular family-friend-ly wine festival is now in its 12th year and takes place at participating wineries all across the Robertson Wine Valley. With more than 40 wine

farms and boutique producers taking part, this year’s Wacky Wine Weekend is set to feature affordable top-notch wines, hearty country fare, great local entertain-ment, sporting events and children’s activities during a four-day celebration.

Visitors can purchase their Wacky Wine passports at the fi rst port of call at R120 pp. This acts as registra-tion to the whole week-end and takes the form of a stylish tasting glass, along with a programme and “Friends of the Val-ley” vouchers. Please note that because of the zero tolerance policy regarding drinking and driving it is rec-ommended that you assign a designated driver in your group, book a buddy bus or call a taxi.

While many of the festival’s activities are free to pass-port holders, some events are individually priced and may need to be booked in advance with the relevant wine farm. Get the full programme from www.wacky-wineweekend.com, send an email to manager@robert-sonwinevalley.com or call 023 626 3167.

JC Le Roux Father’s Day BreakfastRaise a fl ute to Dad this Father’s Day and add a hearty breakfast or lunch at Le Venue restaurant at The House of J.C. Le Roux in the Stellenbosch Winelands on his special day. With a great selection of dish-es perfectly pre-pared by Chef Renshaw Adams, fathers can kick back and relax in the stylish res-taurant or soak up the sun on the welcoming al fresco deck.

The celebration breakfast costs R135 pp and will be served from 09:00 to 11:00; the celebration lunch is R195 pp and is served from 12:00 to 15:00. Booking is essential; call the restaurant on 021 865 8200 or visit www.jcleroux.co.za

Lanzerac Winemaker Dinner SeriesThe second in the exciting Winemaker Dinner Series will showcase the well-known Lanzerac wines as well as the hotel’s signature dishes. Limited to a maximum of 20 guests, this intimate yet fun and educational event will be held in the Taphuis, the hotel’s historic Cape country bar

believed to be one of the old-est in the West-ern Cape.

The theme for June is Char-donnay, Merlot and Pinotage and includes a delicious three-course dinner.

The event starts at 18:30 when guests will be welcomed with a glass of the maiden Lanzerac MCC while the sun sets over the vineyards of the beautiful Jonkershoek Val-ley. The cost of the dinner, inclusive of all the wines, is R375 pp and bookings can be made at 021 886 5641.

Leopard’s Leap Cooking Classes – Karoo KitchenJoin Gordon Wright, the author of Veld to Fork, and ex-perience all the Karoo has to offer – honest cooking us-ing the freshest ingredients. This interactive cooking class hosted in the exquisite restaurant kitchen of Leopard’s Leap Family Vineyards in the Franschhoek Valley will ap-peal to enthusiastic foodies who love having fun in the kitchen and around the dining table.

Veld to Fork focusses on slow food from the heart of the Ka-roo and Gordon will be sharing his ex-periences and reci-pes from the book, specifi cally venison. The class ends with a jovial meal en-joyed in the com-pany of new friends and Leopard’s Leap wines.

The morning class on 11 June starts at 09:30 – 13:30. The evening class on 12 June is from 18:00 – 23:00. The cost is R650 pp. Contact 021 876 8002 to book or visit www.leopardsleap.co.za

Soup, Sip & Bread FestivalFood and wine enthusiasts can nose, sip and taste their way through the heart-warming offerings of wine farms on the verdant Durbanville Wine Route this weekend.

This friends-and-family-friendly winter feast takes a laid-back approach to the art of food and wine pairing, as vintners join hands with chefs to fi nd soulful partners for the variety of soups, chowders and gumbos from around the world. Al-though the cooler weather calls for red wine with blazing

fi res, don’t be surprised if sauvignon blanc, the valley’s signature white, makes a guest appearance with a creamy mussel bisque.

Participating wineries include Alty-dgedacht, D’Aria, Diemrsdal, Dur-banville Hills, Hillcrest Estate, Klein Roosboom, Phizante Kraal Wines and Signal Gun. For more details, go to www.durbanvillewine.co.za/festi-vals/soup-sip-and-bread

Thursday 4 June

Saturday 6 & Sunday 7 June

Winelands Events DiaryJUNE 2015

EVENTS DIARY

Delheim Cheese Fondue & Jazz SundaysWard off the winter blues with Delheim’s popular Cheese Fondue & Jazz indulgences, every Sunday lunch from 28 June until 30 August. Their cosy ‘downstairs’ tasting cellar sets the scene for families and friends to huddle around fon-due pots and ease into a laidback Sunday afternoon in the company of quality estate wines and jazzy tunes from 12:30 until 15:30.

