This Saturday morning, March 21st, 2009 as you can see by these photos was beautiful and it sure felt great to be alive! We were at the BEAUMONT Vineyard in Walker's Bay, South Africa and John and I were having the time of our lives!
We met Jayne and had breakfast with her and and three of her family/friends. It was serene and magical to sit in her back yard by the side of the lake there with birds and wildlife in sight and to be heard as they, too enjoyed the splendors of this morning. I took a picture after we cleared the table off but if you had seen it with all the wonderful treats there spread out : fruits, breads, jellies and jams, coffee, juice, cheeses and bacon and eggs and pretty much " everything nice ". It sure made me feel great and I ate and listened to much of the conversation and soaked up the words and the beauty of this lovely, serene moment before heading back to Cape Town with John Morrison.
Earlier I had spotted my new friend Vivian and rushed over to give her a big hug and say " bye-bye " as I feared she might be leaving soon. It was true, she and her friends were on the road shortly. I took the picture here of her and me as well as the young German brunette that was with her party as well as the suntanned young man with glasses and a Quick Silver white t-shirt on. They had camped out there that evening.
The young German lady I discovered the previous evening sitting around the fire with Vivian and she was studying to be a doctor in Berlin and had come to South Africa to work in the aids clinic in Cape Town. She was headed back to Germany in a day or two.
People came to say their " good-byes " and they left. Some had spent the night there after this amazing soiree of stomping grapes, lively music to spur everyone on and then an amazing spread of foods and grilled meats to enjoy afterwards. I spent time close to the fire there outside the winery as I was still quite sticky and quite wet from having stomped grapes for two-three hours the night before.
I took a quick tour with Jayne of her home there and I have included here on of her paintings as she is quite a fine artist and I really did enjoy most of her work there and around the vineyard and offices. Go to : chatart.blogspot.com to see more of Jayne's wonderful artwork. All you have to do here is go to see my " view complete profile, click it, then scroll down to all my blogs listed there and click on chatart to see Jayne's colorful, inspiring,intriguing works.
After saying " bye-bye " to Vivian I went back to find John and did not know where he had disappeared to? I walked into the offices and the winery and spied Sebastian's assistant winemaker up on one of the cement vats stirring the cauldron so to speak of magical grapes that would later yield wonders for all of our tongues and palates to luxuriate in! We spoke a few minutes as she concentrated on her task at hand as she stood there a bit precariously above this thick, deep mass of fresh red grapes ( very much like the cement vat of grapes a few feet away that we many had trodden last night to the beat of some pretty lively music. Funny, when the music got less intense and quieter everyone complained and shouted for more volume and more beat!
That stomping of grapes to make their port-style red is a tradition and it happens every year. I was excited to be included and really did not know what to expect. I loved it and slowly warmed to it. The turning point was when a group of four men got in the center of the vat and started to pound their feet and somehow it all sprayed/flew/splattered me all over and even got into my eyes where it burned a bit. This got my attention, this got me going : this also got me noticed by everyone as I was the only one really wearing all these grapes and juices and not stained tie-dye coloring of grapes!
I was now vested seriously in this venture : there was no turning back now. John and many of the others had long left and not returned. I met Vivian here and we spoke and she left and returned later and she complemented/remarked on my new look. I also met the man that was redoing the mill there on the property and he was an absolute dynamo of energy and raw enthusiasm as he stomped mightily and forcefully, never letting up through all of this. He often commented to me and we exchanged notes so to speak as we egged one another on. I later walked down to the mill late at night and was able to get a look inside at the incredible inner working of the metal, wood and stone and rope, ( whatever ) that made this baby come alive and hum and churn and burn and do it's thing! No one was there ; they had all just left. In quiet and peace I looked on and tried to absorb as much as I could in this tired state of mine. I loved it, I loved that after years of silence it was being brought back to life and to serve a practical function once again.
Before breakfast as I looked for John I decided to walk around and get the pictures of the winery and the surrounding grounds. Some of them are here for you all to enjoy I hope : a mix of modern and old and beauty and land and man made items, tools, barrels, tanks of petrol, whatever : all important now or once important in making the winery produce all the fine wines of BEAUMONT.
Before leaving John Morrison, Sebastian and Jayne Beaumont tasted the " new " pride and joy " of Sebastian that reflects his sincere desire to do what he can best : reflect the soil, climate, temperament of these wines of Walker's Bay, South Africa. That's what he is striving for : making wines that speak of his home and his land and do the very best he can with the best grapes that he has! He talked in earnestness about this goal of his and I could see in his face and in his gestures that this was a very important project indeed. I liked it, too once that it opened in my glass : it took some time. It's a young wine and a mix of Sebastian, Jaynes', Raoul's and Ariane's best grapes! Kudos to you all!
There will be more about this later. I thank Val in the picture here with Jayne that was nice enough the evening before to spend three-five minutes hosing me off after my intense stomping experience. I felt much better after that rinse Val!
Thank you one and all for making this such a special moment for me at BEAUMONT Cheers, TONY
I was exhausted by this day and it was beautiful and I went early to bed! Cheers, TONY
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