No.6 Restaurant Opening at Welbedacht Estate

The other night we were invited to the opening of the revamped No.6 restaurant at Welbedacht Estate (Schalk Burger & Sons) in Wellington.

It was the perfect summer evening for an outside affair in the courtyard between the wine tasting area and the restaurant.  They have now extended the tables of the restaurant outside into the courtyard so you can enjoy their delicious food and wine whilst admiring the stunning view. 

The new chef has previously worked in Spain and thus brings a Mediterranean flair to the menu.  Lamb burgers, spanakopitas, calamari and more delicious mini versions of the menu were served to us as the sun went down.  And later some delicious profiteroles and blueberry spring rolls came out!

We were welcomed with a delicious glass of Mon René Champagne (named after the only daughter on the farm).  Bubbles always get the evening off to a good start, and were thoroughly enjoyed while Tiaan welcomed everybody, introduced the new restaurant Chef and staff, and explained the origin of the No.6 name.

No. 6 is Schalk's rugby jersey/position (Springboks & Province) and the one in which he won the "International Player of the Year" award in 2004.  Tiaan also played in the same number growing up and Schalk senior apparently began his career in the No.6 jersey too, before moving positions.  So it runs in the family!

The No.6 wine is also named after the above and is a blend of 6 different grape varieties namely, Syrah, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Mourvedre, Pinotage and Viognier all of the 2006 vintage. Only a limited quantity of this wine has been produced.

The Meerkat range of wines is apparently named after Africa's most gregarious animal (and the only one with the same name in Afrikaans & English), hence the "Gregarious people" mentioned in the restaurant slogan.  Overall, they really have tried to create a relaxed environment of good food and wine.

A number of the Meerkat and Welbedacht wines were available on the opening night.  I enjoyed a glass of the Welbedacht Sauvignon Blanc which, with it's grassy notes has lovely lemongrass and gooseberry flavours.  My other half chose the Welbedacht Chardonnay which had lovely apricot and honey flavours, not too heavy either.
We switched later to red and the Welbedacht Merlot was delicious, very berry, but with some dark chocolate and cloves in the mix there, it was definitely a favourite - I heard a few people requesting "more of that one".  I had a sip of the Welbedacht Pinotage too, but that wasn't my favourite, personally, it was a little acidic somehow.

They have some great pizza specials at the moment and the setting is really beautiful.  Open from Wednesdays - Sundays for both Lunch and Dinner.  Pop in when you are next in the area.

WELBEDACHT ESTATE (SCHALK BURGER & SONS)
Oakdene Road, Wellington.  Continue through Wellington on the R44 and follow the signs.
Tel: +27 21 873 1877

Welbedacht Farm - Schalk Burger and Sons.

  - JUST OUTSIDE WELLINGTON, LOVELY VIEWS AND GOOD WINE!

A friend told us we had to taste the Welbedacht Hat Trick next time we were there because it really is quite impressive!  And so I made sure to pop into the tasting room.

Welbedacht is home to Welbedacht, Schalk Burger & Sons and Meerkat wines.  The tasting room is small, but you can always ask to sit on the tables outside, or even buy a bottle and go lounge on the grass.  The views are beautiful overlooking the dam and across the valley. 
The rugby paraphernalia adorning the tasting room walls is also a nice personal touch and a little insight into the family history of the farm owners and their rugby achievements.
 

The next time we visited the farm was actually to watch some rugby on a big screen in the No.6 restaurant with boerewors rolls, wine & beer.  (No. 6 restaurant is closed now for the winter months and should be opening again sometime in August, I think) . So, while we were there, I quickly hopped across to the tasting room, during the half time of the British Lions game, to taste the Welbedacht Hat Trick and Cricket Pitch wines.  I must say, I was quite impressed! 
Most of the Welbedacht wines, I read later, actually have 4 stars in the John Platter guide.

The Welbedacht Hat Trick 2007 is a Cape Blend (I was surprised that I hadn't heard of this more often living in the Cape, but I don't think it is a very common blend).  This blend is made up of 50% Pinotage, 35% Grenache and 15% Merlot.  It is a lovely smooth blend with the berries in the Merlot perfectly complimenting the bitter choc and coffee of the Pinotage.  Very enjoyable.

The Welbedacht Cricket Pitch 2008 is a typical Bordeaux style blend with 45% Cab Sav, 40% Merlot, 11% Cab Franc and 4% Syrah which gives that tiny bit of extra smokiness to the wine.    Also a smooth, very good blend, although you can distinctly taste the Cab Sav influence and flavours compared to the Cape blend above. 
The farm actually has a cricket pitch behind the winery, which is regularly used and from where the name of this wine comes.

Both wines are older vintages and therefore smoother having aged somewhat.  Having said that, now is probably the perfect time to be drinking these wines.  Both of these wines are very good and reasonably priced at R155.  We took a bottle of the Hat Trick home with us that day. 

I will definitely be back again to taste some of the other Welbedacht wines, probably again during a half time of a rugby game.

Their Meerkat second tier range is not a favourite of mine, I have previously tasted the Sav Blanc and Chenin Blancs.  While it might be good value and reasonably priced easy drinking wines, are don't find them so enjoyable - a personal preference.

Welbedacht Farm, Wellington
Follow the signs from the R44 as you leave Wellington towards Tulbagh / Riebeck Kasteel

021 873 1877