Delheim swirls their cheese fondue to an authentic Swiss recipe that oozes deliciousness and makes its way to your table with oven fresh baguette dippers and vegetable cru-dités. Guests can also order starters from Delheim’s Garden Restaurant à la carte menu at an additional cost. To add to the fun there will be a weekly general knowledge quiz on various Delheim topics and great prizes are up for grabs.

The cost is R200 per person and includes a warming glass of Glühwein on arrival, a shared cheese fondue and the soulful, live mu-sic. Bookings are essen-tial; contact Delheim at 888 4607/ 079 7353 257 or send an email to res-taurant@delheim.com to secure your table.

Thursday 11 June

Taste the Helderberg Wine & Food FestivalThe NH Lord Charles Hotel in Somerset West is set to be a one stop wine route when Taste the Helderberg 2015 serves up an exclusive evening of quality wine and food unique to the area between 17:00 and 21:00.

The Helderberg area is a booming sub-route of the Stel-lenbosch Wine Routes and stretches from Somerset West to Stellenbosch and Sir Lowry’s Pass Village, with some of the country’s fi nest cellars, restau-rants and eateries calling it their home.

Now in its 7th year, the annual Taste the Helderberg is your ticket to tasting more than 100 fi nes wines from at least 25 stel-lar cellars and signature dishes from eminent chefs and artisan producers from this thriving Winelands region. Participating wineries include Avontuur, Hidden Valley, Ken Forrester Wines, Longridge, Lyngrove, Pe-ter Falke, Vergenoegd and Waterkloof Estate.

Limited tickets for Taste the Helderberg 2015 are available at the cost of R80 per person, which includes an elegantly branded wine glass. For more information visit www.winer-oute.co.za or call 021 886 4310. Tickets will also be available at the door.

Thursday 11 June & Friday 12 June

Sunday 14 June

Thursday 4 – Sunday 7 June

Sunday 28 June

Avontuur Cab Franc CarnivalJoin thirteen of the best-known Cabernet Franc producers at Avontuur Estate between Stellenbosch and Somerset West from 12:00 – 17:00 for a wonderful winter celebration.

One of the great fi ve red va-rietals of Bordeaux, Cabernet Franc usually disappears into the ubiquitous Bordeaux-style blend, but in South Africa this more elegant refi ned cousin of Cabernet Sauvignon has been coming into its own over the last decade with a dedicated fan base growing by the day.

The inaugural Cab Franc Car-nival will be an intimate event where lovers of this varietal can interact with the winemakers and taste the country’s best Cab Francs from Avontuur Estate, Camberley Wines, Cape Chamonix, CK Wines, Doolhoof Wine Estate, Druk-My-Niet Wine Estate, Hermanuspietersfontein Wynkelder, Lynx Wines, Mont du Toit, Ormonde Vineyards, Raats Fam-ily Wines, Ridgeback and Nelson Family Vineyards.

Tickets are R120 pp which includes the tastings and a tasting glass, and tasty eats will be available from the food stalls. For more information, contact 021 981 0216 or bjorn@cvomarketing.co.za or book your tickets at www.plankton.mobi.

Saturday 20 June

Sunday 21 June

Almenkerk produces elegant, well balanced wines that are intriguing to every sense. The flag-ship range consists of Almenkerk Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Syrah and is complimented by the Lace Range which consists of the Lace Red blend, Lace Sauvignon Blanc and the Lace Rosé.

Lace White An expression of the riper fruit on the farm, this wine is upfront fruity, yet possesses all the hallmark features of cool-climate wines: elegance, core of minerality & balance.

Lace Red Blend of Shiraz (36%), Merlot (28%), Cabernet Sauvignon (18%), Cabernet Franc (17%),Viognier (1%). Palate of upfront layered fruit supported by 15 months ageing in French barriques. The wine was allowed natural fermentation and extended skin contact before malolactic fer-mentation in barrel. Natural acidity and purity of fruit make for an elegant wine with a lingering finish.

Lace Rose What started off as a fun side-line project has turned out to be quite a serious wine. A break from most rosés, this wine is lightly wooded and has a light salmon colour. It is made up of Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, picked earlier, in order to get the vibrant fruit flavours. The aroma is of strawberries and some citrus characters. On the palate these fresh fruit flavours are complemented by a savoury character and some light wooding.

