Darling? Where is my wine? It's here Darling. In Darling.
Ormonde Private Cellar is situated in the heart of Darling, a quaint town on the West Coast of South Africa, less than an hour's drive from Cape Town.
What a wonderful find! A wine cellar on a hill, where vines grow in deep rich red soil, 300m above sea level. Fog from the Atlantic Ocean provides coolness and moisture, so the vines are never irrigated.
Arriving at Ormonde
Arriving at Ormonde one is greeted by the homestead at the top of the parking area which is grassed. There is a sense that this is a family-owned farm, without the big 'corporatey' feel.
the Proprietor, Theo Basson embraces the legacy left to him by his father Nico Basson and his grandfathers before him.
Wine tasting in the garden
We found a lovely cool table under the trees where we were served the two flights of wine.
Yes two flights, the first was 4 whites, the second flight 4 reds!
Of course when tasting wine, it's always good to have a platter (or two) to share, so we chose the the cheese & meat platter. I can say that this was one of the best platters I've ever had, and value for money was great!
The actual wine tasting!
Two flights they were
First flight was an MCC Sparkling Wine, one Chenin Blanc and two Sauvignons. I was surprised at the depth of taste and the complexity and richness of the Chenin.
Then a tasting of some of the red wines. The Ondine Malbec has such richness, elegance, wood, cherries and mulberries. I was enjoying the experience so much that I didn't get a pic of the reds, so I suppose that's a good excuse to go back ...
What I can say is that the Ormonde Cabernet Sauvignon is just classic, with good French oak, complex cassis and dark cherry fruit, some spice and a little black pepper. My favourite red of the day.
The experience
An absolutely wonderful experience on a beautiful wine farm, with delicious food and superb wines.
After the tasting we walked down to the little dam where there are a few swans around and a lovely area for children to run around or a lovely place to take a wee nap under the trees after a glorious afternoon.
