Summer time is the perfect season to indulge in long, leisurely picnics with a chilled glass (or three!) of your fave summer wine. Relaxing on a picnic blanket while nibbling on delectable delights and sipping on your favourite tipple is my kind of heaven. Just talking about it makes me want to go out right now and do just that!

I think that most wine lovers have a certain “go-to” drink that they enjoy with a picnic. I know I do. Depending on my mood that day, it could either be a crisp and dry Rosé or a heavenly MCC – bubbles are always a great idea!

I was intrigued when I received an invitation to join a media launch at Perdeberg Winery to taste their range of Chenin Blancs, including a new release. For those of you that may not know, Chenin Blanc is a white wine that is enjoying a major comeback on the wine scene. And it’s white. Not something I drink or order when I’m out and about. Having said this, I’ve learnt that there is a VERY distinct difference between awful, acidic white wine (think vinegar!) and white wine that has been created and produced by a master winemaker.

Image credit – Perdeberg Winery

Perdeberg Winery, located in the Paarl winelands in the Boland of the Western Cape, is slightly off the beaten track. An abundance of Cape Mountain Zebra once roamed this beautiful area freely. You will find the modern winery at the foot of the majestic Paardeberg Mountain, named after these magnificent creatures.

It was a typically beautiful late summer’s day, just perfect for picnics and summer wines. We met up with our group, some of us meeting for the first time in person. Warmly greeted by Johan van Dyk, the charismatic Marketing Manager for Perdeberg, we were offered a chilled glass of their Vineyard Collection Brut Reserve Methode Cap Classic (MCC) Chenin Blanc 2012, paired with almond biscotti. We were certainly off to a promising and delicious start!

The label has recently been revamped and although I didn’t get a photo of the previous label, trust me when I say that the new one is a million times better and far more visually appealing. As for contents of the bottle, it is a sublime Chenin Blanc MCC with notes of green pear and Granny Smith apples, giving it a green tint. Citrus elements of lime and grapefruit are evident on the nose. Let’s just say that I could quite happily quaff a bottle of these magic bubbles.

Did you know? Perdeberg is officially known as the Home of Chenic Blanc, producing eight different styles of this wine. It is the most versatile varietial, producing anything from sparkling wines to sweet wines.

As we made our way to the newly renovated private Tasting Room, the “Kwagga”, complete with dark brick walls, swivel chairs and funky pullout spittoons, we learnt that Perdeberg Cellar is the only cellar to achieve four consecutive Standard Bank Top 10 Chenin Blanc awards to date. How impressive is that? I was more keen than ever to taste and discover what makes this varietal so special.

Image credit – Perdeberg Winery

First up for tasting was their Classic Range. No doubt you’ve seen the label with the zebra on it in your local liquor store. The Chenin Blanc 2017 is an elegant wine made in a fruity new world style. It’s an easy everyday drinking wine that goes well with food or on its own. Picture yourself beside the pool on a sunny day sipping on a chilled glass or two.

The Dry Land Collection Courageous Barrel Fermented Chenin Blanc 2016 proved to be more complex and structured. This wine is made from grapes of Dryland Vineyards and showcases the uniqueness of the wines grown in this testing terroir. Made in a ripe and rich wooded style, this Chenin Blanc was fermented and matured in French oak barrels. This results in an aromatic and richly textured wine due to the French oak barrel maturation and age-old traditions of Dry Land viticulture.

There is a bush vine mounted on the wall in the Tasting Room and even though I thought it was quite large, Johan assured us that this was still a baby compared to some of the bush vines he’s seen.

What I particularly enjoyed about this wine were the fruity notes such as pear, peach and pineapple. Along with hints of citrus, litchi and vanilla on the palate (yum!), the finish is crisp with a well-defined acidity that one can enjoy now or age for up to five years.

The time had arrived to be introduced to the main reason we were there that day – a tasting of the Single Vineyard Chenin Blanc 2017, Endura. Launched in 2017, Endura pays tribute to the enduring journey of survival that a Dry Land Vine embarks on each year to produce it’s very best fruit. It’s a very naturally made wine as very little is done to it. As Johan said, it’s all in the grape.

Made from a Single Vineyard of Chenin Blanc on top of Paardeberg Mountain, this unique wine is naturally fermented in Ceramic Amphora, a Diamanté wine tank and French oak barrels, resulting in a truly special wine.

Image credit – Perdeberg Winery

You will find ripe stone fruit, citrus and lemony flavours on the nose, while the rich palate offers a fresh acidity and mineral finish. Only two thousand bottles have been produced. While this wine isn’t available for public tasting, you can purchase a bottle (or two!) of this liquid gold at just R200 per bottle. The wax seal is made from ivory and green wax and complements the label beautifully.

The sweet ending to our fun and informal tasting was The Dry Land Collection Longevity Natural Sweet Chenin Blanc 2016. To be honest, I am not a fan of natural sweet wines as they tend to give me an instant headache. I did, however, take a sip and can appreciate that the marmalade and honeycomb aromas will appeal to lovers of this varietal.

Johan was very accommodating and introduced us to some of their red wines. The Resolve Pinotage 2014 was a winner, but the Red Equus 2014 got my vote. If you enjoy a great spicy wine with flavours of black berries and cherries, but one that goes down smoothly, then this would be a fantastic choice.

Now that the wine tasting had come to an end, we headed outside into the bright sunshine for a picnic beneath the shade of the trees. But this is no ordinary picnic folks! We were treated to a tantalizing Tapas picnic which was just heavenly.

You  have to try it. We couldn’t stop raving about how delicious it was in between mouthfuls. It made such a refreshing and interesting change from picnics that are usually offered.

Image credit – Perdeberg Winery

It’s so worth it at just R300 per couple, including a bottle of the Dryland Collection Pioneer Pinot Noir / Chardonnay 2017. I’m not sure you get such great value for money for an exceptionally tasty Tapas picnic INCLUDING WINE anywhere else in the winelands. And believe me, you will not go home hungry. Check out all the mouth-watering goodies that are included:

• Patatas Bravas topped with Crisp Chorizo and Aged Pecorino Cheese
• Lemon-marinated Artichoke and Baby Leaf Salad, accompanied by Charred Zucchini, Slow Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Danish Feta and a Pesto Emulsion
• Grilled Sticky BBQ Chicken Wings, served with a Chimi Churri Aioli
• Panko-Breaded Lamb Belly Fritters served with Roasted Garlic Aioli
• Chilli, Honey and Soy-roasted Pork Tacos with Chilli and Pineapple Salsa
• Nutella or Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta
• Freshly brewed coffee

Experience something different at Perdeberg Cellar. Bookings are essential and will be available until the end of summer (around April 2018). Kiddies baskets can also be ordered at R85 per basket.

I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent at Perdeberg with fellow wine enthusiasts, bloggers and foodies. I am really impressed by their Chenin Blancs and learnt a thing or two about what makes this varietal so special. Perdeberg certainly has come a long way since pressing their first grapes manually in 1942. Yet they still maintain a hands-on approach and their innovative way of producing wine shows in the exceptional quality of their many award-winning wines.

I’d suggest a visit to this winery sooner rather then later. Discover their wide range of wines while tucking into a super yummy Tapas picnic. It’s the perfect place to spend a day out in the winelands!

Please note ~ I was hosted by Zelda of Liquid Pulse Marketing & Communications and Perdeberg Winery. All views and images are my own unless otherwise indicated.