Longridge blessed by the Arch
Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu was the guest of honour at the launch of The Restaurant at Longridge Wine Estate, nestled against the Helderberg Mountains between Somerset West and Stellenbosch last week.
He is the patron of the estate’s charity and social investment partner, The Medical Knowledge Institute (MKI). The Arch braved the midday heat to plant a lemon tree, and bless the endeavours of the estate and all concerned.
The farm was bought by the Dutch Van der Laan family in 2006, a European agri-business, who say they were drawn to the area by the historical Dutch connection to the Western Cape. The international non-profit health organisation, MKI, works towards improving basic living conditions by offering health-related training to local aid workers and communities, with many of these resources being directed towards South Africa.
Guests at the launch were treated to a delicious sample of the summer menu, shared on gorgeous flower-bedecked tables on the long shady stoep, overlooking the abundant gardens where much of the fresh produce is sourced. Prior to the meal, the inimitable Delta Optel Band, from Solms-Delta estate in Franschhoek performed.
Culinary consultant Marilou Marais created the menu, featuring in-season products such as fresh asparagus, salads and herbs from the Longridge kitchen garden, and fish fresh from False Bay and Franschhoek trout.
Newly-appointed chef Bruce von Pressentin, a German-born South African, worked in England and Scotland before gaining more experience in kitchens at Cassia, Pete Goffe-Wood’s Food Alchemy,The Vineyard Hotel and Olive in Stellenbosch. “This job and this restaurant is the break that all chefs dream about – sometimes when I’m up to my elbows with preparations, I look up at the gorgeous sight of Table Mountain and realise that I would not want to be anywhere else in the world,” he says.
The estate’s wines have also featured prominently, with the 2010 Longridge Chenin Blanc scoring a gold medal at the 2011 Veritas Wine Awards, its third. The vintage also received a gold medal at the Decanter awards, and the Grand D’Or at the Michelangelo International Wine Awards, a testimony to winemaker Jasper Raats, who attributes their success to minimum interference.
“As a winemaking team, we are committed to nurturing our environment and paying attention to nature and our soils specifically. By showing respect to the terroir and the vines, these elements have the opportunity to express themselves in every glass of our wines,” he says.
*For more information, visit www.longridge.co.za
Written by Carolyn Frost You are reading Longridge blessed by the Arch articles
