Sumaridge

This was the third winery on our list for the day. The venue was very nice, we spent some time taking photos at the water, watching the ducks and ducklings swim around, watched children fishing while the family was having a picnic beside the water. It was a lovely setting.

We had booked a table at this place to do a tasting and eat a platter of food. On arrival we were seated at our table, and it did take a little while to be served. Quite a few people had walked in for a tasting and instead of sitting for a tasting, they did it at the tasting bar. I think this had a massive affect on our tasting experience because the staff were too busy to then serve us our wine. We would have been better doing our tasting at the bar and then sitting for the platter. We had hoped to have done both at the same time, but was not a biggy that we couldn't. The staff were very friendly though, and the guy serving wine was very informative.

We tried all the wine. The Sauvignon Blanc 2009 (R70) had really nice flavour and was balanced. The Chardonnay 2009 (R140) had a lovely flavour, but was slightly tart. The Maritimus 2009 (R130) was very nice, it had nice flavour; was a beautiful tropical fruity flavour, and nicely balanced. The Pinot Noir 2009 (R180) smelled nice, but it was not a favourite of mine. It seemed that it might be better after a few more years. The Merlot 2007 (R100) was very nice; I really liked the flavour of this wine. The Epitome 2008 (R160) had nice oak, tobacco and spicy tones, it was mature, and a delicious wine.

There is an outdoor decking which seats about 8 people. If you can book this, its makes for a lovely setting for your platter. They also have tables outside under the trees, which on a non-windy day would also be a lovely place to sit for a platter. The platters available are very nice!! There is a selection of 4 different platters, ranging from R45 to R130. The cheapest option is designed for children as it is a smaller platter, whereas the adults ones range from R70 - 130. The lady who served us gave us the option of getting a big platter for the 6 of us, for something like R450. We all thought this was a great option, and it turned out that the portion was a perfect size for us all. It was delicious also!!!

I do recommend one visits this winery as the whole setting is lovely. If you are a big group though, I do recommend booking a table for a platter, but perhaps do your tasting first at the bar if it is busy.