Almenkerk Chardonnay A classic example of a cool climate, single vineyard wine. Minimalist approach with natural settling and wild yeast fermentation in exclusively French oak barrels. Fresh citrus fruit and crisp acidity are balanced by gentle wooding (20% new) and extended lees contact. The result is an elegant Chardonnay with a core of minerality and a lingering finish. Will reward cellaring (5-10 yrs).

Almenkerk Sauvignon Blanc A classic example of French-style restraint and elegance. A core ofMinerality – typical cool climate – drives this wine. The winemaker makes use of traditional win-emaking techniques such as lees contact (sur lie) paired with modern techniques i.e. inert press. This combines into a wine with an elegant nose and a texture that lingers. Will improve in the bottle for up to 5 years.

Almenkerk Syrah – Elgin’s high elevation and diurnal variation, with warm days and cool nights, allow for long ripening time. This translates into complex aromas including dark plum & black-berry and warm, earthy, spicy, slightly meaty notes. Natural settling and wild yeast fermentation. Aged for 16 months in exclusively French oak barrels. Elegantly structured, full-bodied palate. Supple texture with fruit concentration. Fine grained tannins and a long lingering finish. Will re-ward cellaring.

wine4

There are few places in our country that emanate the beauty of winter as spectacularly as the Elgin Valley. The mountains and valleys covered in perennial mist and shrouded in dark clouds spring to life in the rainy season and create a winter wonderland that is a must

on your winter travel list.

And nestled in the heart of the Elgin Valley is the Almenkerk Wine Estate. A sanctuary of beautiful vistas, a haven of fabulous wines and a preserve of family friendliness that is seldom encountered anywhere. Owned by the Van Almenkerk family and run by the husband and wife team of Joris and Natalie, Almenkerk’s wine has been described as a liquid form of archi-tecture, rivalled only by the beauty of the award-winning tasting room.

With Joris taking charge in the cellar and Na-talie responsible for most everything else Al-menkerk is essentially a family run operation. Sisters Lieselotte and Annelies help with sales and in the tasting room, while patriarch Joep acts as a business mentor and manager of sales in his beautifully appointed De Brasserie Restaurant in Strand.

“Our story began in 2002 when we moved to South Africa and started looking for a farm with perfect terroir and a cool climate that was also a nice place to live,” says Natalie. “We were already far into our quest and seri-ously considering a promising property in Stel-lenbosch when a friend insisted we go ‘over the mountain’ and visit the Elgin Valley. Barely a week later we signed the papers and could call ourselves the proud owners of an apple farm!”

Since then the Van Almekerks have invested all their passion and energy into establishing an estate that produces award-winning wines. “The decision of what to plant and where to plant it has been a project on its own. We used consultants and professors with combined ex-perience of over a century. On top of that, we based our choices on infrared and satel-lite imagery, soil samples, and electromag-netic scans of the soil as well as the input of the previous owner and the workers who have been living on the farm for generations,” says Natalie.

“We now have 15 ha of vines in production, while still enjoying 8 hectares of apples and pears. The aim is to build a family estate for the next generations and to build a reputation that will stand the test of time,” she says.

Almenkerk is well worth a visit. They are located on the Viljoenshoop Road just south of the N2. The turnoff is right next to the Peregrine Farm stall. follow the road for 6.0 km and voila, you're there. You can call them on 021 848 9844 or email: info@almenkerk.co.za

CELLAR DOOR TASTINGS AND SALESWinter: Tuesday to Saturday, 10 – 16:00Summer: Wednesday to Sunday, 10:00 – 16:00.

Life is beautiful at Almenkerk

33

WINE

It is delightful. It is innovative. It is vivacious. It has attitude. In short, it is a Diva.

Diva, South Africa’s only Zinfandel based MCC, re-cently launched by Blaauwklippen was conceptu-alised to celebrate the estate’s 333rd birthday this year.

As the grand old dame of wine estates in Stellen-bosch, Blaauwklippen has gained international recognition for its Zinfandel wines after the variety was fi rst planted in 1978. Zinfandel is an exotic and unique red cultivar which originated on Croatia’s Dalmatian coast and found its way, through Aus-tria, to Italy where it was called the Primitivo. Later it was adopted by the Americans as the “Californian Grape”.

