Wood and Wine at Wijnhuis
Posted by ymartiny | Filed under White Stick Sips
This was White Stick Sips’ second visit to Stellies to surf the best of what the Winelands had to offer, at its own leisurely pulsating beat, with the wine list from Wijnhuis (Wine House). Oegh, then again, surfing is way too cool to use as a comparison for our very mediocre experience at an establishment with a name that promised the obvious; wine at home. It was more like being dragged to a bake sale at the church bazaar when you’d rather be watching Dawson going through another over-dramatised breakup with Katie Holmes (mmm … reminisce) while drowning in their own vocabulary-whirlpool.
Sorry, I put the hammer before the nail there … so, we drove into Stellenbosch with the moon rising behind the Helderberge and slowly breaking through a sky dusted with clouds, vineyards were being illuminated and the fresh air forced your nozzles to take in more than they could handle – a beautiful start to the evening (full stop).
We arrived at Wijnhuis where The Drew Master was anxiously waiting at the very unique entrance; every single available surface is covered with branded wooden crate-panels from farms in and around the area. This carries through to the bar area where we were seated. Here, in glass encased display boxes, you’ll find all your friends o’ wine individually exhibited in all their celebrated glory. As I took in every celeb wine box, I recalled the farm which created a very familiar ‘feel-at-home’ ambiance – point scored. That and the fact that everything is bewooden – this is heaven for termite honeymooners, let’s just hope that they don’t get cabin fever (sorry, couldn’t resist).
With all seated at the leather couches, the first flight was served and herewith my shavings out of 20:
1 – Bosman Rose ’09 @ R98 (12): No Nose – weak palate – eek
2 – Bosman Chenin Blanc ’08 @ R98 (13.5): Intriguing nose, inviting, nutty, slightly smoky, palate is flat
3 – Bosman Mont Bay Sauvignon Blanc ’09 @ R98 (16.5): Lovely nose – strawberry pancake – Easy drinking with multi dimensional finish – fab aftertaste
4 – Peacock Ridge (Waterkloof) Merlot ’07 (14): Nose hide-and-seek and I’ve a headache, so no, go play – nicely covers Mr Palate like a Serbian (?) gymnast
5 – Bosman Adama Shiraz ’07 @ R165 (14.5): Nose of a wine I like – Would want a smoother palate though – Richard Gere wine – sexy old
6 – Bosman Cabernet Sauvignon ’06 @ R196 (13): Raisins – port – *breath* – dusty – not a sexy old – Donald Trump
7 – L’Aviner Pinotage ’07 @ R182 (13.5): Pour some Anchovies on me – Bon Drown Me
8 – Stellenzicht Syrah 2002 @ R369 (16): A very old Scarlett Johansson – recipe-predictable wine (in a good way) and everything worked. Well-balanced – Will also be referred to as ‘The Savior of Wijnhuis’ Bland Blind Tasting’ from now on, not Scarlett (I wish) the wine.
Our tasting of eight is based on their standard tasting of six wines at the same price (point scored) which was served on their wooden crate serving trays (apparently patented) and features one farm. In our case Bosman – I will become a polygamist if forced into wedlock with this wine even though they weren’t all that bad. What was corked though was the service, if it wasn’t for Drew (he’s a regular and that’s probably why they didn’t bother) who explained their practices, I would’ve been extremely disappointed and confused. Let me reiterate, the place is cool in its own right, it is the service that was not. The bewooden wine list on the other hand, is well-representative of the Winelands and includes comprehensive tasting notes on wines at very reasonable prices.
My personal lowest thus far at 14.13 – rated on the basis of the wines only but I’m sure subconsciously the overall experience had a role to play. Wijnhuis seems like a romantic corner for young winemakers to propose their new-found love or older ones for celebrating the anniversary of theirs. I can imagine that it could be quite popular over lunch and on the weekends with tourists looking for that ‘something different’. For me though, the concept seemed run through and the staff tired. There were no buzz and hype to get us going and even the customers seemed to sadly seep through the bewooden (now a term that can be trademarked by Wijnhuis) ceiling while the team did their rehearsed dance for Stromboli’s lire.
One Response to “Wood and Wine at Wijnhuis”
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Jaclyn Says:
May 11th, 2010 at 09:59I Love it: “customers seemed to sadly seep through the bewooden (…) ceiling while the team did their rehearsed dance for Stromboli’s lire” – How do you come up with these things?
