Lemberg - Christmas in Winter 2013

Today we visited Lemberg to do a wine tasting and try their cheese fondue for lunch.

Yet again we had a lovely experience. They have a comfortable lounge area to enjoy a wine tasting, while staying warm beside the fireplace!!

Lemberg is one of my favourite wine estates due to their good quality and delicious wine at affordable prices. The winemaker, David Sadie, is a very modest, friendly, welcoming and humble person. He is usually the one at the tasting room to provide guests with informative tastings. I highly recommend visiting this wine estate in Tulbagh.

Other favourites in Tulbagh include Saronsberg, De Heuvel and Waverley Hills. Spend the weekend in Tulbagh, it is such a beautiful place and there is plenty to see and do!! Tulbagh Christmas in Winter is a fantastic weekend to choose to spend in Tulbagh, I highly recommend planning a trip to Tulbagh around this festival!!

My favourite wine of Lemberg's is the Lady Lemberg at R120 a bottle. It is a blend of 57% Viognier, 22% Harslevelu, 11% Sauvignon Blanc and 10% Semillon. It has lovely flavour, a soft yet full mouth feeling and nice body. I am also a fan of their Syrah, Pinotage, and Surin (dessert wine).

Lemberg wine is delicious (soft tannin and fruit driven wine) and I highly recommend you visit their estate to stock up on their wine!!

De Heuvel - Christmas in Winter

I liked the architecture of the building, the vibe, the value for money wine and the way the owner makes you feel so welcome here. It was a great experience. 

We visited this wine estate on the Tulbagh Christmas in Winter weekend. This is a really nice festival and I highly recommend visiting Tulbagh and the Tulbagh wine estates over this weekend. It is not too crowded and is child friendly, making for a nice weekend away for everyone.

We tasted all the wine here and found some great value for money wine!! They are apparently closing down so if you are planning a trip to Tulbagh it is best you find out before driving out here if they are still open. If they are, I recommend visiting this estate. Their wine is very good and due to the fact they are closing down the prices are really low!! The service was really friendly here, it was a fun wine tasting experience.

I really enjoyed the experience here and highly recommend you visit this estate. If you do drive out this way, be sure to visit Waverley Hills also.

Tasting notes:
 
Chardonnay 2010 from Walker Bay only R60 a bottle.
Floral, light, white flesh fruity taste, little tropical fruity flavours. I liked this wine.

Sauvignon Blanc 2010 R25 a bottle.
I prefer the 2009 much better, it is fresher with more prominant tropical fruity flavours.

White Reserve 2010 R45 a bottle.
A blend of four varietals Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Chenin and Viognier. Quite fresh, soft, rounded, a lot of flavour, very floral.

Chenin Blanc 2010 R25 a bottle.
Soft, easy drinking, fruity. Strong fruity nose with fresh citrus tones.

Chenin Blanc 2010 Barrel Fermented R60 a bottle.
Nice, lightly oaked, has nice depth to it. Medium body. Fruity.

Hanepoot 2012 R25 a bottle.
Sweet hanepoot smell yet a slightly sour taste. Tastes like the grapes were picked a little early.

Pinotage Rose 2011 R25 a bottle (unlabelled).
Nice and fresh with a strawberry taste. A little bit too fresh - not too sure it's balanced.

Pinotage 2006 R35 a bottle.
Smokey nose, deeper fruit flavours. Slightly spicy. Serve chilled. Age another 2-3 years.

Pinotage 2007 R35 a bottle.
Strong fruity/berry aromas with a hint of coffee. Slight sherry/port smell. Light. Little dry/bitter.

Rijks - Christmas in Winter

Our first stop on the Sunday of the Christmas in Winter Festival in Tulbagh was Rijks. We had a nice tasting here. They have some good wine and the service was good.

As you can see in the photo above, the weather was not as nice on the Sunday for the Christmas in Winter Festival, but I am glad the Saturday had the better weather of the two days!!

 

The ladies who served us at Rijks were very pleasant, welcoming and friendly. There is plenty of seating inside and outside. They have a nice range of good quality wine.

We tasted a number of wines. My tasting notes on the wine:

Fascination Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc 2008, R90 a bottle. Floral and light on the nose. Smooth on the palate. The Semillon was in barrels where as the SB was only in stainless steel tanks. It was a pleasant wine.

Chenin Blanc Touch of Oak 2011 at R80 a bottle. This was lightly wooded. Had slight pineapple taste with some stone fruit tones (peach and apricot). Gorgeous fruity nose, light, citrus fruity tones.

Private Cellar Chenin Blanc 2009 at R120 a bottle. Very lovely, pungent fruity flavours with tones of peach, apricot and apple. It was nice.

Chardonnay 2008 at R90 a bottle. Spent 12 months in barrels, 70% new oak and 30% 2nd and 3rd fill. I noticed honey and nuts on the nose, slight roasted tones, nice but a bit heavy, probably best with food.

Pinotage Touch of Oak 2011, R105 a bottle. Has that stem taste and slight powdery texture. It was light with nice berry flavours. Can serve this wine chilled. Dark cherries on the palate. 

Private Cellar Pinotage 2009, R160 a bottle. It was a little heavier than the touch of oak pinotage. There was a bit of coffee on the nose, a little dry on the palate. Probably best with food.

Shiraz Touch of Oak 2010 at R100 a bottle. Gorgeous pungent fruity nose, a little dry, light, little spicy, fruity, easy drinking.

Private Cellar Shiraz 2007 at R150 a bottle. A little more serious than touch of oak Shiraz. Spicier and fruitier. Heavier, little dry, probably best with food also.

Overall we had a nice experience here. They have good quality wine and friendly service. I would recommend visiting this estate.