Under the astute management the past 12 years of Blaauwklippen Celler Master Rolf Zeitvogel the farm developed this interesting variety into ten dif-ferent guises from reds, a white Zinfandel, a Noble Late Harvest and now the fi rst Zinfandel Methode Cap Classique.

Rolf is the only non-American ZAP (Zinfandel Advo-cates and Producers) member and he has a spe-cial bond with this variety he works with every day.

“When you work with Zinfandel, you learn a lesson every day,” says Rolf. “One of them is that this culti-var has a temper and the name pays tribute to the temperamental, challenging, but very rewarding nature of the Zinfandel grape.”

According to Rolf the Diva is the result of a chal-lenging 2013 harvest, where early picked grapes on 30 year old vines were ‘rescued’ due to the de-layed ripening of the grapes. The grapes from this block seemed ideal as a sparkling base wine.

“With Blaauwklippen’s rich and colourful Zinfan-del history, we are widely regarded as the South-African market leader when it comes to the pro-duction of this grape varietal that enjoys immense popularity in the USA. The 2013 Diva MCC, with the colour of sun ripened straw, was a natural evolve-ment for us. The base wine was kept on the lees for eight months before the start of the second fer-mentation in the bottle as per the traditional meth-od. After disgorgement, the wine was aged for 13 months in the bottle,” says Rolf.

The result is deliciously refreshing. The wine offers yeasty aromas with crisp apple and hints of citrus. The palate continues to reward you with bracing acidity and a rich mouthfeel leading to a long, lin-gering fi nish Just 1500 bottles have been released, with another 3000 left aging on lees for future re-

lease and ‘Diva’ is only available at the cel-lar door, priced at R135.

Apart from Zinfandel, Blaauwklippen also produces a highly acclaimed range of wines that includes Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot, Malbec, Viog-nier, Chenin blanc and Sauvignon blanc. Add to that the grappas, the Before & After Aperitif, the pot stilled brandies and one can soon see after 333 years Blaauwklippen is exploring the full picture of what is possible with grapes.

Blaauwklippen boasts a brand new and well-ap-pointed tasting room, a bistro, a grappa and bran-dy lounge, children’s activities, beautiful lawns for picnics, a function and events centre and a gift shop.

Blaauwklippen is also well known for its Sunday Family Market. The market has a range of stalls from fresh produce and homemade products to crafts and plants.

a divine

Diva

www.blaauwklippen.com | Blaauwklippen Vineyards. R44, Stellenbosch | Tel (021) 880-0136 | Twitter: @Blaauwklippen

5

RECIPES65

This recipe is easy to prepare but start early so that is has enough time to cook.

Serves 8

Ingredients

5 ml cayenne pepper10 ml ground black pepper5 ml ground coriander7.5 ml ground ginger5 ml turmeric10 ml ground cinnamon1.5 kg lamb shanks45 ml olive oil

2 onions, chopped2 carrots, peeled and chopped2 celery sticks, chopped3 garlic cloves, chopped45 ml tomato paste500 ml red wine2 × 400 g whole peeled tomatoes200 g dried apricots200 g pitted dates100 g whole/fl aked almonds, lightly toasted2 l good quality lamb or beef stock500 ml cooked lentils

Method

1. Combine all the spices in a bowl. Massage half of the spice mixture into the meat. Cover and re-frigerate for 3-4 hours.2. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Cook the lamb in batches on both sides until browned. Add the vegetables, garlic and the rest of the spices and cook for 5-6 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook out for 1 minute.3. Add the wine, tomatoes, apricots, dates, al-monds and stock. Cover and simmer for 4-5 hours or until the lamb is tender. Add the lentils and serve in front of the fi re with a good glass of shiraz.

Moroccan lamb soup

Serves 6

Ingredients

15 ml olive oil1 onion, fi nely chopped3 cm ginger, fi nely grated10 ml garlic, fi nely chopped1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped30 ml lemongrass, fi nely grated15 ml red curry paste1 kg orange sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped1.5 l vegetable stock60 g fresh coriander, chopped50 g roasted cashews80 ml olive oil250 ml crème fraîche

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent. Add the ginger, garlic, chill, lemon grass and curry paste and cook for 1-2 minutes or until aromatic.2. Add the sweet potato and vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the sweet po-tato is tender.3. In the meantime, prepare the coriander crème fraîche. Place the coriander, cashews and olive oil in the bowl of a food processor and blend until fi ne-ly chopped. Add 80 ml coconut cream and blend until combined. Stir the coriander pesto through the crème fraîche and set aside until needed.

