Summer at Hartenberg

This past weekend I spent a lovely day under the trees at Hartenberg Wine Estate, with a bottle of Chardonnay, a picnic crate full of delicious treats and a couple of gorgeous girlfriends. This is honestly exactly how I plan on spending as many summery Sundays as possible in the coming months. We’re super spoilt out here in Cape Town, with beaches and mountains, but man, there’s something really lovely about a day in the sunshine on a wine estate.

We started with a wine tasting. When you visit, be sure to ask for Caroline – she’s a total boss. Hartenberg is famous for their Shiraz, which has won loads of international awards, including best Shiraz in the world. Personally, I’m quite partial to their Eleanor Chardonnay, which is golden yellow, rich and buttery and everything that I like my Chardonnay to be. If you’re a Sauvignon Blanc drinker, you’ll be pleased with the tropical/guava/melon deliciousness that Hartenberg is producing. My biggest hit of the day was the Riesling, which I bought a case of.

Our picnic table was set up under the trees, with blankets and big cushions laid out in the sunshine. I like it when farms do their picnic set-ups like this, especially if you’re picnicing with family or grandparents, who don’t like having to sit on the grass. We spread out across the blankets though, and got a little sun as we feasted.

All the picnic ingredients are locally sourced, free-range and complemented by freshly baked breads. This season the picnic basket includes the popular Eleanor’s snoek pâté (which is exceptional with The Eleanor Chardonnay) and a selection of fine local cheeses and charcuterie. We also had gourmet sandwiches, a delicious preserved fig and blue cheese quiche and freshly prepared Asian noodle salad. For dessert we had a deconstructed Strawberry Cheesecake in a jar (the other option is Peanut Butter and Chocolate dessert in a jar).

Picnics cost R195 per person and include a bottle of estate wine to share between two. Kids under the age of 12 can have their own selection of treats at R80 per kiddie.