Be sure not to miss out on the gastronomic feast taking place at Lanzerac Hotel & Spa on 24 September, in celebration of Heritage Day. Steeped in rich heritage dating back to 1692, Lanzerac Wine Estate, situated in the heart of the Stellenbosch Winelands, will be serving wines from their Heritage range paired to enhance the flavours of this unforgettable banquet. The Heritage range is Lanzerac’s premium collection of wines, which is a limited release range, comprising approximately

2 500 bottles of each wine per year, vintage permitting. Winemaker, Wynand Lategan has taken great care in creating a selection of individually named wines to honour some of the major role players who contributed in establishing Lanzerac’s heritage.

First on the list is the Mrs English Chardonnay 2012, which pays tribute to Mrs Katherina Elizabeth English, who purchased the farm Schoongezicht for the handsome sum of £18 000 in 1914, and changed the farm’s name to Lanzerac. Not your average lady of the early 1900’s she embarked on extensive renovations, which included alterations to the outbuildings as well as to the homestead, allowing the house to remain well proportioned within the confines of the spacious courtyard.

It is also believed that Mrs English bottled the first Lanzerac wine from grapes grown on her land, where at one stage there were believed to have been 21 varietals growing, all of them imported. Being as progressive as she was it is safe to say that Mrs English was one of the pioneer women wine farmers, empowering women of her time as well as through the ages to embark on a career traditionally reserved for men.

The Lanzerac Mrs English is a limited selection of the finest Chardonnay barrels of the particular year. Winemaker Wynand Lategan describes the 2012 vintage as a complex wine with an abundance of citrus flavour on the nose, a full palate and lingering aftertaste. Great care is taken during the blending process to ensure a wine with impeccable balance, character, poise and deliverance. The perfect wine to enjoy with smoked salmon, white fish, creamy pasta dishes, pork or chicken.

General Lanzerac (Charles Mangin 1866-1925) commander of France Fifth Army gained a reputation as an  aggressive, but costly commander during the early stages of the First World War. His aggressive attitude, spirit and determination however proved decisive in the Allied forces eventual victory over Germany.The Lanzerac Le Général 2011 is a tribute to him, and is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinotage, Shiraz and Malbec.

The Lanzerac Le Général is a limited barrel selection of the best red wine of a particular vintage. This full-bodied, Cabernet-based blend has deep colour. It offers layers of black and red berry aromas, hints of currant and cacao on the nose, and delivers a well-rounded amalgam of berries and chocolate on the palate that lingers on the aftertaste.

The Le Général has the potential to mature over a five to ten year period and will only get better with time. Enjoy on its own or serve with duck, turkey, roast beef, venison, and roast lamb.

And last but by no means least is the superb Lanzerac Pionier Pinotage 2011, which is a tribute to the world’s first bottled Pinotage – a 1959 Lanzerac Pinotage. Professor Perold developed Pinotage, Lanzerac’s signature wine, a variety unique to South Africa in 1925 when he crossed Pinot Noir with Cinsaut/Hermitage. The 2011 Pionier has an excellent deep colour, with typical varietal aromas like ripe, plumy red fruits on the nose. A big mouth-feel, complex and velvety palate, with a long and lingering aftertaste rounds off this wine. With five to ten years’ maturation it will start to acquire the velvet density and luxurious chocolate and caramel flavours for which its predecessors is known. The perfect partner with a Malay currie, bobotie or venison.

 

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to sample these fine wines on 24 September. The menu, created by Executive Chef Stephen Fraser, will have more than 30 dishes to choose from, ensuring a banquet of gastronomic proportions.

For more information and to secure your seat contact Denise Bezuidenhout at the Lanzerac Hotel & Spa on [email protected] or 021 887 1132.

For more information on the Heritage wines, which are only available through the Tasting Room, contact Zelda

Furstenburg on [email protected] or 021 886 5641.