Almenkerk Wine Estate.

Tasting at wine cellars can be a pretty dull affair. The best farms get it right with a mix of wine, non-regurgitated information and charm, making you feel welcome and relaxed. The worst wine tastings are horrendous. They make you feel awkward, especially when the student or whoever works behind the counter as a weekend job watches you taste the wine without saying anything, or maybe offers a few feeble descriptors on the wine (yawn!) and mentions all the medals it won (double yawn). Generally there is no music playing, so the ambiance in the dimly lit space (clearly an after-thought of the cellar) is zero and guests feel self-conscious talking about the wine while said person behind the counter listens in. If there is music, we’re probably talking pan pipes or something “moody.” Basically, cellar tastings can really suck – and I know wine, so can only imagine how much they suck for people trying to get into it.

Hence Almenkerk gets a big fat gold star for the awesome experience I had on the weekend. Let’s forget that the setting is gaggingly beautiful and the winery an architectural wet dream. Barely out the car and a friendly woman approached rapidly. I thought, “Shit, they’re closed,” but instead got: “Hi, I’m Natalie! Welcome, please do come inside.” We were the only people there on this quiet and very autumn Saturday, but this was the warmest welcome.

Belgians by birth but residents here for almost a decade, Natalie and her husband Joris run Almenkerk estate, involved in everything from vine to bottle, and then opening these to pour to visitors. The tasting room feels like you’re in the kitchen of a friend, and chatting and drinking wine (this wasn’t a small-sip tasting) with Natalie it felt exactly like that. No bullshit, no long-winded tales or proclaimed superiority, just a refreshingly open discussion about the farm, the wine business and their own story, complete with problems and good fortunes, no glossing over. Then a quick cellar tour (which unveiled some neat illustrations on the white board; see below) followed by some more chat and we’d spent almost an hour there.

They’re not into mass production and only have two wines released at the moment, a Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. The Sauv Blanc is exceptionally clean and light, the Chardonnay also subtle, but with a distinctive vanilla-coconut flavour that I really enjoyed. A Bordeaux style red and a Syrah are on the way too. There’s a large dining table you can book for a lunch on Saturday or in the week (Natalie will arrange catering), which with its views over the Elgin Valley is pretty hard to beat. Already earmarked that for my next special lunch with mates.

Easily my favourite new winery visit.  www.almenkerk.co.za