Place half the sweet potato mixture in a jug blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to a clean sauce-pan. Repeat with remaining mixture. Place back on the heat and bring to the boil. Stir in the rest of the coconut cream and spoon into serving bowls. Serve with coriander crème fraîche, sweet potato chips and fresh bread.

� ai Orange Sweet Potato Soup with coriander crème fraîche

Makes 8 tartlets

Ingredients

375 ml (225 g) fl our5 ml salt125 ml butter, cubed40 g parmesan cheese, fi nely grated30 ml cold water15 ml olive oil30 ml butter1 red onion, thinly sliced10 ml castor sugar500 g mixed wild and portabello mushrooms, thinly sliced125 ml mascarpone2 eggs, beaten50 g parmesan cheese, fi nely grated

45 ml sage, chopped

Method

1. For the pastry, place the fl our and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Add the butter and process until it resembles fi ne breadcrumbs. Add the cheese and water and mix until the pastry comes together into a ball.2. Lightly grease 8 small loose-bottomed fl uted tart tins. Turn the pastry out onto a lightly fl oured surface and roll it out to a 3 mm thickness. Line the tart tins with the pastry. Place in the refrigera-tor for 30 minutes.3. Preheat the oven to 180°C. In the meantime, heat the oil and butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sugar and cook until soft and lightly caramelised. Season

with salt and ground black pepper. Remove from the pan.4. Increase heat to high and fry the mushrooms in batches until all the moisture has evaporated. Season and add it to the onions. Set aside to cool.5. In a separate bowl, mix the mascarpone, eggs and grated cheese together until smooth. Stir in the mushroom mixture, parsley and season to taste.6. Prick the base of the pastry with a fork. Line the cases with baking paper, baking beans and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and return to the oven for 5 minutes or until pale-golden. Spoon the mushroom mixture into the pastry cases and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden and set. Serve with rocket.

Wild mushroom, mascarpone and sage tart

Soup up your Winter!

Creamy seafood and chor� o chowder

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

30 ml olive oil2 leeks, trimmed, washed and thinly sliced10 ml garlic, fi nely chopped300 g sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1,5 cm pieces50 g chorizo, thinly sliced60 ml fl our1 litre chicken stock250 ml corn kernels600 g mixed seafood125 ml cream30 ml fresh dill, chopped

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the leeks, garlic, sweet potato and chorizo and cook for 5 minutes or until the leeks has softened.2. Add the fl our and cook stir-ring for 2 minutes. Gradually stir in the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to me-dium and simmer for 20 min-utes or until slightly thickened. Add the corn, seafood and cream. Cook for another 10 minutes or until the seafood is cooked through.

By Inemari RabiePhotographer: Daniela Zondagh

The mountains and farms around Stellenbosch and Somer-set West are like a treasure chest fi lled with jewels for the mountain-biking community. The biggest jewel of them all

seems to be Jonkershoek in Stellenbosch. The G-spot, Eden and Coetzenburg in Stellenbosch as well as the Bottelary Hills are some of the other prime spots. Then there are also those willing to get in their cars and drive over Sir Lowry’s Pass to Oak Valley outside Grabouw.

We name some of the top spots:

Jonkershoek is not only the locals’ favourite spot, but also has international recognition. According to www.mtbroutes.co.za - one of the best websites for all the general information on MTB trails – it is important to remember that Jonkershoek is a commercial forest. This means trails will change because of regular harvesting. Some of the details about the routes will be the same, but be prepared to adapt if you don’t know Jonkershoek that well.

Jonkershoek is a favourite because of the nice gravel and jeep track roads for beginners and the irresistible combination of single tracks, rock gardens, hard climbs and fast downhills for the more experienced.

Jonkershoek offers a number of different routes to choose from. You can cover up to 45km, making this the perfect ride in one location. And remember: During the summer you will share the routes with some of best mountain-bikers in the world! Cash required to pay for entry permit at the gate.

The best way to describe the lure of the G-spot is to compare it to that secret surfi ng spot. The only way to know exactly where it is, is to get there on your bike and experience the ride for yourself. The only thing mountain-bikers are willing to give away about this perfect spot is that it is located somewhere in the mountains between Coetzenburg and Eden.

It is a hand-made route with some epic single tracks. The G-spot was built mostly with downhill racing in mind. There are a lot of jumps. Every jump has a “chicken run”, though, if you don’t have the courage to take the jump.

