Windsor Hotel Hermanus: February in the Overberg!

Beautiful, hot, sunshine filled days without a breath of wind. This is the perfect time to chill, put your feet up and relax on the beach. Occasionally taking a dip into the warmer waters that grace our shores around this time every year. Aaaaaah, the Overberg is calm and peaceful… NOT!!

February in the Overberg means it’s harvest time and that means it’s time for wine! Harvesting started in January for certain crops and will continue all the way through to early April, however it’s February and that means harvesting is at its peak. Pinotage, Chardanney, Sauv Blanc, Chiraz, Pinot Noir and other cultivars are being harvested as we speak.

On the wine farms of Elgin, Elem, Stanford, Botrivier and of course Hemel-en-Aarde there is endless activity and mad scrambling going on as grapes are being picked from the vineyards and moved to the cellars for their long journey to becoming liquid gold.

The farm manager barks out orders to the pickers explaining to them exactly when and how he wants his grapes to be picked and handled, the sorters are frantically casting their well trained eyes over all the grapes as they make their way up the conveyor belts to be crushed. Swooping like eagles they illuminate grapes that are not deemed worthy to be part of this year’s harvest. The wine maker hustles amongst all this that is going on nervous, frantic and stressed as he (or she) assesses the crop and devises the plan for the ultimate taste they wish to create.

Expressions like “good balance”, “Lingering finish,” fragrant bouquet”, “hints of”, and “French oak maturation” are flying through the wine estate marketers head at this time as well. Oh! What a time to be visiting the wine estates of the Overberg. The smell of new wine barrels, freshly crushed grapes and churned up earth inspires the possibility of what lies ahead when all of this comes together in yet another beautiful bottle of wine created in the Overberg.

So, if you are planning on spending time on the beach in the Overberg, this year, why not grab a bottle of last year’s vintage and think about all those that are running like mad on our wine estates right now.

Relax and enjoy. Welcome to the Overberg!