Recently I was invited to the Overhex Survivor launch at Overhex Wineries, just outside of Worcester. Overhex has just released their premium range of wines called Survivor, using grapes from their vineyards in Swartland.
On arriving at Overhex, I could see that they had gone through some renovations since I last visited. It was revealed later that evening that the extensions to the restaurant had in fact taken place over the past 6 weeks and the finishing touches were only completed around noon that day, leaving staff frantically setting up so they were ready in time for the launch that evening. The place looks superb, the changes they have made has really lifted the look of the place.
As I worked my way through the masses collecting outside the restaurant, I saw Nicolette Waterford, Christian Eedes, John and Lynne Ford, and Michael Fridjhon. I realised at this point that the launch of this new brand for Overhex was not to be taken lightly and that they truly had something they wanted to make some noise about.
The evening started with a beautiful Sauvignon Blanc. I enjoyed the tropical fruit style that they have gone for as well as the lovely mouth-feel, friendly acidity and lingering finish. It is R85 a bottle and I feel very well priced for the quality of this wine.
We moved inside for the evening. Owner Gerhard van der Wath started the evening off by telling everyone the reason for the name Survivor. Initially when I heard the name, I thought of the TV programme Survivor, but it turns out it is named after an Nguni cow that jumped off a cattle truck and into Overhex’s Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards in Swartland. The cow survived and thrived, therefore the wine was named after this female cow.
After a few speeches by Michael Fridjhon and Chef Jaco, we got to enjoy two starters with the Sauvignon Blanc and two starters with the Pinotage. The Sauvignon Blanc was served with Boursin cheese, pea puree, tomato chutney and deep fried artichoke, served on a crostini and smoked salmon wrapped fresh green asparagus, served on a crostini, topped with peppadews ricotta.
Chef Jaco van der Westhuizen is new to Overhex. It looks like he will be raising the bar at the Overhex restaurant. After having a taste of what he can make, I am keen to come back for more.
The food was pleasant and the pairings were nice, the only one I didn’t feel worked so well was the Pinotage served with deep fried crumbed chicken cordon bleu lollipop stuffed with Gouda cheese and black forest ham. Whereas the best pairing of the evening would have to be the second canapé they served with the Pinotage which consisted of Boerewors flavoured beef fillet, served in a herb vol-au-vent. The Pinotage (R125 a bottle) was a little dry, fruity, and had a nice mouth-feel. It leaned towards having more dark fruit flavours, similar to black forest. I felt this wine was more a food wine than one to drink by itself. Perhaps the tannins were still a little prominent and it just needs more time in bottle before drinking.
Other wines we tasted on the evening included the Chenin Blanc 2015 at R75 a bottle, which was fruity, fresh, had good acidity, and notes of granny smith apple. I felt this wine was a bit young and would drink better after a bit more time in bottle. This wine was served with candied walnuts, caramelized onion cambrini served with butternut crisps and Melba toast.
The Merlot Cabernet blend (R125 a bottle) was the most talked about wine that evening at our table. It was more complex than the other three wines, stimulating more conversation on the flavours and overall thoughts on the wine. It was soft, had good body and depth. It was meaty, and had Christmas fruit spice like cardamom and cinnamon as well as some almond. This wine was served with Karoo rack of lamb, served with wild mushroom risotto, seasonal vegetables and parmesan crisp.
The evening finished with Oude Molen Rene single cask brandy and truffles. The truffles were delicious, if only there were more to go around! Two boxes were put on our table beside two couples with none served on our side, after asking where ours was, it turned out that there were only two boxes per table, thankfully our table guests hadn’t polished off the box of truffles by the time we had found this out. They were truly delicious!
Overall, I felt this was a really well put together evening and a success. The whole evening was professionally conducted, the staff and guests were all very friendly and I left really impressed. Well done to the Overhex team and I look forward to seeing the wines on the shelves and in restaurants.
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