Eden is the area above Paradyskloof outside Stellenbosch (next to the R44) and the pine plantation is home to a maze

of single tracks. Combining Eden and the G-spot for some seri-ous technical riding is mountain-biking heaven, according to some.

Another riding location is the mountains above Coetzenburg in Stellenbosch. A lot of people use these routes behind Stel-lenbosch University’s sport complex for running as well.

The Bottelary Hills connects wine estates such as Hazendal, Middelvlei, Overgaauw and Zevenwacht with trails covering a total distance of more than 80km. It is important to remember that all the trails are on private land and that you will need a permit to use these routes. For more information on the various routes that appeal to riders of all capabilities visit www.bot-telaryhillsmtb.co.za.

The WCC Helderberg MTB Trail has a concept of being a through route from Somerset West to Stellenbosch. The route has also been laid out in such a fashion that you can start at any of the wine estates and do sections of the route. It is a club member’s only route, meaning that when you ride the route you must be a Wannabees Cycling Club member. Visit www.wannabees.co.za for more info. The trails cover farms on both the west and east side of the R44.

Driving over Sir Lowry’s Pass will lead you to Grabouw’s magi-cal routes. The starting point for these amazing routes is at the gate of the Grabouw MTO Forest. There are various route op-tions which are marked with different colours. These routes are used for the Totalsports Xterra Grabouw and the Oude Molen MTB Challenge. It is open to public the whole year with a MTO permit.

Oak Valley just outside Grabouw estate was one of the fi rst wine estates to open its gates to mountain-bikers and creat-ing routes for public use. There are three marked routes: a 14 km Green Route for the family; a 24 km Red Route for stronger riders; and the 32 km Black Route for more advanced riders. Lebanon Forest is a prime spot. Visit www.oakvalleywines.com/mountain-bike-trail.

In the same area you’ll fi nd the Thandi Paul Cluver Trails consist-ing of two loops on Thandi and Paul Cluver. Riders fi rst do the Thandi Loop and thereafter the Paul Cluver loop. There is also a BMX Track for kids and BMX fanatics.

SPORT 7

New MTB course for the Bos

Mountain-biking’s treasure chest

The dream of two local cyclists to create a mountain-biking (MTB) track that will promote the sport in the region and on which big competitions can be hosted became a reality when the Western Province Cross Country Champs were held on the new MTB trail above

Coetzenburg recently.

The 5,3 kilometer route was built on land that belongs to Stellenbosch University (SU) and the university also funded the building of the track.

Hanno Lategan, former Matie student and chairperson of Maties Cycling Club and Dr Corrie Müller, a local dentist took hands with SU role-players to work on this project.

Lategan and Müller met each other years ago when Müller became involved with Paul Roos Gymnasium's cycling team. Lategan is a former learner of PRG, an active cyclist and is cur-rently coaching some of the PRG cyclists. The desire to have a place to train spurred them on to action.

"We shared a dream. We wanted a track good enough to host a world championships event, but you will only host two or three big events a year. What happens the rest of the time? It has to be a training facility that is open to everyone and where young cyclists can train to become good enough to compete at international level one day," they say.

"If one person out of a hundred, especially a child, says: 'I can master this course, I want to be-come a mountain-biker', we have succeeded in our goal."

Ilhaam Groenewald, Chief Director: Maties Sport, is very excited about the initiative. "SU now has MTB trails that comply with international standards and this offers new opportunities for the

sport discipline of mountain-biking. Making land available and creating facilities to be used for recreational and sport purposes support SU's commitment to develop sport and enable access to SU's resources for the community."

Besides the WP XCO MTB Champs (the competition course starts at the soccer fi eld behind the Coetzenburg athletics stadium) the SA XCO MTB champs will be hosted on the trail on 18 July. Before then some work will still be done on the technical elements of the course.

The trail climbs approximately 210 m and according to Müller and Lategan beginners will be able to complete the course, although they might have to get off their bi-cycle and push in certain parts.

One of the advantages of this trail is that it will hopefully put a stop to the illegal building of MTB trails in the moun-tain. "In the past foot paths became cycling paths, MTB enthusiasts formed their own trails and school children would occasionally lay out a course," says Müller.

The new course was built by the very experienced Bennet Nel of Ace of Spades.

"Another advantage is that more cyclists in the mountain make the mountain safer for all," adds Müller.

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